Looking for a way to fix windows automatic repair loop? here’s your checklist!

We’re all familiar with Windows 10 troubleshooting tools and options menu, which are great for finding issues that are causing problems with start-up. But once in a while, the tools are what’s causing the problem in the first place! If you find yourself stuck in an automatic repair loop, where Windows 10 keeps rebooting the automatic repair tool, trying to repair your computer and then rebooting again – you’re far from alone!

Usually this error happens because of missing files, missing device drivers, or files which are corrupted. Sometimes it happens because of new peripherals, and you might also find that malware or broken installation files are the root of the problem.

As there’s no one reason for the loop – you’ll find there isn’t one answer either. But here are some of the best ideas for fixing this issue so you’re not left in an endless cycle of automatic repair catastrophe!

1. Use system repair tools

Start by using the Chkdsk command, which will look for errors in your system drive. You can force Windows to boot to the Command Prompt window, by following these steps: (You can check out some screenshots here if you’re a bit more visually-inclined!)

• Restart your PC, and before the Windows logo has a chance to appear, press F8.
• You’ll see the Windows boot troubleshooting menu, and you can click on Advanced Repair Options.
• Now, Choose an option, then select Troubleshoot, followed by Advanced options and then Command Prompt.
• Enter the command “chkdsk c: /r”.

If this doesn’t work, and the command fails, try using the Fixboot command instead. All the steps are the same, except the command to enter in the window is “fixboot c:”
That’s it! Close the Command Prompt Window, and make sure to restart your PC.

2. Utilize safe model to perform a system scan

This method is useful if Windows local image is corrupted. In this case, Windows can’t replace any other corrupted files, which can trigger the loop. Here’s how to use the Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool to fix this cause.

First, enable Safe Mode, which is the most simple version of Windows and doesn’t include any third-party applications. This is done by restarting your PC and pressing the F8 key so you are navigated to troubleshooting. Navigate to the restart options, by going to Advanced options under Troubleshoot, and then clicking on the Startup Settings and choosing Restart. You should see an option that says Enable Safe Mode with Networking by selecting F5.

Windows will reboot in Safe Mode, and you can now use the PowerShell window to type this command. “DISM/Online/Cleanup-Image/RestoreHealth. Go get yourself a cup of tea or a muffin, this may take some time.

Once it’s done, reboot your PC in Safe Mode using the same steps, and verify that the job has worked, by typing “sfc/scannow” in the same command box in PowerShell.

3. Try restoring the windows registry

The automatic repair loop could be caused by malware, which has led to the registry files becoming corrupted. If you think that might be the case – here’s your best bet for sorting it out.
Open the troubleshooting menu, as described above, and head to Command Prompt. Now type this command. “C:\Windows\System32\config\regback* C:\Windows\System32\config\” (catchy, eh?)

You may be prompted to overwrite files, and if so, type “All” and click Enter. Make sure to restart your PC when you’re done. Here’s a cool video that includes some more tips for this challenge, and also shows you how to set your registry back to a specific point.

4. Rebuilding the boot configuration data

In some cases, Windows is unable to start because either the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) or even the Master Boot Record (MBR) are missing, or improperly configured. You can manually repair the MBR or the BCD and see if this solves the problem.

You’ve guessed it, start by heading to the troubleshooting menu, and looking for that ever so familiar Command Prompt window. Now enter the following lines, one after the other. “bootrec /fixboot” “bootrec/scanos” “bootrec/fixmbr” “bootrec/rebuildbcd” “exit”

You will need to restart your PC to see if this action has resolved the issue, or if there is something else going on.

5. Turn off automatic repair altogether

If you think Windows is glitching, and you don’t have an underlying problem – you might try disabling the repair system itself. This trick can be used to check whether the problem is Windows, or if you have another issue that’s left unidentified.

Head to the boot troubleshooting menu, and then to Command Prompt, as shown above. Then type this command into the window. “bcdedit”

• Check the values that are provided, and make sure that you see {default} for “identifier” and yes for “recoveryenabled”.
• Type the following command “bcdedit/set {default} recoveryenabled no”
• Then restart your PC. If this works, the problem was not an underlying issue on your PC.

6. Last resort: reset the device

If you really can’t find a solution to the automatic repair loop, reset Windows 10 altogether by navigating to the Troubleshooting menu and choosing the option Reset this PC. Don’t worry – you shouldn’t lose any data, as it will give you an option to either delete everything using a clean reset, or to preserve your files.

Looking to manually remove the data? try a bootable disk

Want to manually make sure that all your data is safe from that machine? You can use another healthy PC to transfer over the files you need. Start by unlocking the computer case from the PC that has the error, then remove the hard drive entirely, unplugging them from the computer.

Reconnect the hard drive to the new computer – using it in the same way as you would an external disk. You can restart the new PC, and you’ll be able to view all the data that’s on the drive by navigating to File Explorer. Just copy and save whatever you want to either the healthy PC, or to another drive.

Looking for more advice about keeping your devices fresh and shiny? Make sure to join the Atera Community on Facebook – where we love these kinds of discussions, and there is always someone to help!