Basics of Fixing and Windows 8 or 10 PC

I just opened a computer repair business from my home and I just got my first and I been working in IT for 15 years. Here a some of my notes on repairing Windows 8 and 10 PC.

Generally, this for a corrupted OS. I post a later article on Malware and Virus removal.
The most import thing is below.

Important!!! Hardware needed!

Do not use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I a regular keyboard and mouse for repair, because Bluetooth keyboard and mouse may work under the BIOS but lose connection when the BIOS gives control to the OS and if OS doesn’t boot or load properly you may not be able to boot the Windows OS in safe mode or recovery mode.

I found must problem can be solved in Window 8 and 10 once you access recovery mode, but during an Automatic Repair loop, when the PC just keeps going into repair and Bluetooth Keyboard can’t communicate with the OS.

So attach a good out USB wired keyboard to the PC for recovery. Follow the steps below:

Getting into Recovery/Safe Mode:

Press the Power Button three times and the system to boot into recovery/safe mode.

How can you get F8 work again?

F8 boot menu feature is disabled on Windows 10 by default. The good news is you can get it to work again with the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) Edit command. BCD Edit is a tool written to control how the operating system is started. You can use it to enable the F8 boot menu easily. Just follow these steps:

1) On your keyboard, press Windows logo key and R key at the same time to invoke the run command.

2) Type cmd then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open an administrator command prompt. (Don’t just press Enter or click OK as that won’t open the command prompt in an administrator mode.)

3) Copy the following command and paste it in the Command Prompt. Then on your keyboard, press the Enter key.

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

4) Reboot your PC. Before the Windows logo appears, press F8 to access the Boot Options menu (see below screenshot). Then select Safe Mode.

Notes: If F8 is disabled by default if you want to use F8 you need to enable it. You can get F8 work again only when you’re able to access Windows. If you can’t start Windows normally, you need to use another effective way.

Thanks, Charles O. Lucas – the Otaku Computer Guy!

If the Windows including Windows 10 or Windows 8 fails to boot, it will launch its built-in tool –Automatic Repair to attempt to repair Windows. However, Automatic Repair has some limitations. Sometimes, like any other programs, Automatic Repair fails to work and you get an error message – Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC.

What should we do if we stuck in Windows Automatic Repair loop? How to solve this issue with ease?

Disclaimer: please always make a backup copy of your files before using any of the advice provided here. If not sure, seek qualified assistance before proceeding on your own!

Fortunately, Bootable installation media or Recovery Drive/System Repair Disc can help to fix Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC error. Here are 7 quick fixes to help you get out of Windows Automatic Repair loop.

Step 1

Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers. It can help you troubleshoot problems on your PC. For example, if the problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, you’ll know default settings and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue.

There are two versions of safe mode: Safe Mode and Safe Mode with Networking. They’re quite similar, but Safe Mode with Networking includes the network drivers and services you’ll need to access the Internet and other computers on your network.

Select from the following sections to find out how to start your PC in safe mode from either Setting, from the sign-in screen, or from a black or blank screen.

Press Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings. If that doesn’t work, select the Start button, then select Settings.
Select Update & Security > Recovery.
Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.
After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select 4 or press F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode. Or if you’ll need to use the Internet, select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

From the sign-in screen

Restart your device by pressing the Shift key while you select the Power button on the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen.
After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select 4 or F4 to start your PC in safe mode. Or if you’ll need to use the Internet, select 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

From a black or blank screen

Note

If you’ve encrypted your device, you’ll need your BitLocker key to start in safe mode.

Before you enter safe mode, you need to enter the Windows Recovery Environment (winRE). To do this, you will repeatedly turn your device off, then on:

Hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
Press the power button again to turn on your device.
On the first sign that Windows has started (for example, some devices show the manufacturer’s logo when restarting) hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
Press the power button again to turn on your device.
When Windows restarts, hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.
Press the power button again to turn on your device.
Allow your device to fully restart. You will enter winRE.

Now that you are in winRE, you will follow these steps to take you to safe mode:

On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
After your device restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select option 5 from the list or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

If you need more info on a black or blank screen error, see Troubleshoot black or blank screen errors.

Note

If you need to exit safe mode, here’s how:

Press the Windows logo key + R.
Type msconfig in the Open box and then select OK.
Select the Boot tab.
Under Boot options, clear the Safe boot check box.

Other Methods

Method 1: Use Check Disk Utility

Connect the Windows installation media or Recovery Drive/System Repair Disc to your PC, select your language preferences, and finally click Next button to continue.

Click Repair your computer at the bottom.
Choose Troubleshoot>Advanced Options>Command Prompt.
Type chkdsk /f /r C:and then press Enter
Type exitand press Enter.
Restart your PC to see if the problem is fixed or not.

Method 2: Fix Boot and Rebuild BCD via Command Prompt

Open Command Prompt according to the steps in Method 1.
Type exe /rebuildbcd and press Enter.
Type exe /fixmbr and press Enter.
Type exe /fixbootand press Enter.
Type exit and press Enterafter completing each command successfully.
Restart your PC. If you are still stuck in Windows Automatic Repair loop, try the next method.

Method 3: Restore Windows Registry

In Windows Boot Options menu, choose Troubleshoot >Advanced Options>Command Prompt.
In Command Prompt, type the following command in command prompt and then hit Enter.

cd C:\windows\system32\logfiles\srt\ (change your drive letter accordingly)

Type txtto open the file in notepad.
Press CTRL + O.
Select “All files” from file type and navigate to C:\windows\system32.
Right click CMDand select Run as administrator.
Typecd C:\windows\system32\config and press Enter.
Backup those files by renaming Default, Software, SAM, System and Security files to .bak.
Type the following command one by one & hit enter: rename DEFAULT DEFAULT.bakrename SAM SAM.bak

rename SECURITY SECURITY.bak

rename SOFTWARE SOFTWARE.bak

rename SYSTEM SYSTEM.bak

Typecopyc:\windows\system32\config\RegBack c:\windows\system32\config and press Enter.
Restart PC.

Method 4: Delete the Problematic File

Access Command Prompt again and enter the following command:

cd C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\Srt

SrtTrail.txt

Then, you could see “Boot critical file c:\windows\system32\drivers\tmel.sys is corrupt.”
Now, type the following command to the problematic file.

cd c:\windowssystem32drivers

del vsock.sys

Finally, restart PC. If these solutions can not help, please try the following troubleshooting steps to fix Windows Automatic Repair Fails to work.

Method 5: Disable Automatic Startup Repair

In Command Prompt, type bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No and press Enter.
Restart your PC, the Automatic Startup Repair should be disabled and you might be able to access Windows 10 again.
If you need to again enable it, you can type bcdedit /set {default} recovery enabled Yes in CMD and press Enter.

Method 6: Check Device Partition and OsdevicePartition

Sometimes, if your device partition values aren’t correct, you will stuck in Windows Automatic Repair loop. Now, follow these steps to remove the Windows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC error.

In Command Prompt, type bcdedit and press enter.
Find device partition and osdevice partition values and make sure their values are correct or set to correct partition. Because Windows comes preinstalled on C partition only, the default and correct value are C:.Enter the following commands and press Enter after each one if the value isn’t set to C:

bcdedit /set {default} device partition=c:

bcdedit /set {default} osdevice partition=c:

After that, reboot PC and fix Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC error.

Method 7: Perform Refresh or Reset Your PC

If Windows Automatic Repair loop issue still exists after trying the above six solutions, you can try the last method- performing a refresh or reset- to fix Windows Automatic Startup Repair boot issue.

ChooseTroubleshooting when the Boot menu appears.
Choose between fresh your PC or Reset your PC.
Follow the instructions to complete the process.

Note: no matter which you choose, your some data might be deleted during the refresh or reset process. It is recommended to backup your important files before taking this step. You can check this tutorial to know how to recover data when the PC won’t boot quickly and effectively.

Using Systems Restore:

System Restore

If you have enabled System Protection before and created a restore point, you can perform System Restore to fix Windows 10 /8 automatic repair loop.

Step 1 When you see Advanced Startup Options screen, click Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.

Step 2 Select a restore point that created before the automatic repair loop. Windows will restore your computer to the original status.

These are personal notes I have collected from various websites and my own personal experiences in the field. They focus on using the built-in tools Microsoft built into Windows 8 and 10.

You should not need to buy someones third-party applications to fix your PC, and Use should using both Windows System Restore and Windows Backup utilities. I will write and separate article on using Windows System Restore and Windows Backup to protect your PC. if you a google account the Google cloud backup is another great backup tool to protect your data.

Charles O. Lucas – the Otaku Computer Guy!

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Published by Charles Onaje Lucas