My computer is stuck on this screen, Help?

[IT4Dummy]

I have an HP laptop and I’m a very tech challenged millennial. Please help. Pic included. 

 

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @IT4Dummy 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for sharing the image—it’s clear your HP laptop is stuck on the “Preparing Automatic Repair” screen. I understand how stressful this feels, especially when you’re not sure what triggered it. 

Let’s walk through a calm, step-by-step recovery process that doesn’t require advanced tech skills.

Step-by-step recovery

Perform a hard shutdown

• Press and hold the power button until the laptop turns off completely.
• Wait 10 seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on.
• If it returns to the same screen, continue to the next step.

Access Startup Repair manually

• Turn off the laptop again.
• Press the power button and immediately begin pressing the F11 key repeatedly (once per second).
• This should open the Recovery Environment.
• Select “Advanced options” → “Startup Repair” and follow the prompts.

Boot into Safe Mode

• If Startup Repair doesn’t work, go back to “Advanced options.”
• Select “Startup Settings” → Restart.
• When the options appear, press 4 to boot into Safe Mode.
• If successful, you can back up files and run a system scan.

Run System File Checker (only if Safe Mode works)

• Press Windows + X → select “Command Prompt (Admin).”
• Type: sfc /scannow and press Enter.
• This checks for and repairs corrupted system files.

Reset the PC (if needed)

• If none of the above steps work, go back to “Advanced options.”
• Select “Reset this PC” → choose “Keep my files.”
• This reinstalls Windows while preserving your personal data.

You’ve already done the right thing by reaching out and sharing the image—it helps target the solution. 

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye