Black screen loop preparing automatic repair

[RLyons23]

Have tried a number of things such as pressing F8, F11, F10 etc. but nothing is working. I can't get it to move on to blue screen for advanced options 

[Max3Aj]

@RLyons23, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
I understand you're facing a frustrating issue where your HP desktop is stuck in a black screen loop with the message "Preparing Automatic Repair", and none of the usual key combinations (F8, F10, F11) are working. Let's walk through some steps to try and resolve this.

Perform a Hard Reset

This can help clear any temporary hardware or power issues:

• Turn off the computer completely.
• Disconnect all external devices (USB drives, printers, etc.).
• Unplug the power cord (and remove the battery if it's a laptop).
• Press and hold the Power button for 15 seconds.
• Reconnect the power and try turning it on again.

Try Accessing Recovery Mode via Windows Recovery Key

If F11 isn’t working, try this:

• Turn off the PC.
• Turn it back on and immediately press and hold the Power button again to force shutdown.
• Repeat this 2-3 times. On the third boot, Windows should detect a problem and launch Recovery Mode.
• If successful, go to Advanced Options > Startup Repair.

Use HP Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI)

Let’s check if the hardware is functioning properly:

• Turn off the PC.
• Turn it on and immediately press the Esc key repeatedly (once every second) until the Startup Menu appears.
• Press F2 to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics.
• Run the System Tests (especially the Memory and Hard Drive tests).

Create a Windows 10/11 Recovery USB

If none of the above work, you can create a recovery USB on another PC:

• Download the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft: Create installation media for Windows - Microsoft Support 
• Use it to create a bootable USB.
• Plug it into your HP desktop and boot from it (you may need to press Esc > F9 to select the USB drive).
• Choose Repair your computer > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options.

Reset or Reinstall Windows (if needed)

If Startup Repair fails, you can try:

• System Restore (if restore points exist)
• Reset this PC (you can keep or remove files)
• Reinstall Windows as a last resort

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Select "Yes" on the bottom left to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support