Screen stuck on “Getting Windows ready Don’t turn off your computer”

[Hays_Mom]

My system is stuck on getting windows ready do not turn off computer. Has been like this for hours. Have done hard reset (no battery to pull out).  Help...I beg of you! 😣

[WAWood]

@Hays_Mom 

This is NOT a criticism directed at YOU, but I really wish folks would quit routinely doing Factory Resets in attempts to repair an ailing PC. Not only does it rarely fix the PC, if there is an underlying hardware issue with the PC, it will make matters worse by leaving the PC in an unusable state.

The HP Factory Reset function relies critically on the contents of the Recovery partition being intact. If those contents get corrupted, which can happen either due to hard drive failing or due to Win10 Upgrade from an older OS, the reset simply will not work.

To check for hard drive failing, if your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu -- that will look similar to the image below ...

3) press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.

Please report back the test results.

[Hays_Mom]

@ WAWood

Thank you for responding. I do not take offense to your comment at all however it must be said that followed the advice given by a member of the HP support team on another post with my very same issue.  I am the first to admit, I am not experienced enough to attempt to diagnose and resolve an issue on my own. With that being said,  before you responded (thank you again for doing so) the virtual assistant instructed me to run a systems test - quick test and a hard drive test - extensive test and both passed without any issues.  

What would you recommend at this time??

[WAWood]

@Hays_Mom 

OK, then I don't know why that message got hung -- because it's nearly always due to a failing drive, and if yours passed the diagnostic test, then it is not failing.

That message is the result of trying to install Windows -- and that is either from an Upgrade or from a New Install.  Which one is the case with your PC/

[Hays_Mom]

I haven’t used this laptop in years so I would say an update. I did not initiate a new install. As soon as I turned on the machine an error message indicated that I needed to restart my machine. Once I did, the blue screen with “Getting Windows Ready Don’t Turn off “ appeared. Being that my 4th grader is needing to have her own laptop to distance learn for school, I was going to let her use my HP which is how this all got started. 

[WAWood]

@Hays_Mom 

Understand, as I retrofit my old PCs for use by my grandkids.

What it sounds like is that when you shut it down, there was a Windows Update waiting to be applied but that did not run.

And from what you are saying, it sounds like it was Win7 -- and there are several problems with that now:

First, MS has ended their support, meaning that no new security updates will be coming out.  If the PC is never connected to the Internet, this is not a serious problem, but these PCs are now going to become a primary target of malware because there will be no updates from Microsoft.  If you want to use it connected to the Internet, you need to buy Antivirus software to run on it.

Second, just when MS stopped support, there were lots of complaints online about Win7 PCs failing to shut down properly.  MS has since come out with a Windows Update to fix this, but you have to connect to the Internet and run Windows Update to get this.

Third, if the OS is corrupted, it's the end-of-life for the PC because no one, including MS, will sell you Win7 install media anymore -- so basically, there is no way to restore it to working condition.

I ran into a similar issue a couple of months ago with an old HP Win7 desktop I rebuilt for my grand daughters and decided to simply replace it.  I got a refurbished HP EliteDesk for about $100 -- and while that is not free, it is a LOT less than I would have paid for a new PC.  And, I know that they are safe from malware and can use the Internet without issues.

[Hays_Mom]

Thank you so very much for taking time for me today!  From what you are saying, I have a large paperweight on my hands lol.   

I so appreciate you and what you do for others!  You have a gift Sir...thank you again!!  Stay safe and healthy during this virus scare - we will get through this!!