System Restore Error Code – 0x81000203
As an essential part of the Windows system, System Restore can help you a lot when your system malfunctions. If you have trouble using System Restore, you can refer to this article: What Is System Restore Point and How to Create It? Look Here.
According to several users reported, the System Restore error 0x81000203 can happen when the Shadow copy services was disabled. This service is used to create backup snapshots or copies of computer volumes or files, therefore, it is important to ensure the feature is running.
Otherwise, you can consider if the 0x81000203 is triggered by some Shadow Copy Service errors and for that, you can read this post: Quick Fix Volume Shadow Copy Service Errors (for Windows 10/8/7).
Besides, when the Windows repository becomes corrupted, you will face the System Restore failure 0x81000203.
Windows repository enables the installation of software on remote Windows systems and contains a collection of software definition files so it plays an irreplaceable role in system restoration.
Then some conflicting third-party software can make System Restore error 0x81000203. For example, some users reported that they find this error after installing or using the TuneUp app. Under the circumstance, you need to uninstall it.
After understanding the reasons behind the 0x81000203, you can troubleshoot them one by one by trying the methods introduced in the next part.
Fix System Restore Error 0x81000203
Fix 1: Manually Enable the Required Services
Some services are required to be running, such as Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider and Volume Shadow Copy when you use the System Restore or the process will fail. You can go check for that and manually enable them.
Step 1: Open your Search box by pressing the Win + S key and input Services to open it.
Step 2: Locate the Volume Shadow Copy service and double-click on it to make sure that the service is running.
Step 3: If the Service status is stopped, please click Start to run it, and at the same time, make the Startup type set as Automatic.
Step 4: Then click Apply and OK to save your changes.
Step 5: Please locate and double-click on the Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider and Task Scheduler services to make sure that the services are running. And then repeat the step 3 for them.
Step 6: Press the Win + S key to open Search and input control panel to open the best match result.
Step 7: When the window pop out, click on System and Security and then System.
Step 8: Then in the next window, scroll down to choose System protection under Related settings.
Step 9: Then please click on your C: disk under Protection Settings where you can find your available drives and click the Configure… button.
Step 10: Check the option of Turn on system protection and set the Max Usage value under Disk Space Usage to something more than zero, which depends on the number of restore points you want.
Step 11: Please click Apply and OK to save your changes.
Then restart your computer and check if the 0x81000203 has been fixed.
Fix 2: Uninstall the TuneUp Utilities Software
TuneUp utilities are designed to help manage, maintain, optimize, configure, and troubleshoot a computer system, which may cause software conflicts, leading to 0x81000203.
Some people have successfully gotten rid of the error code 0x81000203 by uninstalling the TuneUp utility software. It is worth trying! Of course, if you want to keep this program, you can go to the next method.
Step 1: Open your Run dialog box by pressing the Win + R key and input appwiz.cpl to bring up the Programs and Features window.
Step 2: Scroll down to locate the TuneUp utilities and right-click on it to choose Uninstall.
Step 3: Then select Yes on any confirmation dialog boxes that might pop up.
An uninstaller wizard for the software might then open. Go through that wizard to select the required uninstall options.
Then restart your computer and check if the error code 0x81000203 still exists.
Fix 3: Turn off Turbo Mode
If you don’t want to uninstall the TuneUp utility software, you can try to turn off the Turbo Mode. Turbo Mode is a feature in Scratch that runs code quickly, eliminating the short pause and speeding up projects, but it may cause other issues for its optimized computation.
Here are the specific steps to turn off Turbo Mode.
Step 1: Open the TuneUp Utilities Start Center on your computer.
Step 2: At the bottom left of the Window, find the PC Optimization Mode and choose the Economy or Standard option.
Or you can click on the icon below Turbo to disable the Turbo Mode option.
Then you can perform System Restore again to check if the error code persists. After uninstalling the TuneUp utilities or disabling Turbo Mode, if you find the error still prevails on your computer, you need to doubt whether there is another conflicting program. For that, the next method will help you resolve this issue.
Fix 4: Perform a Clean Boot
In a Clean Boot state, your Windows will start with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program.
Let’s find out the real conflicting program and you will fix System Restore error 0x81000203 by uninstalling it.
Step 1: Input msconfig in your Run dialog box and press Enter to open System Configuration.
Step 2: Under the General tab, check Selective startup, clear the Load startup items checkbox, and make sure that Load system services and Use original boot configuration are checked.
