HP Pavilion stuck in Preparing Automatic Repair / System Recovery fails — all diagnostics passed

[HH2610]

I’ve got an HP Pavilion laptop that suddenly got stuck in a “Preparing Automatic Repair” loop. It was working totally fine until recently, but now it just keeps restarting and never gets into Windows.

I’ve already tried:
• F11 System Recovery — it loads “Please wait,” then crashes and restarts
• HP UEFI Diagnostics (v8.2.0.0) — all tests passed (so the hardware’s fine)
• BIOS rollback/update options — no change
• Forced restarts to trigger Advanced Startup — still just loops

I don’t have a USB recovery drive right now, and HP Virtual Assistant hasn’t been helpful. I’m just trying to fix the system without losing my files.

Does anyone know if there’s a way to repair Windows or trigger the HP Recovery environment properly? Or can HP provide a download link for my model’s official recovery image?

Thanks a lot for any help — I really need to get it back up and running without wiping my data.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @HH2610,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

I know how stressful it is when your HP Pavilion laptop gets stuck in a “Preparing Automatic Repair” loop, especially when you’ve already tried recovery options and diagnostics without success, and you’re trying to avoid losing your files.

Here’s a clear and empathetic path forward:

Best Recovery Option Without Losing Data

Since F11 recovery and Advanced Startup aren’t working, and you don’t have a USB recovery drive yet, your best option is to use the HP Cloud Recovery Tool on another working PC to create a recovery USB.

Step-by-Step: Create a Recovery USB Using HP Cloud Recovery Tool

1. On a working Windows PC, download the tool: 👉 HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows 11 and 10 | HP® Support
    
2. Insert a blank USB drive (minimum 32 GB).
    
3. Run the tool and follow the prompts:
   • It will detect your HP model or let you enter the Product ID (found on the bottom of your laptop).
   • It will download the correct recovery image and create a bootable USB.
      
4. Insert the USB into your affected laptop.
   • Power it on and press Esc repeatedly → then F9 to select the USB drive.
   • Follow the on-screen instructions to recover Windows without deleting personal files (choose the “Keep my files” option if available).

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat