Computer Stuck in Restart/Boot Up Mode

[blackrose13]

So I've had my HP Spectre for three years now and I got the blue screen of death today while at work. Since then, it's been stuck in a constant restart loop where it gets stuck on the black screen with HP and a loading circle until it occassionally returns to the blue screen of death and then goes into automatic recovery mode. I can power it on and off and it will go directly back to this. I went into diagnostics mode and ran every test (all passing). Apparently you can't talk to to someone on the phone without a subscription fee? So any help would be appreciated thank you

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @blackrose13,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

Thanks for the detailed explanation—you're dealing with a boot loop caused by a critical system failure, and it’s great that you already ran diagnostics (and passed). That rules out hardware issues, which means this is likely a Windows corruption or driver failure.

Let’s walk through a few steps to try and recover your HP Spectre:

Step 1: Interrupt the Boot to Trigger Recovery Options

If you're not already seeing the recovery screen:

1. Power off your laptop.
2. Turn it on and as soon as the HP logo appears, hold the power button to force shutdown.
3. Repeat this 3 times. On the 4th boot, Windows should enter Recovery Mode.

Step 2: Use Advanced Recovery Options

Once in recovery mode:

1. Select Advanced Options.
2. Try these in order:
   • Startup Repair – Let Windows try to fix itself.
   • System Restore – If you had restore points enabled.
   • Uninstall Updates – Especially if this started after a Windows update.
   • Command Prompt – For advanced fixes (I can guide you through this if needed).

Step 3: Boot into Safe Mode

1. From Advanced Options, go to:
   • Startup Settings > Restart.
2. After restart, press 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode.
3. If it boots, you can:
   • Uninstall recent drivers or updates.
   • Back up your files.

Step 4: Create a Windows 11 Installation USB (if needed)

If recovery options fail:

1. On another PC, go to HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Support.
2. Create a bootable USB.
3. Plug it into your Spectre, press Esc repeatedly at startup, then F9 to boot from USB.
4. Choose Repair your computer (not Install) to access recovery tools again.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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VikramTheGreat

HP Support