Windows 10 Stuck on Boot screen

Hi there, I’m Brad. I hope you’re doing well!

Yesterday I was using my desktop PC as normal. When I had finished my work, I shut down my computer, choosing «Update and shut down» from the menu as my computer had an update to do.

I left the room an returned 15 minutes later. I was greeted by my computer frozen on the «Shutting down» screen, with the dots loading logo frozen (not spinning). This continued for some time until I forced the computer off using the power button. There was no hard drive light showing as I turned it off.

When I turned the PC on again, the PC gets to the black screen with windows logo, with the spinning dots at the bottom — from now I’ll reference this as the «Boot screen». After the dots have rotated a few times, they freeze in position. And that’s it! There is no hard drive activity either.

I turned off the PC by the power button and managed to get into Safe Mode. While safe mode was loading, the screen said «couldn’t fully install update, reverting changes.» The PC boots into Safe Mode fine however I am still getting the frozen Boot Screen with the spinning dots not moving.

I have tried unplugging my USB devices which has not done anything.

Could anybody share any advice on what to do please? If you need any further information let me know what you need and how to get it please 🙂

Thank you very much!

Replies (5) 

Hi BradleyIDH
I am Vijay, an Independent Advisor. I am here to work with you on this problem.

A. Try to boot into safe mode

Power ON your computer and as Windows / manufacturer’s Logo appears, Power OFF — Repeat 3 times
Now your computer will go into Advanced Recovery Environment
Advanced Options > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart
Press 4 or F4 to enable Safe Mode (5 or F5 to enable Safe Mode with Networking)
Log in once Windows starts in safe mode
See whether you able to login. If yes, come out of this and start normally.

If you are not able to boot like above, You will need to boot through a Bootable USB drive. You will need to create this on another computer which is working — https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2376-create.

How to Boot from a USB Flash Drive in Windows 10 — https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/21756-boot-.

B. Another option when you are in Advanced Options in previous step is to choose (Note — You won’t lose any files in this step)
1. System Restore — This will restore your system to a point when things were working fine.
OR
2. Startup Repair — Startup Repair upgrade fixes all Windows errors and retains all files, applications and settings.

C. Penultimate option could be Reset this PC.
In Step A > Troubleshoot > Reset this PC — Keep my files and Remove everything. Choose this carefully as most likely you would like to keep your files.
All apps will be removed and windows will be reinstalled.

D. Last option could be a clean Install. This is the best method to perform a clean install of Windows 10. (If you want to rescue your files, there is a section Rescue Files when Windows Won’t Start)

If you want a very lightweight guide — Start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 10

Disclaimer — This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Best regards
Vijay A. Verma @ http://www.eforexcel.com/

Timezone: UTC+05:30, PST+12:30
Availability Hours (UTC) : 05:00 AM — 05:00 PM

How to Fix Windows 7 Stuck on Starting Windows

by Jenefey Aaron Updated on 2020-04-22 / Update for Fix Windows

Windows 7 has seen the world for at least seven years, since its release in 2009. Well, Microsoft doesn’t support Windows 7 officially since 2015, as it is now focused on Windows 10. However, Windows 7 is opted by many users as it is more stable and is very easy to use. Nevertheless, we cannot forget the fact that Windows 7 has some issues such as Windows 7 stuck on starting windows. And today, we are going to see some of the best solutions to «Windows 7 freezes on startup» issue.

Way 1: Start Windows 7 in Safe Mode and Restart

To solve the «Windows 7 freezes after startup» issue, start your Windows 7 system in Safe Mode. Now restart your system normally. By simply starting your Windows 7 system in Safe Mode just does wonder without you needing to do anything else. With this method, if any of the Windows updates or some other update gets hanged, it gets resolved with Safe Mode, as just a forced restart will not do its work.

Way 2: With Windows 7 Installation CD Perform System Repair

If «Windows 7 starting windows stuck» issue is not repaired with Safe Mode, try to repair your system using Windows 7 installation CD. For this, open command prompt window by pressing Shift+F10. Now type bootrec.exe /fix in the command prompt window. This should probably solve your problem.

