Fix the “Preparing Automatic Repair” Loop in Windows

“Preparing Automatic Repair” means Windows found a startup problem and opened the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). If it appears once and Windows reaches the sign-in screen, recovery may have worked; if the PC keeps restarting to the same message, use WinRE’s reversible tools first—Startup Repair, Safe Mode, System Restore, and update removal—then carefully check the disk and system files before considering a reset or professional repair.

Is Windows actually repairing itself, or is it stuck in a loop?

Windows shows this message when it cannot complete a normal startup. Common causes include damaged system files, a failed update, file-system errors, an interrupted shutdown, incompatible drivers, or a storage device that is beginning to fail.

Give a one-time recovery attempt time to finish. The duration depends on the problem and the speed and condition of the drive. Avoid repeatedly switching off the power while the screen is changing or showing progress.

Preparing Automatic Repair
Diagnosing your PC

The computer is probably stuck when it restarts and returns to the same messages, or repeatedly reaches an Automatic Repair screen with Advanced options without reaching the Windows sign-in screen. One appearance followed by a normal boot is different: Windows may have repaired one startup problem successfully.

When Advanced options appears, choose it instead of Reset this PC. WinRE contains tools that can often repair startup without deleting personal files.

Before changing anything, can you still reach your files and recovery tools?

These steps apply to Windows 10 and Windows 11, including most desktop and laptop editions. Some repairs require an account with Administrator rights. WinRE can open without signing in, but Command Prompt operations may ask you to select an administrator account and enter its password.

If you can reach the desktop, copy important documents, photos, work files, and browser data to an external drive or cloud storage before running repairs. If you cannot reach the desktop, try to back up files from WinRE before making changes. A restart is required to test most fixes.

First, check whether the drive appears in WinRE and identify the Windows drive letter. WinRE does not always assign Windows to C:.

1. On the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot, then Advanced options.
3. Select Command Prompt. Choose your administrator account and enter its password if prompted.
4. At Command Prompt, start DiskPart.

diskpart

5. List the available volumes.

list volume

6. Check likely drive letters until you find the volume containing the Windows folder. Replace D: in the command with a candidate letter.

dir D:\Windows

7. Leave DiskPart when you finish checking.

exit

If the folder is present, that letter is a likely Windows drive. You can also use Command Prompt to copy files to an external drive, but identify both the source and destination before using xcopy or robocopy.

Repeated forced shutdowns can worsen file-system damage. Clicking, grinding, or repeated spin-up noises from a hard drive, a drive that disappears from list volume, or a computer that freezes during simple file access points to possible hardware trouble. Back up files before lengthy repairs and avoid writing more data to a failing drive.

Try these fixes from safest to most advanced

Work through the options in order. After each fix, select Continue or restart normally and check whether Windows reaches the sign-in screen. If one works, stop there. These tools can be used from WinRE; Safe Mode also lets you make changes inside Windows.

Startup Repair

Startup Repair is the first tool to try because it targets boot configuration and startup files without intentionally removing personal files.

1. From the Automatic Repair screen, select Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot, Advanced options, then Startup Repair.
3. Select your Windows account and provide its password if prompted.
4. Let the scan finish, then select Continue when offered.

A successful repair should restart Windows normally and lead to the sign-in screen. If Startup Repair says it could not repair your PC, return to Advanced options and try Safe Mode or another reversible option. Repeating Startup Repair usually does not add anything.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode starts Windows with a limited set of drivers and services. If it works, a recently installed driver, utility, antivirus component, or startup program may be causing the loop.

1. Open Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings, then Restart.
3. Press 4 for Enable Safe Mode, or 5 for Enable Safe Mode with Networking if you need network access.
4. If Windows starts, remove a recently installed driver or application from Settings > Apps, and check Windows Update > Update history for recent changes.
5. Restart normally.

Windows should reach the sign-in screen or desktop without returning to Automatic Repair. If Safe Mode also fails, the cause is more likely to involve system files, the disk, boot configuration, or hardware than an ordinary startup application.

Uninstall a recent update

A quality update or feature update can occasionally conflict with a driver or existing Windows damage. WinRE can remove the latest update without resetting your files.

1. Open Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot, Advanced options, then Uninstall Updates.
3. Try Uninstall latest quality update first.
4. If the loop began immediately after a major Windows version change and the option is available, consider Uninstall latest feature update instead.
5. Restart Windows and test it normally.

Windows should start without returning to Automatic Repair. If the uninstall option says the update cannot be removed, do not force the operation. Move to System Restore or the command-line checks.

System Restore

System Restore can return system files, drivers, and registry settings to an earlier restore point. It does not normally remove personal documents, but applications, drivers, and updates installed after that restore point may be removed.

1. Open Advanced options.
2. Select Troubleshoot, Advanced options, then System Restore.
3. Choose a restore point dated before the loop began.
4. Select Scan for affected programs if available, review the changes, and complete the restore.
5. Restart normally when the process finishes.

Windows should reach the sign-in screen without starting Automatic Repair again. If no restore points exist, or System Restore fails repeatedly, continue without creating or selecting random points. A failed restore does not prove that the drive is healthy.

Check the disk

Use Check Disk after the safer graphical options. It can correct file-system errors, but it may take a long time and can place additional stress on a failing drive.

