How to Fix Windows Stuck in Automatic Repair Loop and Boot Again
If your Windows PC keeps restarting into an endless loop of “Automatic Repair” / “Preparing Automatic Repair” and you can’t get it to boot normally, it usually means the system can’t recover from a particular boot or file issue—often triggered by something like an unexpected power cut or an incomplete update. The good news is that there are several repair paths you can try, starting with the simplest.
How to get Windows to start normally again
The best approach depends on where your PC fails during boot, but you can work through recovery tools without immediately wiping the drive. If you don’t have a backup and you want to avoid formatting, you’ll want to try repairs first.
- Power on the computer.
- When the Windows logo appears, press and hold the power button until the PC turns off.
- Repeat the process three times in a row.
After that, Windows typically shows the Recovery screen and Advanced options, where you can use repair utilities.
Try Startup Repair first
From Advanced options, choose Startup Repair. Windows will attempt to automatically detect what’s preventing the system from booting and fix it. This is especially useful when the loop began after an update or an improper shutdown.
Check and repair the drive (HDD/SSD)
Boot loops can happen when there are drive errors, corrupted files, or bad sectors. In that case, repair the disk.
Open Advanced options → Command Prompt, then run the disk repair process from there. The procedure may take a while, particularly on older mechanical drives, so don’t interrupt it. When it finishes, reboot and check whether Windows starts normally.
Repair corrupted Windows system files
If the storage looks fine but Windows still won’t boot, corrupted Windows files may be the culprit. From the same Command Prompt environment, run a system file repair command that scans for damaged components and replaces them automatically.
Rebuild the Windows boot files
Another common cause is corruption in the boot loader data. Use the command that rebuilds the startup configuration so Windows can regenerate what it needs to boot correctly.
If fixboot returns “Access is denied”, first try the access-fix step, then run fixboot again.
Disable the Automatic Repair loop temporarily
Sometimes the problem isn’t the system itself—it’s the recovery environment repeatedly failing and looping. You can disable the Automatic Repair behavior temporarily via Command Prompt, then reboot to see whether Windows will finally start.
As a last resort: boot from a Windows USB
If none of the recovery steps above work, you may need to create and use a Windows installation USB from another PC. This can restore access to recovery tools, but depending on what you do next, files may be compromised and you might have to format the drive—resulting in data loss if you don’t have a backup.
If you want, tell me your Windows version (10 or 11) and whether you’re on an SSD or HDD, and I can suggest the most likely first repair path based on what typically causes the Automatic Repair loop.
