Screen freezes with HP logo at start-up

[Eremit]

When I start my Spectre it opens with the HP logo on and circulating dots, but never continues installing Windows. I have had it standing for more than 2 hours, still no change. I have made the long HW test which is OK. Any proposals. On my C-drive I may have a few files with no or old back-up, so I would like to avoid resetting everything from scratch. In the recovery manager I am able to see the file-names. So it seems the the Windows OS is "just locked". How to open?

[Deep_World]

Hi @Eremit,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

I Understand your concern about the system freezing issue, don’t worry let me help you with this.

Here are a few steps you can try before considering a full reset: (But ensure all your data is backed up before you consider reseting the notebook )

• Hard Reset: Power off the laptop completely, disconnect the power adapter, and hold the power button for about 15 seconds. Then reconnect and try starting again.
• Boot into Safe Mode: If possible, press F11 repeatedly at startup to enter Recovery Manager. From there, try accessing “Advanced Options” → “Startup Settings” → “Safe Mode.”
• System Restore: In Recovery Manager, check if you can roll back to a restore point before the issue began. This usually preserves your files.
• Startup Repair: Also available under “Advanced Options.” This can fix boot-related issues without wiping your data.
• Accessing Files: Since you mentioned you can see file names in Recovery Manager, you may be able to back them up to an external drive before attempting deeper repairs.

Could you let me know if you’re able to reach the Recovery Manager’s advanced options menu, or if the system is freezing before that point?
 

I hope this helps.

[Eremit]

Hi @Deep_World

Unfortunately, I am still battling, but will postpone a complete reinstallation as long as there are untested options. 

• Repair at start-up has no effect.
• I have made an F11--> Startup settings. There I have tested F1, F2, F4 and F5 ==> same result "Hanging"

• I have made a reset (keep my files) both linking to cloud (says "not possible to download)" and via local installation. Both negative. How much free SSD-space is needed? The latter counts (%) to 100% and the  screen blinks and show the HP-logo with a text below "regret resetting" Then it goes to auto-repair, and I am back to start.
• I have tried the function to remove recently installed updates. Negative.
• System restore tried. Says there are no restore points - which puzzles me.

I wonder if I could activate a start-file via the command Prompt window. How? and which file, in case?

I hope you still have some options.

[Deep_World · Accepted solution]

Hi @Eremit,
 

Thanks for your response. 

I can completely understand how  this must feel you’ve already tried several recovery options and keep ending up back at the same HP logo screen. Thank you for walking me through everything you’ve attempted; that helps narrow down what’s left to try.

A few points to keep in mind:

• Disk space: For a reset that keeps your files, Windows typically needs at least 15–20 GB of free space to complete the process smoothly. If your SSD is nearly full, that could explain why the reset fails at 100%.
• System Restore points: It’s puzzling but not uncommon to see none available sometimes restore points are disabled by default or cleared during previous updates.
• Command Prompt startup: While you can run certain commands from there (like sfc /scannow ), there isn’t a single “start file” you can launch to bypass the boot process. These tools are more for repairing corrupted system files or disk errors.

Since startup repair, reset, and restore haven’t worked, the next steps could be:

1. System File Checker: Run sfc /scannow to check for corrupted Windows files.
2. Bootable USB recovery: If the above doesn’t help, creating a Windows installation USB on another PC and booting from it may allow you to repair or reinstall Windows without relying on the SSD’s recovery partition.

I know you’re trying to avoid a full reinstall, but if the SSD is too full or has errors, that may be the only reliable way forward. Before that, though, I’d recommend trying the disk and file repair commands.

I hope this helps.