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Fix: Automatic Repair Couldn’t Repair Your PC
Surefire ways to get the Windows built-in repair tool working again
14 min. read
Updated onJuly 19, 2024
updated onJuly 19, 2024
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Resolve multiple Windows PC issues and speed up your PC effortlessly with specialized software.
Windows 10 and 11 come with theirrepair tools. One of these tools is Automatic Repair which helps to fix PC issues.
However, sometimes it fails to fix whatever problems your system encounters and notifies you thatWindows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PC.
The Automatic Repair process usually appears on Windows 10 devices if the system suddenly shuts down due to malfunctions and corrupted files in your PC.
Here are some more error messages and codes you may encounter:
This guide will show how to fix this issue effectively, irrespective of the cause.
How long does automatic repair take on Windows 10?
The automatic repair process on your Windows 10 device will last, depending on your needs. It can take a few minutes to a couple of hours if you require time-consuming tasks.
For example, it can last about 30 minutes in case you perform a fresh install without keeping any programs. In the other case, it can take up to 3 or 4 hours if you want to repair it and keep your files.
You can use this feature for various issues that generate booting problems on your PC, so consider it if you can’t correctly boot your device.
There are various reasons you might be getting theAutomatic repair couldn’t repair your PC, press advanced options to try other optionserror message.
Below are some of the prevalent causes:
This operation usually happens on your Windows 10 PC when you run into different errors that completely shut down your system.
The automatic repair process will start when you power on and try to diagnose the cause of this unpleasant crash on your computer.
You can use practical methods to handle the automatic repair loop on your Windows 10, which proved helpful for other users.
After the automatic repair message, you can hold the power button to force shut down your PC.
After the restart, you should get the Troubleshoot option to repair the system and update or reset your device.
If this method doesn’t suit you, it’s possible to resolve the issue using Safe Mode, which can offer repairing tools like Startup Settings and Windows startup options.
In addition, this stuck preparing automatic repair for Windows 10 is a common problem for Windows 10 Lenovo, HP, Dell, and ASUS.
How do I fix Windows 10 automatic repair couldn’t repair your PC?
1. Run fixboot and/or chkdsk command
This solution is a bit tricky because you need to know which driver is causing you this problem. Even if you don’t know, you can still try this solution and stop at Step 4.
If you encounter any issues or yourchkdskgets stuck,check this guideto solve the problem.
2. Run DISM
Note that the DISM scan takes up to 15 minutes. So, you need to be patient till the process is complete.
If, for some reason, youcan’t boot into Safe Mode, take a look at our troubleshooting guide on how to properly access Safe Mode.
How do I fix automatic repair loop on Windows 10?
1. Delete the problematic file
After the file opens, you should see a message like this:Boot critical file c:windowssystem32driversvsock.sys is corrupt. (It might look different for you).
Now, you need to perform some research into what exactly this problematic file does. In our case, for instance, vsock.sys was a file related to a third-party application called VMWare.
Since this isn’t an operating system file that is required by Windows 10, we can delete it.
To delete a file, you need to navigate to the specified location using the Command Prompt and enter thedelcommand. In our example, it would look like this:cd c:windowssystem32driversdel vsock.sys
If you are getting Automatic repair couldn’t repair your PC error message regarding the SrtTrail.txt on Windows 10, you should be able to fix it with this solution.
Once again, this is just an example, and you might have to navigate to a different folder and delete a different file. Before deleting a file, make sure the file you want to delete isn’t a core Windows 10 file or else you can cause damage to your operating system.
2. Disable Automatic Startup Repair
After you’ve done this, the Startup Repair should be disabled, and you might be able to access Windows 10 again.
3. Restore the Windows registry
4. Check device partition and osdevice partition
5. Disable early launch anti-malware protection
It has been reported that this problem can sometimes appear again. If this happens, repeat all the steps and temporarily deactivate your antivirus software.
Users have reported some problems with Norton 360 antivirus software (although we assume the problem can be created by other antivirus software as well), so after you’ve deactivated this application, everything should go back to normal.
However, we don’t recommend disabling or deleting your antivirus for good. Instead, we suggest you use intrusive protection on your device and considerswitching your antivirus providerto reliable one like ESET NOD32.
This software offer just the right security level you need to stay protected in real-time, with minimum impact on running programs and apps, using the latest technology. So, you don’t have anything to worry about with ESET NOD32.
6. Perform Refresh or Reset
If the problem still persists, you might have to perform a Reset or Refresh. By doing this, your installed applications will be removed but your installed Universal apps and settings will be saved if you choose the Refresh option.
