How to Open Startup Repair in Windows 10 While Booting

What is Windows 10 Startup Repair?

Windows 10 Startup Repair is a built-in troubleshooting tool designed to fix common issues that prevent Windows from booting up properly. It's especially useful for fixing errors like startup loops, system crashes, missing or corrupted system files, and other boot-related problems. Startup Repair automatically scans your system for issues and attempts to repair them without requiring advanced technical knowledge.

When to use Windows 10 Startup Repair

1. Windows fails to boot properly

If your computer powers on but fails to load Windows, the Startup Repair tool can help diagnose and fix the problem.

2. Blue screen of death (BSOD)

Frequent BSOD errors during startup are a clear signal of underlying system issues that Startup Repair may resolve.

3. Boot loop issues

Sometimes Windows might get stuck in a cycle of repeated restarts. Running Startup Repair is often an effective solution for this issue.

4. System freezes during boot

If your system freezes or stalls at the startup screen, Startup Repair might be able to identify and correct the cause.

How to open Startup Repair in Windows 10 while booting

If you’re experiencing issues with Windows starting up, Startup Repair is a reliable tool to help diagnose and resolve boot-related problems. Let’s walk through each method to open Startup Repair in Windows 10 while booting.

Method 1. Using Advanced Startup Options

This method allows you to access Startup Repair through Windows’ built-in Advanced Startup Options.

Step 1. Turn on your computer by powering it on your computer. If Windows fails to start correctly, it may enter the Automatic Repair mode.

Step 2. If your computer isn’t entering repair mode, you can force a restart three times in a row. Just power it off when you see the Windows logo and turn it back on.

Step 3. When your computer enters Automatic Repair, you’ll see a screen that reads "Preparing Automatic Repair" or "Diagnosing your PC". Click on Advanced options.

Step 4. From the Advanced Options menu, select Startup Repair. This will start the repair tool, which will check for issues that might prevent Windows from booting.

Method 2. Using a Bootable Windows 10 installation USB or DVD

If Windows isn’t starting at all and you can’t reach the Advanced Startup Options, using a bootable Windows installation drive can help.

Step 1. Begin by inserting your bootable Windows 10 installation USB or DVD into the computer.

Step 2. Power on your computer and press the appropriate key (usually F2, F10, F12, or Esc) to open the Boot Menu. Select your USB or DVD drive to boot from it.

Step 3. When the Windows Setup screen appears, choose your preferred language, time, and keyboard input, then click Next.

Step 4. On the Windows installation screen, do not proceed with the installation. Instead, select Repair your computer in the lower-left corner.

Step 5. Now, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Windows will start scanning for problems and attempt to fix any issues that prevent it from booting.

Method 3. Using the Windows 10 Recovery Drive

If you’ve previously created a Windows 10 recovery drive, you can use it to access Startup Repair.

Step 1. Insert your Windows 10 recovery USB drive into the computer.

Step 2. Turn on your computer and press the appropriate key to open the Boot Menu. Select the recovery USB to boot from.

Step 3. Once your PC loads the recovery drive, you may be asked to choose your keyboard layout.

Step 4. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Repair. Windows will start the repair process, which may fix any issues stopping Windows from booting.

Alternative boot repair tool when Startup Repair fails

While Startup Repair can resolve many issues, it's not a fix-all solution. For example, it might not be effective against hardware failures, viruses, or advanced system corruptions. For persistent problems, you may need to explore other solutions like System Restore, Command Prompt repairs, or reinstalling Windows.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is a powerful tool that can help you regain access to your system without the hassle of reinstalling Windows or losing data. It is not just a partition manager for Windows 11/10/8/7 - it’s also a powerful tool for troubleshooting and fixing boot problems.

With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can:

► Create a bootable USB drive for repair

► Rebuild the MBR (Master Boot Record)

► Repair system boot issues automatically

► Convert file systems without data loss

These features make it a solid choice for fixing boot issues, especially when Windows Startup Repair is unable to resolve them.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on a working PC, click "Recovr"-"Boot Repair" and then click the "create a bootable disk" option to create a WinPE "Boot Repair" disk.

Step 2. Boot the PC that cannot boot into WinPE. It will automatically load the Boot Repair tool and start the boot entries scan process. All boot entries will be displayed.

✍ Advanced Settings(Select a location to store the repaired boot entry):

1. Repair to the current disk: The system will boot from the current disk and ensure the boot files are complete and functioning properly. (By default)

2. Repair to another disk: This operation will repair the boot entry or create a new system boot entry to ensure the system can boot from the disk you select.

You can either repair to the current disk or repair to another disk. Repair to the current disk is recommended for common users.

Step 3. Select one/multiple repairable boot entries you want to repair and click the "Repair" button to start the boot repair.

Step 4. Wait for the repair process to finish. Once it is finished, you can check the repair result. If it succeeds, you will get a "Repair Successfully" result.

Conclusion

Windows 10 Startup Repair is a valuable tool that can restore system functionality in many boot-related situations, offering a straightforward repair path. These methods provide quick access to Windows’ built-in repair tools, helping to troubleshoot and resolve boot issues effectively.

While it won’t fix every issue, it’s a good step to resort to a third-party boot repair tool like AOMEI Partition Assistant. It provides different versions for different situations like Windows Server users can use AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.