Preparing automatic repair (windows 10)

[pf shadoko]

Hi geeks,

Since yesterday evening, my Windows 10 PC has stopped working.
When I start up the computer, I get the message:

Preparing automatic repair.
Then I get a blue screen:
Choose an option:
- Continue -> Exit and continue to Windows 11
- Troubleshoot -> Reset your PC or see advanced options
- Turn off your PC

So it's obviously an update to Windows 11 that went wrong (note: I didn't ask it to upgrade to Windows 11!).

Problem: mouse and keyboard no longer work.

I'm not the only one with this problem. I advise you to disable updates until M$ has fixed this.

If anyone has had this problem and solved it, please let me know what to do.

[Piero]

All I can say is: thanks god my pc is "not eligible" for win 11; I updated today
I made it play a lot of good music in the meantime… it took a long time, but all went right
I was doubtful to even do it, but had also "apps&drivers" to upgrade…

[Piero]

Preparing automatic repair.

Not sure, but try google "windows automatic repair loop"

[normeus]

1.
If you have access to another pc, you can create a rescue usb with "hirens boot cd"

https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso

This is a collection of tools from partition recovery to everyting else. ( so you can copy files to another drive )

2.
You can choose the trobleshoot option and there should be an option to start the system in safe mode. My guess is that there is a driver that is not compatible with win11. Unfortunaly each problem is different. (unplug printer,scanner and any extra devices )

3.
You can also download rufus, bootable USB drive to create a bootable windows 11 install:

win 11 iso
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/softwar ... /windows11

rufus ( I used rufus to upgrade a 16 year old computer to windows 11 )
https://rufus.ie/en/

It will create a bootable usb and modify the iso to be installable on any computer but you can use it to repair your system.



Good luck
Norm.

[Bitblazer]

can you get into safe mode by keeping F8 pressed during boot?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3Ffc0JEQTg

i would be careful with fixing it yourself by undoing the last update in safe mode. It is likely better to wait 48 to 72 hours whiie microsoft officially fixes things and follow the official microsoft solution. If that happened to me, i would just re-install the last image backup (done daily). Maybe time to think about your backup strategy for the future? Though this problem likely doesnt require it, but the next malware might make you wish you had backups. Maybe check out Clonezilla and use a stable version. But i dont know which version of Clonezila is reliable, as i use commercial products.

[pf shadoko]

@normeus
I put HBCD on a bootable USB drive (using Rufus).
I'm going to test it

@Bitblazer
F8 doesn't work
(maybe because it starts in “repair” mode)
I can't see any other way than the one described by normeus because, as it stands, I can no longer access Windows, I have no mouse or keyboard (I think the USB peripherals no longer work)

[Bitblazer]

If you use an external winRE or linux based resue system to fix your desktop, the drivers of the external boot system will be used, so your keyboard and mouse should work fine.

[pf shadoko]

I booted from my USB drive,
but once I'm in Win 11 hbcd, I don't know what to do.
(I don't even have access to my C drive (cycling redundancy...))

It might be a USB driver issue,
but how do I update this driver?
I am quadriplegic (no keyboard or mouse).
All I can do is wander around the BIOS.

[Bitblazer]

I booted from my USB drive,
but once I'm in Win 11 hbcd, I don't know what to do.
(I don't even have access to my C drive (cycling redundancy...))

It might be a USB driver issue,
but how do I update this driver?
I am quadriplegic (no keyboard or mouse).
All I can do is wander around the BIOS.

I havent used the hiren tools myself, but i asked gemini and this is the beginning of what gemini said:

The most effective tools for this purpose are found in the BCD-MBR Tools and Windows Recovery categories:

Lazesoft Windows Recovery (or Lazesoft Recovery Suite): This tool is often recommended for its straightforward approach, providing an Automatic Boot Repair option that attempts to fix common startup failures.

BCD-MBR Tools: This category contains utilities for manually repairing and modifying the critical boot records:

EasyBCD: A popular tool used to modify or repair the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) file, which directs the Windows boot process.

