Quick Fix: Windows Automatic Repair Loop in Windows 10/8.1/8

Stuck in Windows 10 Automatic Repair loop, how do I fix it?

"My Windows 10 PC stuck in Windows Automatic Repair loop for a couple days. It happened when I was trying to turn on the laptop and came up with the "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen, and then rebooted automatically and ran Automatic Repair again, becoming caught in the loop again and again. How do I fix the issue?"

About Windows Automatic Repair loop issue

Automatic Repair is a feature designed to help you fix some PC issues in Windows. But sometimes, it might fail to work and stuck in a startup repair loop in Windows 10/8.1/8 due to certain reasons. According to users, there are two most common cases of the Windows Automatic Repair loop issue: 

1. Windows Automatic Repair stuck on a black screen with "Preparing Automatic Repair" error message.
2. Windows Automatic Repair failed and said, "Automatic repair couldn't repair your PC".

When Automatic Repair your PC did not start correctly issue occurs in one of the two cases mentioned above, you can try the following solutions to solve the problem without the disc. They can also help to fix Startup repair cannot repair this computer automatically error.

Quick fixes for Windows Automatic Repair loop issue

Fix 1. Refresh or Reset PC

Windows official solution to the endless 'Preparing Automatic Repair' loop is to directly refresh or reset the PC. This is how it said:

"Upon the 'Preparing automatic repair' window, press-and-hold Power button 3 times to forcefully shut down the machine. The system will enter boot repair page after 2-3 times of reboot, choose Troubleshoot, then go on to Refresh PC or Reset PC." 

Fix 2. Disable early launch anti-malware protection

To fix "Windows 10 Automatic Repair couldn't repair your PC" loop, some users recommend to disable early launch anti-malware protection. You can do it using Command Prompt in Windows Boot Options menu which will appears after your computer restarts several times. Choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings. Your computer should now restart and give you a list of options, here choose "Disable early launch anti-malware protection". Restart your PC and check if the issue has been resolved.

Fix 3. Delete the problematic file

Other users said that"Windows 10 Automatic Repair couldn't repair your PC" loop attacked because certain files were corrupted. Now check if it is the issue.

1) In Windows Boot Options menu, choose "Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt".

2) In the command line, type: C: cd Windows\System32\LogFiles\Srt. SrtTrail.txt and press Enter button. 

Here, if you see something like this: Boot critical file c:\windows\system32\drivers\vsock.sys is corrupt, navigate to the specified location using the Command Prompt and enter Del command to delete the problematic file. 

Note: The file can vary in different situations, so you might need to navigate to a different folder and delete a different file in your case.  

These are some quick fixes that can help you get out of Windows Automatic Repair loop with the least efforts in Windows 10/8.1/8. And if they can not help, please try the following troubleshooting steps to fix the issue.

Advanced fixes for Windows Automatic Repair loop issue in Windows 10/8.1/8

Method 1. Manually repair MBR and rebuild the BCD

If the MBR and Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store are missing, corrupted or not properly configured, Windows won't be able to start. So, to fix Windows Automatic Startup Repair boot issue caused by this reason, you can try to manually repair MBR and rebuild the BCD. To do it, in the Windows Boot Options menu, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. When Command Prompt appears, enter the following lines and press Enter after each line in order to run it: 

bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd
bootrec.exe /fixmbr
bootrec.exe /fixboot

Method 2. Perform a system restore or reset

If Windows Automatic Repair loop issue still exists, please try the last methods - performing a system restore. To do it, in Windows Boot Options menu, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > System Restore. Follow the Wizard instruction and choose the appropriate restore point. Finally, click Finish to restore the system.

These are all the possible solutions that might help to fix Windows Automatic Repair loop issue in Windows 10/8.1/8. If none of them is useful, you are recommended to recover your data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro with Bootable Media which is able to recover data when PC won't boot or start in Windows 10/8/7/Vista.