Step 3: After that, go to the Services tab, choose the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox, and click on the Disable all button.
Step 4: Then click Apply and OK to implement the process and restart your computer.
Once you finish these steps and get into Safe Mode, the System Restore error 0x81000203 will be gone. To identify which process is the culprit causing this error, you need to enable one service after another and boot into Clean Boot till the problem reappears.
After you have identified the offender, you can consider removing or disabling it. The process may be troublesome but indeed useful.
Fix 5: Reset the Repository
A corrupted Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) database can cause the 0x81000203 error if the above methods are useless. You can fix this issue by resetting the repository.
Step 1: Input cmd in the Search box and open Command Prompt by running it as an administrator.
Step 2: Input the following command and press Enter to stop the Windows Management Instrumentation service.
net stop winmgmt
Step 3: Then go to the next location in your File Explorer and rename the Repository folder to Repositoryold.
C:\Windows\System32\wbem
Step 4: Restart your computer and run your Command Prompt as an administrator again to type the following commands to enter individually.
net stop winmgmt
winmgmt /resetRepository
Restart and see if you can create a System Restore Point manually.
If you’re still having issues starting this service, it’s possible a system policy prevents this launch. Please go to the next method to fix 0x81000203.
Fix 6: Use the Group Policy Editor
You can check if the System Restore is disabled in Group Policy, and change some settings to resolve the 0x81000203.
Note: This method is only available for Windows Pro and Enterprise editions.
Step 1: Input gpedit.msc in the Run box to enter the Group Policy Editor console.
Step 2: Navigate to the following path from the left panel.
Computer Configuration > Administrative Template > System > System Restore
Step 3: Then double-click on the Turn off System Restore option from the right panel and choose the Not Configured option on the succeeding screen.
Step 4: Click Apply and OK and then restart your PC to check if the issue has been fixed.
Fix 7: Use Registry Editor
For those who can’t use Group Policy Editor, you can use your Registry Editor to disable and then re-enable System Restore so that the System Restore error 0x81000203 can be fixed.
Step 1: Input regedit.exe in the Run dialog box to enter and navigate to the following address:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT
Step 2: Check whether this folder contains a sub-entry named SystemRestore; if not, please right-click on Windows NT, choose New and then Key to rename the key as SystemRestore.
Step 3: Then check whether the sub key contains the DWORD value DisableConfig; if not, please right-click on the blank area from the right panel to choose New and then DWORD (32-bit) value, and rename the value as DisableConfig.
Step 4: Double-click on DisableConfig and put 1 instead of 0 at its Value data. Click OK to ensure the change.
Then restart your computer and then repeat the above steps to locate DisableConfig and change the value data back to 0 to enable System Restore.
Restart your computer again and check if the issue has been fixed.
Great Alternative – MiniTool ShadowMaker
System Restore error 0x81000203 is one of the System Restore error codes you may encounter when using the System Restore point. Apart from that, other annoying issues can happen, such as System Restore being stuck, restore points missing, failing, and System Restore error 0x80042302.
Therefore, you can’t make sure that the System Restore feature can run well every time. In some emergencies, these sudden errors may make you lose the timing for remedy. In this way, you can try another alternative for system restoration – MiniTool ShadowMaker.
MiniTool ShadowMaker allows you to back up files, disks, partitions, and system periodically or in different backup schemes. Besides, you can synchronize files or folders to two or more locations with the Sync feature and perform more functions in the Tools tab, such as Media Builder, Clone Disk, and Remote.
Click on the following button to download and install MiniTool ShadowMaker and you will get a 30-day free trial version.
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Step 1: Open the program and click Keep Trial to get in.
Step 2: In the Backup tab, the system has been selected by default in the SOURCE section and you can click on the DESTINATION section to choose where you want to back up to.
Step 3: Once you finish, click Back Up Now or Back Up Later to implement the process. You can start the delayed backup task on the Manage page.
If you want to restore your system, you can go to the Restore tab and all your backup tasks will show you here. Click on Restore to follow the on-screen instructions to finish that.
Bottom Line:
Apart from the System Restore error 0x81000203, there are some other System Restore errors you may encounter when using this tool. Some of them are introduced on MiniTool Website and if you meet these related error codes, you can search for them on MiniTool Website.
If you have encountered any issues when using MiniTool ShadowMaker, you can leave a message in the following comment zone and we will reply as soon as possible. If you need any help when using MiniTool software, you may contact us via [email protected].