When your Windows 10 computer is having trouble booting up, the Startup Repair tool can often resolve the issue. This built-in recovery feature is designed to diagnose and fix common startup problems automatically. Here’s how to use Startup Repair to get your PC back up and running:
Access the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE)
The first step is to enter the Windows Recovery Environment, which provides access to various troubleshooting tools, including Startup Repair. You can access WinRE in a few different ways:
- From the login screen: If you can access the login screen, click the Power button, hold down the Shift key, and select Restart. This will boot into WinRE.
- From the Settings app: Open the Settings app, go to Update & Security > Recovery, and under Advanced startup, click Restart now.
- From a bootable USB drive: Create a Windows 10 installation USB drive and boot from it. Select “Repair your computer” to access WinRE.
If your computer won’t boot at all, you can force it into WinRE by restarting it three times in a row during the boot process. As soon as the Windows logo appears, press the power button to interrupt the boot sequence. Repeat this process two more times, and on the third attempt, Windows will boot into the recovery environment.
Run Startup Repair
Once you’re in the Windows Recovery Environment, follow these steps to run Startup Repair:
- Click “Troubleshoot”.
- Select “Advanced options”.
- Click “Startup Repair”.
- Choose your Windows account and enter your password if prompted.
- Click “Continue” to begin the repair process.
Startup Repair will scan your system for any issues preventing Windows from booting correctly. If any problems are found, it will attempt to fix them automatically. The repair process may take several minutes to complete.
After the repair is finished, you’ll see a summary of the issues found and any actions taken. If the repair was successful, you can restart your computer normally. If Startup Repair couldn’t fix the problem, you’ll see a message indicating that it couldn’t repair your PC.
In some cases, running Startup Repair multiple times (up to three) and restarting your computer between each attempt can help resolve the issue. If Startup Repair is unable to fix the problem, you may need to try other troubleshooting methods, such as running the System File Checker (SFC) or checking for hardware issues.
To run the System File Checker, boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt and enter the following command:
sfc /scannow /offbootdir=d:\ /offwindir=d:\windowsReplace “d:\” with the drive letter of your Windows installation if it’s different.
Startup Repair is a valuable tool for quickly resolving many common Windows 10 boot problems. By following these steps and trying alternative troubleshooting methods if needed, you can often get your computer back up and running without too much hassle.