Stuck on preparing automatic update

[Jpryan1995]

I have spent over 8 hours attempting to resolve this from different forums, videos, websites, windows support, hp support, and any other place I could find with 0 success. I do not have another computer and I’m not buying one just to get this to start up, so do not even waste your time telling me about putting the startup program on a flash drive or disc because it’s not an option. I’ve owned this for less than a year and a half but because HP decides to build a subpar product that doesn’t last, the warranty expired in May since they know it won’t make it to two years and only guarantee one. Here is 100% of the details so if you ask me if it does “____” and “____” isn’t listed in the following, the answer is no. Hopefully someone can help with this: I turned my laptop on earlier today and it wouldn’t startup, it only had the HP logo and a spinning loading circle at the bottom of the screen. After 20-30 minutes I turned it off by holding the power button and tried again to turn it on about 15 seconds later. Now it says “preparing automatic repair” at the bottom and the same logo and circle as before, but still will be stuck indefinitely. I have tried running the diagnostics after hitting esc while turning it on, no issues detected and everything passes the fast check. Other than the F2 screen, I’ve tried the F9 boot menu and no success, F11 recovery, and F1 information but none of them have worked. I removed the bottom cover and all of my connections are secure, the SSD is not separated from prongs or anything else. Using shift and F8 when it’s off doesn’t do anything to start it up or make any changes, and nothing is plugged into ANY port on the device. I’ve got the HP 15-dy204gnr and I need to get this piece of trash working so I can do my job. Maybe you can save the shred of faith I might have left that these big tech companies aren’t sadistic, evil thieves who corrupt technology intentionally to get more of our money. If you can do so and actually help me fix this, for that I thank you. 

[Sneha_01]

Hi @Jpryan1995,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

I understand how frustrating this situation can be, especially when you've tried many troubleshooting steps without success. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you address the issue of your HP laptop being stuck on "Preparing Automatic Repair":

1. Power Cycle Your Laptop

• Hard Reboot: Press and hold the power button for about 10-15 seconds until the laptop turns off completely. Then, wait a few seconds and turn it back on.

2. Boot into Safe Mode

If the automatic repair process gets stuck, you might need to access Safe Mode:

• Interrupt Boot Sequence: Turn your laptop off and then on three times to trigger the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). When it starts, you should see options for troubleshooting.
• Access Safe Mode:
  • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
  • Click Restart, then select 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode.

3. Try System Restore

If you can access Safe Mode or WinRE:

• System Restore:
  • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
  • Follow the prompts to restore your system to a point before the issue started.

4. Perform a Startup Repair

If you can get into WinRE:

• Startup Repair:
  • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
  • Let Windows attempt to fix startup issues automatically.

5. Check Disk and System Files

• Open Command Prompt from Advanced options.
• Type chkdsk C: /f and press Enter. Replace C: with the drive letter where Windows is installed if different.Allow the check to complete.
• In Command Prompt, type sfc /scannow and press Enter. This will check for and attempt to repair corrupt system files.

6. Reset Your PC:

• Go to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
• Choose Keep my files or Remove everything based on your preference. Note that Remove everything will erase all personal data, so choose this option only if you're okay with losing your files or have backups.

7. Check Hardware Connections

Since you’ve already checked the SSD connections:

• Re-seat Components: If you're comfortable doing so, re-seat the RAM and SSD to ensure they’re firmly connected.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

Rachel571

HP Support