Way 3: Restore Windows 7 System

The next Windows 7 boot stuck on starting windows fix is a system restore. And if you’ve made a backup of full system, this method is more easy for you now. Follow below steps to restore your system.

First normally start Windows 7. Press F8 key before the windows loading logo is displayed. You will be given various options of Windows boot.

Select the option «Repair Your Computer» and have patience till the repair mode of Windows 7 is ready.

Select «OK» when prompted to choose keyboard. Select your account when asked to choose account, and then click on «OK». Enter the password, if set. You can now see System Recovery Options; select System Restore.

All the available Windows restore points will be seen. Now select the appropriate restore point. If you’re not able to see all restore points, look for option «Show more restore points».

Tap on «Next». With this, your Windows will be restored to the point selected. Wait till the system restore is finished. Hope this solves your «Windows 7 stuck on startup» issue.

Way 4: Check & Fix Any Hard Drive Issues

If the above method of System Restore didn’t give you success to solve Windows 7 freezes on startup logo issue, try if there are any hard drive issues. And if you find any, follow below steps to solve the issue.

First normally start Windows 7. Press F8 key before the windows loading logo is displayed. You will be given various options of Windows boot.

Select the option «Repair Your Computer» and have patience till the repair mode of Windows 7 is ready.

Select «OK» when prompted to choose keyboard. Select your account when asked to choose account, and then click on «OK». Enter the password, if set. You can now see System Recovery Options; select Command Prompt.

With this a command prompt window will be opened. Now simply type chkdsk/f. With this, your hard drive will be scanned for errors, and in case any errors are found, it will also try to fix them. You can even try «chkdsk/r» so as to scan and repair erroneous sectors.

Now, simply restart the computer.

Way 5: Check CMOS Battery and CMOS

Another way to solve «computer freezes after startup Windows 7» issue is to check for CMOS and CMOS Battery. A misconfiguration of BIOS may cause the Windows freezing while startup. CMOS is an R/W serial or parallel flash chip on motherboard. It stores the data regarding user settings and hardware configuration. In order to clear CMOS, first clear the motherboard’s BIOS memory. TO do this, for few minutes simply remove the CMOS battery. It will result in reverting of the BIOS settings and bring back all to the default factory levels.

Also, the out-of-charge CMOS battery can also result in Windows 7 stuck on starting windows screen issue. For this, try replacing the faulty CMOS battery in case the computer is over 2–3 years old.

Way 6: The Best Solution for Windows 7 Stuck at Starting Windows Logo

The last solution for «windows 7 stuck on starting windows» issue is Windows Boot Genius. The tool will no doubt help you get rid of your problem instantly with ease. Follow below simple steps to solve your problem.

Launch the Windows Boot Genius on your computer. The mandatory component for further process is a bootable disk and thus you have to prepare it. You can do this by using the already prepared DVD/CD/flash drive. For flash drive, connect pendrive via USB port. For CD/DVD, put your disk in the CD-Rom driver. Click «Burn» in order to start the burning of repair disk.

Insert this CD in the system/computer having issue. Constantly keep pressing F12 to boot the computer with the help of CD/USB. Click enter for the integrated program page.

Once the computer is booted from the USB/CD, the software interface will be displayed. Now you have to select the correct reason for the issue of your computer. Now simply follow the on-screen instructions to solve the issue.

The above article discusses the best possible solutions for the «Windows 7 boot disk stuck on starting windows» issue. Windows Boot Genius is greatly recommended as it the ultimate solution for the issue. Hope we helped you to solve your problem with the above solutions. Share which of the solution resolved your issue in the below comments.