BootIce: A powerful utility that can be used to edit the Master Boot Record (MBR), Partition Boot Record (PBR), and BCD.

i would strongly suggest you dont do that and wait for microsofts official solution though. It is very likely that you make it worse if you dont really have experience with fixing these things yourself and its not something that can be teached in 15 minutes on a forum

More AI tips :

To fix Windows 10 boot issues after a failed October 2025 update, first try accessing Windows Recovery Environment by forcing shutdowns and then using options like Startup Repair or System Restore. If that doesn't work, boot into Safe Mode to uninstall the update, or run DISM and sfc /scannow in Command Prompt to repair system files. As a last resort, use a bootable USB to either run repair options or perform a clean install.

ps: if you have any valuable data on that system and have no backup - back it up immediately now from safe mode, further repair attempts might destroy access to the data.

pps: Fix Your PC/Device Needs to Be Repaired Using Hiren's Boot CD

[idle]

That's terrible. Hope you can recover your data.

[ChrisR]

Hi,

If you have access to another pc, you can create a rescue usb with "hirens boot cd"

https://www.hirensbootcd.org/files/HBCD_PE_x64.iso

This is a collection of tools from partition recovery to everyting else. ( so you can copy files to another drive )

For info, Hiren’s BootCD PE version was built from my project Win10XPE, They didn't specify it, but it's really the case. It allows you to create a bootable Windows10 recovery Environment ISO and drivers are included during building.
From HBCD started, as indicated by normeus, try the Recovery Environment menu option (here under system tools) then troubleshooting (Dépannage) then system restore.



but it may not work if you don't have access to the C drive
You could perhaps try with the Win10XPE ISO built here, use Rufus to create the USB stick and see if the C drive is recognized with it.
Otherwise, BootIce is under the "HD task" menu option and Device Manager (Gestionnaire de périphèrique), Disk Management (Gestion des disques) under Windows management tools (outils d'administration Windows) in Win10XPE, perhaps elsewhere in HBCD.

I hope you 'll find a solution to recover Windows and all your precious data.

[AZJIO]

Why don't you have access to the C drive? Is your drive encrypted?
Try checking your drive for errors.
viewtopic.php?t=75231

If you don't have access to the disk, you probably can't load the drivers. First, you need to regain access to the disk. Any WinPE makes the disk accessible, so you can create or delete files on it. If the file table is damaged, the recovery tool will not help. If you haven't created a restore point, you might even lose files that were created after the restore point. I don't use restore points because I consider them an incomplete tool. Restoring a damaged disk can cause even more damage because the process will not complete.

By the way, check the drive cable. There was a time when I had a power supply with poor stabilization, and I had to clean the contacts every six months.

[minimy]

Oh my god, im sorry much pf_shadoko.
This was when update windows 11 to 25H2?
I got an advice to update but im waiting.. hehe. I got all updates very soon because im in the windows insider program, but allways wait because MS is more dangerous than a blind in a orgy
I got a lot of problems with wifi/bt when update to 24h2 need recover all the old drivers, but if no work usb is a big problem because cant control mouse and keyb.

I use many times a linux distro from usb to test if is a windows problem or hardware is dead.
Tell us if we can help you in any way.

[pf shadoko]

Hi guys,
Thanks for your help (the PB community is really nice).

The main thing is that I haven't lost any PureBasic code! (I have backups).

Maybe the problem is simply with my SSD,
but the Device Manager doesn't show anything abnormal.

Two strange things:
- I ran “chkdsk” and stopped after 10 seconds: hundreds of errors, and I hadn't even reached 1% of the disk analysis
AZJIO indicates the possibility of encryption. Could this have been modified?

- I tried to retrieve the Windows product key via cmd:

Code: Select all

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

It returns an error

I have Windows HBCD on a USB key, there are several utilities for hard drives.
If anyone knows them (normally), I'm open to advice.
(I agree with Blitzblaser, and would like to avoid making any changes that could be irreparable at first).
I'll start with the diagnostic tools.

[AZJIO]

- I ran “chkdsk” and stopped after 10 seconds: hundreds of errors, and I hadn't even reached 1% of the disk analysis

1. Enter the following query in Google: "Can chkdsk.exe check errors on a Bitlocker-encrypted disk?" (I get the response: "You can run CHKDSK on the BitLocker drive")
2. Try connecting the disk to another computer. You need to find out if the problem is with the cable.

chkdsk.exe is the official program for fixing file system errors. If there are no insurmountable obstacles (broken disk, bad cable), then chkdsk.exe will fix the file system and provide a working disk that can be used.