On the other hand, the Reset option will delete all installed files, settings, and apps. If you decide to take this step, it’s advised that you backup your important files.
You might need Windows 10 installation media to complete this process, so make sure that you have it.
How do I fix Windows 10 Automatic Repair Loop without disc?
1. Check your boot priority in BIOS
Users have reported that sometimes Windows Boot Manager might be set as the first boot device and that can cause aWindows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PCloop on your computer.
In order to fix that, make sure that your hard drive is set as the first boot device.
2. Remove your laptop battery
Some users have reported that they have fixed Windows 10 Automatic Repair Loop without a disc on their laptop by simply removing the laptop battery.
After you’ve removed the battery, put it back on your laptop, connect the power cable and check if the issue has been resolved.
3. Reconnect your hard drive
In some cases,Windows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PCerror can be caused by your hard drive, and the only solution is to reconnect it. Just turn off your PC, unplug it, open it, and disconnect your hard drive.
Now you just need to reconnect your hard drive, connect the power cable, and start it again. Several users have already reported that reconnecting their hard drive has successfully fixed this problem for them, so you might want to try that.
We have to mention that this step will break your warranty, so keep that in mind. If you havemore than one hard drive, you’ll have to repeat this process for each hard drive.
In addition, if you have more than one hard drive, you might want to disconnect only those hard drives on which you don’t have Windows 10 installed.
Keep only one hard drive (the one that has Windows 10 on it) connected to your computer, and try to start Windows 10 again. If the issue is resolved, reconnect other hard drives.
If Windows doesn’t recognize your second hard drive, you can easilysolve the issues with a couple of simple steps.
4. Remove your RAM
Few users have reported that they have managed to fix Windows 10 Automatic Repair Loop simply by removing their RAM memory. To do this, you need to turn off your computer, unplug it and remove all memory modules.
Return memory modules to your computer and check if the issue has been resolved. If you have two or more RAM modules, try removing just one RAM module and starting your PC without it.
You might have to repeat this step a few times, depending on how many modules you have.
5. Remove additional USB drives
It has been reported that you can sometimes fixWindows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PCproblem by unplugging USB drives from your computer.
If you have any additional USB drives attached, disconnect them, and check if the issue is resolved.
If you plug them back in and Windows doesn’t recognize them,check this simple guide.
6. Change your disk controller mode in BIOS
You can fix Windows 10 Automatic Repair Loop without a disc by entering BIOS and changing a few settings.
After you’ve entered BIOS, you need to find your disk controller mode and set it toStandard (IDE, SATA or Legacy)instead of RAID or AHCI. Save the changes and restart your computer.
If the issue persists, try changing the mode again. If that doesn’t solve, return the disk controller mode to its original value.
7. Enable NX, XD or XN in BIOS
To enable this option, enter BIOS and go to theSecuritytab. FindXD-bit(No-execute Memory Protect) and set it toEnable. If you don’t have XD option, search forNXorXNand enable it. Save the changes and restart your computer.
8. Perform a clean reinstallation
Finally, if none of the previous solutions was helpful, and you can confirm that the hardware is properly working, we can only advise you toperform a clean system reinstallation.
We know this isn’t the desired solution since you’ll lose all the data stored on the system partition. But, once things take the ultimate wrong turn, system reinstallation is the final resort.
If you’re unsure how to reinstall Windows 10 and start from scratch, follow the steps above.
How do I fix Automatic repair couldn’t repair your PC on Windows 11
Even though it’s a new OS, you can expect Windows 11 to share numerous Win 10 functionalities. Thus, pretty much all the solutions listed below should also work in this case.
Additionally, you can try to:
Here are the complete instructions to help you deal withWindows 11 when it is stuck in an automatic repair loop.
How do I bypass Automatic repair mode?
The easiest way to bypass the Automatic repair mode, especially on startup is to disable the tool. This can be done by running a few commands on Command Prompt.
We have shown how to do this in detail in this guide. You can apply the other fixes if you still can’t get past the Automatic repair loop.
TheWindows 10 Automatic Repair couldn’t repair your PCerror is one of the harder errors to fix and it can make your computer almost unusable.
We hope you’ve managed to fix it using one solution. If not, do not hesitate tochoose one of the best PC repair toolsand give it a try.
Tell us how your fix ended up below in our comments section!
More about the topics:automatic repair,boot errors,windows 10 errors,windows recovery
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