Updated on 2020-04-22 / Update for Fix Windows

Stuck at starting windows screen

Help me please, when I started my computer it got stuck on the «Starting Windows» screen. I had to force power off and reboot, tried using «system repair» and they ask for «system restore» and did restore but still it didn’t help me out ..and also i tried running it into «safe mode» it wont start.

not sure if this is a continuing issue with my Laptop or it’s Windows? I’m running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.

Thanks in Advance!

Replies (9) 

Welcome to Microsoft Community Forum.

This issue may occur due to some third party software/hardware conflict, virus infection or if Boot mgr is missing or corrupted. The Windows boot manager, also known as the boot loader, tells your computer how and which operating systems to load. In some cases, if the boot manager is corrupted you may encounter this kind of issues.

1. What is the make and model of the computer?

2. Do you have Windows 7 installation disk?

3. Do you remember making any changes to the system prior to this issue?

To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the order in which they are presented. If method 1 does not resolve your issue, proceed to the next method.

Method 1:

Disconnect all the external devices (printers, scanner, USB (universal serial bus) device and then boot up.

If this corrects the issue then add the devices back one at a time until you discover the piece of hardware causing the issue. Then get updated driver software for the device.

Method 2:

Try booting into Last Known Good Configuration and see if you can boot fine.

Using Last Known Good Configuration

Method 3:

I would suggest you to re-perform start-up repair using Windows 7 disk.

Startup Repair: frequently asked questions

What are the system recovery options in Windows 7?

Method 4:

If the issue persists, then f ollow the troubleshooting steps from this Microsoft article and check if it helps:

How to use the Bootrec.exe tool in the Windows Recovery Environment to troubleshoot and repair startup issues in Windows

Windows hangs or freezes:

Hope this information is helpful. Please do let us know if you need further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

2 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

1. What is the make and model of the computer?

-LENOVO Z570 Laptop

2. Do you have Windows 7 installation disk?

— Sorry, I dont have..

3. Do you remember making any changes to the system prior to this issue?

— Not sure .. cuz ive installed programs such as Audacity [then uninstall it, thought that i could use it on something] i forgot the other programs.

-tried the method 1.. same thing happen [Stuck at starting windows]

-tried «last known good» still stuck at starting windows.

-cant perform the method 3, because i dont have the windows 7 disk

-i think i did try the method 4, it works perfectly fine at first . when i woke up in the morning .. the laptop works perfectly fine .. then suddenly it freezes/hangs > blackout then encounter the bluescreen thing .. then my laptop automatically restarted and loads slowly

I really dont know what to do now 🙁

will reinstalling windows fix my laptop?

thankyou! and sorry my english isn’t good

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Thanks for the information.

However, p lease reply to these questions, to understand the issue better:

1. What is the current status of the Windows? When you say «then my laptop automatically restarted and loads slowly».

2. Are you able to boot the laptop to the desktop?

Please reply with the required information, in order to help you fix the issue.

8 people found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

1. that was .. when i first tried the «startup repair» then recommend me for a system restore .. when the restoration was complete.. starting windows > blackout with the mouse cursor > then Bluescreen appear

then it restarted the bios (loading screen i think?) loads very slow.

I have no idea .. what’s the current status of this windows ..

2. Nope, i cant because i’m stuck at «starting windows» cant login into my account .

1 person found this reply helpful

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Thank you for keeping us updated on the status of the issue.

I would suggest you to boot the computer in Enable low-resolution video (640*480) from the Advanced startup options.

This starts Windows using your current video driver and using low resolution and refresh rate settings.

If the problem doesn’t reappear in low-resolution mode, then the issue is driver related. You can resolve this by downloading display card driver from the manufacturer’s website.

To do so follow the steps given below:

1. Click on Start, type Device Manager in the start search box and press Enter.

2. In Device Manager, double click on that Display Adapter.
3. It will show you the device driver name, select that device and then right click on it.
4. Now select properties.
5. In the properties window, under Driver tab, click on Uninstall button.
6. After the uninstalling the drivers restart the computer and update display card driver from the manufacturer’s website.

Please reply with the results, in order to help you fix the issue.