Subject: HP Laptop Stuck in Boot Loop – “Preparing Automatic Repair” then Restarts

[H3043422]

Hi HP Support,

I’m having a serious issue with my HP laptop (running Windows 11). It gets stuck in a boot loop. Here’s what happens:

1. It turns on and shows “Preparing Automatic Repair”.
2. Then it goes to a blue screen, and restarts itself.
3. After restarting, it repeats the same process over and over again.

I tried the following:

• Forced a hard shut down 3 times to trigger the recovery menu (WinRE), but it doesn’t appear.
• The screen just shows the HP logo with the spinning circle indefinitely.
• I also tried holding ESC and F11 at boot to access the startup menu or HP Recovery Manager, but nothing happens.

I don’t need to keep any files — I just want to reinstall Windows or do a full reset. But I can’t reach any recovery or boot menu. What can I do to fix this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

[Max3Aj]

@H3043422, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

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

 I understand how frustrating it can be when your HP laptop is stuck in a boot loop, especially when you’re unable to access recovery options. Since you’ve already tried the basic recovery steps without success, here’s a more advanced approach to help you reset or reinstall Windows:

Since the recovery environment (WinRE) and HP Recovery Manager aren’t accessible, the best option is to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive and reinstall the OS.

What You’ll Need:

• Another working PC with internet access
• A USB flash drive (at least 16 GB)

Step 1: Create a Bootable USB Drive

1. On a working PC, go to the official Microsoft Windows 11 Download page.
2. Under “Create Windows 11 Installation Media”, click Download Now.
3. Run the Media Creation Tool and follow the prompts to create a bootable USB.

Step 2: Boot from USB on Your HP Laptop

1. Insert the USB drive into your HP laptop.
2. Power off the laptop completely.
3. Turn it on and immediately press ESC repeatedly (once per second) until the Startup Menu appears.
4. Press F9 to open Boot Device Options.
5. Select the USB drive from the list and press Enter.

If the Startup Menu doesn’t appear, try holding F9 or F10 during boot instead.

Step 3: Reinstall Windows

1. Once booted from the USB, choose your language and click Next.
2. Click Install Now.
3. When prompted, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).
4. Select your primary drive (usually labeled as Drive 0) and delete all partitions (only if you don’t need to keep any files).
5. Select the unallocated space and click Next to begin installation.

Optional: Update BIOS (if issue persists)

If the boot loop continues even after reinstalling Windows, your system BIOS might need an update.

You may refer to this document - HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Support
 

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