Preparing Automatic Repair loop

[reithner1951]

I am having what seems to be a common problem:  stuck in Preparing Automatic Repair loop.  I have tried all the menu options under Automatic Repair and nothing worked.  So, Restart doesn't change anything, similarly for Reset This PC with Keep my Files, Remove Everything.  I get a message There was a problem resetting your PC.  I restarted PC while tapping Esc to get the the Startup Menu and ran all available diagnostics and the laptop passed all tests.  I tried restarting the laptop while tapping F11 for System Recovery.  I have looked at some of the other posts reporting this problem and I don't think I have missed anything.  The laptop does not have a cd drive nor did the machine come with an installation disk.  It seems to me I should download a boot file to my other HP computer and save it to a thumb drive and try restarting the laptop booting from the thumb drive.  Am I on the right track?  And can you point me to a location where I can find a downloadable boot file? If this helps, the S/N is 5CD319D4Y4 and I'm not sure if it's still under warranty.

[Nal_NR]

Hi @reithner1951,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be happy to help you! 

The "Preparing Automatic Repair" loop on your HP 14-dq0000 Laptop PC (56Z60AV) typically indicates a problem with the Windows startup process. Here are several methods you can try to resolve this issue:

1. Perform a Hard Reboot

• Step 1: Press and hold the Power button for about 10-15 seconds until the laptop turns off completely.
• Step 2: Wait a few seconds, then press the Power button again to turn the laptop back on.
• Step 3: See if the laptop starts normally or if it goes back into the repair loop.

2. Boot into Safe Mode

• Step 1: When the laptop is in the "Preparing Automatic Repair" loop, hold down the Power button to force it to shut down.
• Step 2: Turn the laptop back on and immediately press F8 (or Shift + F8 on some models) repeatedly before the Windows logo appears.
• Step 3: If successful, you should see the Advanced Boot Options menu.
• Step 4: Choose Safe Mode and press Enter.
• Step 5: If the laptop boots into Safe Mode, you can try running a system restore or uninstalling any recent updates or software that might be causing the issue.

3. Perform a Startup Repair

• Step 1: Boot the laptop and interrupt the startup process three times (turn off the laptop as Windows starts to load). This should trigger the Automatic Repair screen.
• Step 2: On the "Automatic Repair" screen, select Advanced options.
• Step 3: Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair.
• Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to allow Windows to attempt to repair the startup.

4. Use System Restore

• Step 1: From the Advanced options menu, select System Restore.
• Step 2: Choose a restore point from a date when your laptop was working correctly.
• Step 3: Follow the prompts to restore your system.

5. Run Command Prompt Commands

• Step 1: Access the Advanced options menu and select Command Prompt.
• Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each:
  • bootrec /fixmbr
  • bootrec /fixboot
  • bootrec /scanos
  • bootrec /rebuildbcd
• Step 3: After running these commands, type exit and press Enter to close the Command Prompt.
• Step 4: Restart the laptop to see if the issue is resolved.

Please find the remaining steps in the next post.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

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

[Nal_NR]

Hi @reithner1951,

Please find the remaining steps.

6. Reset Your PC

• Step 1: If the above steps do not work, you can try resetting your PC from the Advanced options menu.
• Step 2: Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
• Step 3: You can choose to keep your files or remove everything. Follow the prompts to reset the laptop.

7. Reinstall Windows

• If none of the above steps work, you may need to reinstall Windows using a bootable USB drive.
• Step 1: Create a bootable USB drive with Windows 10/11 using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool.
• Step 2: Insert the USB drive into your laptop, restart, and boot from the USB.
• Step 3: Follow the installation prompts to reinstall Windows.

8. Check for Hardware Issues

• If the problem persists, it might be related to hardware issues like a failing hard drive or corrupted memory. Running a diagnostic test through the BIOS can help identify hardware problems.
• Step 1: Restart your laptop and press F2 (or Esc then F2 depending on your model) to enter the BIOS diagnostic mode.
• Step 2: Run the full system diagnostics to check for any hardware errors.

If none of these solutions work, you might need to contact HP Phone Support for further assistance.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

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