1. Open Advanced options, then Command Prompt. Select an administrator account and enter its password if prompted.
2. Confirm the Windows drive letter as described above. The example uses D:; replace it if your Windows folder is elsewhere.
3. Run the file-system check.

chkdsk D: /f

4. Wait for it to finish, then close Command Prompt.

exit

Check Disk should report that it completed and, when it finds logical errors, that it repaired them. Restart and test Windows. If it reports that it cannot lock the volume, you are probably checking the wrong environment or volume; do not accept a schedule intended for a later normal boot from the wrong drive.

/f asks Check Disk to fix logical file-system errors. The /r option also searches for bad sectors and can take substantially longer, so use it only when you have a backup and a reason to suspect readable-sector problems. If the drive is disappearing, making noises, or producing increasing read errors, cloning or replacing it is safer than repeatedly scanning it.

Confirm the drive letter before running chkdsk. Commands aimed at the wrong volume can inspect or change a different installation.

Repair Windows system files

System File Checker can replace damaged protected Windows files. In WinRE, run it against the offline Windows installation and use the correct drive letter.

1. Open Command Prompt from Advanced options. Select an administrator account and enter its password if prompted.
2. Run the offline system-file check. Replace D: if needed.

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\Windows

3. Wait for the result.
4. Type exit, then choose Continue to restart.

A result such as Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them means SFC repaired protected files it could replace. If SFC says it found no integrity violations, the system files it checked are not the obvious cause. If it says some files could not be repaired, try System Restore or use Windows installation media for a repair installation.

Do not copy system files from another PC or delete files from WinSxS, System32, or the boot partition. Commands such as diskpart clean, format, del, or manually deleting boot files can destroy partitions or make personal-file recovery more difficult.

How do you know which fix worked?

After a repair reports success, restart through the normal Windows path rather than returning straight to Command Prompt.

1. At WinRE, select Continue or choose Turn off your PC, then power it on again.
2. Confirm that Windows reaches the sign-in screen without showing Automatic Repair.
3. Sign in and wait for the desktop to finish loading.
4. Open File Explorer and check that your usual folders and files are present.
5. Open an application you rely on, such as your browser or work software, and confirm that the keyboard, display, network, and storage behave normally.
6. Restart once more to make sure the loop does not return after a second boot.

A successful fix should produce an ordinary Windows startup. If the loop returns immediately, record the exact screen or error message and move to the next recovery option instead of repeating the same tool. If Windows starts but crashes later, inspect recently installed drivers and updates and back up your files before further troubleshooting.

If none of this works, should you reset Windows or replace the drive?

Before resetting Windows, copy your files if you can. If Windows will not start, use WinRE Command Prompt with an external drive, a bootable Windows environment, or another computer to recover the data. If the storage device is unstable, a professional recovery or cloning service may be safer than repeatedly starting Windows from it.

Reset this PC is reasonable when the drive appears healthy, your files are backed up, and the recovery tools cannot repair a badly damaged Windows installation. Choose Keep my files when available, but understand that it removes installed applications and resets many settings. It is not a backup, and it may not preserve every application’s data.

Do not reset, format, or reinstall Windows until you have recovered files you cannot replace.

1. Open Troubleshoot from WinRE.
2. Select Reset this PC.
3. Choose Keep my files.
4. Follow the prompts and choose cloud download or local reinstall according to the options available and your internet connection.

A reset should provide a fresh Windows installation on a healthy drive. If reset fails, recovery files may be damaged or the drive may be failing. Windows installation media can provide a fresh reinstall or access to repair tools, but a clean installation can erase the Windows partition. Confirm the target disk and recover data first.

Suspect a failing SSD or hard drive when the drive disappears from firmware or WinRE, reports repeated bad sectors, causes read errors or freezes, shows unusual noises, or makes the same startup problem return after a clean repair. A failing SSD may not make noise, so disappearing volumes and sudden read-only behavior matter too. Check the manufacturer’s drive-health information if the system remains stable, but treat a warning as a reason to back up and replace the drive, not as a repair result.

To reduce future startup problems, keep current backups, leave free space on the Windows drive, install drivers and updates from reliable sources, shut Windows down normally, and investigate repeated crashes instead of repeatedly forcing the power off. If the drive is failing, replace it before reinstalling Windows; otherwise the loop is likely to return.

Conclusion

If the loop continues after the WinRE repairs and offline checks, protect your files before making further changes. Reset Windows only after the drive appears healthy and your irreplaceable data is backed up; a disappearing or error-prone drive needs replacement or specialist recovery.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Preparing Automatic Repair delete my files?

The message itself does not delete personal files. Startup Repair, Safe Mode, System Restore, update removal, and the checks above are designed to preserve them, although System Restore can remove applications and updates. Resetting or reinstalling Windows carries greater risk, so back up first.

How long should I wait at Preparing Automatic Repair?

Wait while the screen is progressing or changing, but a repeated restart to the same message is a loop rather than normal repair. When **Advanced options** appears, use it instead of repeatedly forcing the computer off.

Why is Windows Automatic Repair not fixing the problem?

Automatic Repair may not be able to repair damaged system files, a failed update, severe file-system errors, an incorrectly detected boot volume, or failing storage hardware. Its failure is a reason to try the other WinRE options and check the drive, not proof that resetting Windows will solve a hardware problem.