---
title: Windows Won't Boot
category: Windows
summary: The PC powers on but never reaches the sign-in screen, or loops on "Automatic Repair".
applies_to: Windows 10 / Windows 11 desktops and laptops
related: 02-slow-pc, 09-disk-space-low, 11-backups
---

## Symptoms

- Black screen, or a manufacturer logo that never moves on.
- Message such as "Operating system not found", "Boot device not available" or "No bootable device".
- Spinning dots for many minutes, or a restart loop.
- "Preparing Automatic Repair" / "Automatic Repair couldn't repair your PC".
- Blue screen with a stop code (for example `INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE`).
- A blue "BitLocker recovery" screen asking for a recovery key.

## Before you start

- **Protect the data first.** Ask whether there is anything important that is not backed up. If yes, avoid repair steps that could change the disk and tell your lead (see *Escalate when*).
- Ask what changed: a Windows update, a power cut, a new device, a dropped laptop?
- Note any exact error text or stop code. Take a photo of the screen.

## Steps

1. **Check the basics.** Is the power cable plugged in and the screen on? Does the power light come on? On a desktop, check the monitor cable.
2. **Unplug everything extra:** USB sticks, external drives, docking station, printers. A USB stick left in can make the PC try to boot from it. Try again.
3. **Do a full power drain.** Shut down (hold the power button about 10 seconds), unplug the charger, remove the battery if it is removable, hold the power button for 30 seconds, then reconnect and start up.
4. **Check that the firmware sees the drive.** Restart and press the setup key (commonly `F2`, `Del`, `F10` or `F12`; it depends on the manufacturer and shows briefly at start-up). Look for the system drive in the storage or boot menu.
    - Drive **not listed**: stop here and escalate (possible hardware failure or loose connection).
    - Drive listed but the boot order is wrong: set *Windows Boot Manager* or the system drive first.
5. **Open the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).** Either let Windows fail to start three times in a row (it opens recovery on its own), or boot from a Windows installation USB and choose *Repair your computer*.
6. In WinRE go to **Troubleshoot > Advanced options** and try these in order, checking for a boot after each one:
    1. **Startup Repair**.
    2. **Uninstall Updates** (latest quality update first, then latest feature update) if the problem began after an update.
    3. **System Restore** to a point before the problem began.
    4. **Startup Settings > Restart > Safe Mode** (press `4`). If Safe Mode works, remove recent software or drivers, then restart normally.
7. **Command Prompt checks (WinRE).** Drive letters can differ inside WinRE, so first find the Windows drive: run `diskpart`, `list volume`, `exit`, or `dir C:\`, `dir D:\` and look for the `Windows` folder. Assuming it is `C:`:
    ```
    chkdsk C: /f
    sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows
    bootrec /scanos
    bootrec /rebuildbcd
    ```
    If `bootrec /fixboot` returns "Access is denied" on a UEFI system, `bcdboot C:\Windows` rebuilds the boot files instead.
8. **BitLocker prompt?** Do not guess. Get the recovery key from the place your organisation stores it (for example the user's Microsoft account or the admin portal) after verifying the user's identity. If you cannot get the key, escalate.
9. If nothing works, the options are an in-place repair install or a full reinstall. **Both need approval and a backup plan** because a reinstall can erase data. Escalate rather than doing this alone.

## Escalate when

- The system drive is missing in the firmware menu, or you hear clicking or grinding.
- The user has important data with no backup.
- A BitLocker key is needed and can't be found.
- You've tried Startup Repair, uninstalling updates and System Restore and it still fails.
- Several PCs fail after the same update (possible wider problem).
- The next step would be a reinstall or reset.

## Ticket note template

```
Issue: PC does not boot to Windows (describe: error text / loop / black screen)
When it started / what changed: 
Data at risk (backed up? Y/N/unknown): 
Checked: power + peripherals removed [Y/N] | drive visible in firmware [Y/N] | boot order [OK/changed]
Recovery steps tried: Startup Repair [result] | Uninstall updates [result] | System Restore [result] | Safe Mode [result]
Commands run (if any): 
Result: Fixed / Not fixed
Next step / escalated to: 
```

## Notes

Steps and commands in this runbook follow Microsoft's publicly documented recovery tools. Menu names vary slightly between Windows 10 and 11 and between PC makers, so adjust to what you see.