How To Fix Startup Repair Couldn’t Repair Your PC

Are you getting the “Startup repair couldn’t repair your pc” error on your Microsoft Windows computer? There are several factors that can cause this problem including corrupted files, hardware failure, not enough RAM, or even power supply issues. To fix this, you will need to perform a series of troubleshooting steps.

Windows Startup Repair is feature found on the Windows operating systems which is designed to fix issues that prevent your computer from starting up properly. This powerful tool can diagnose and repair common startup problems, including issues with boot files, registry settings, and system files. By using Windows Startup Repair, you can save valuable time and money by avoiding the need for expensive professional repairs or even a complete operating system reinstallation.

What do I do if startup repair couldn’t repair your PC?

When your computer is having trouble starting up the best tool to use is the Startup Repair tool as it’s designed to diagnose and repair common startup issues.

Sometimes though, you will run into the “Startup Repair Couldn’t Repair Your PC” error. This can be quite frustrating as you computer will not proceed with the boot up process.

Here’s what you need to do to fix Startup Repair errors on your Windows computer.

Solution 1: Restart your computer

The first thing you need to do when get the “Startup repair couldn’t repair your pc” error is to restart your computer. Often, this error occurs due to temporary glitches that can be resolved by restarting your computer.

When you restart your computer, it clears out any temporary files or data that may be causing the error and reinitializes the hardware components, which can sometimes fix the problem. Additionally, if your computer has been running for an extended period, restarting it can also help to improve its overall performance.

To restart your computer and potentially press and hold the power button on your computer until it turns off, which should take approximately 5-10 seconds.

Afterward, wait a few seconds before pressing the power button again to turn your computer back on.

Solution 2: Enable Safe Mode then run an SFC scan

One effective method to fix the automatic repair loop is by accessing safe mode. Safe mode enables specific drivers like the display and mouse drivers to run while disabling the rest of your device and driver operations. This approach is similar to the Windows Recovery Environment and can bypass the automatic repair loop, making it one of the best options to run startup repair automatically.

Start Windows in Safe Mode

• On the Windows sign-in screen, press and hold the Shift key while you select Power > Restart.
• After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. You may be asked to enter your BitLocker recovery key.
• After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select 4 or F4 to start your PC in safe mode. Or if you’ll need to use the internet, select 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

Run an SFC scan

• Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by pressing the Windows key + X and then selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
• In the Command Prompt window, type “sfc /scannow” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
• The scan will now begin, and it may take some time to complete depending on the size of your system files and the speed of your computer.
• Once the scan is complete, you will see a message indicating whether any integrity violations were found and whether they were repaired.
• If any issues were found and repaired, you may need to restart your computer to complete the process.

Run DISM

• Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. You can do this by pressing the Windows key + X and then selecting “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the menu.
• In the Command Prompt window, type “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth” (without the quotes) and press Enter.
• The scan will begin, and it will check the health of the Windows image on your computer.
• Once the scan is complete, you will see a message indicating whether any issues were found.
• If issues were found, you can attempt to repair them by typing “DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth” (without the quotes) and pressing Enter.
• The repair process may take some time to complete, and you should not interrupt it.

To get out of Safe Mode just restart your computer.

However, if for some reason your machine is still booting into Safe Mode on its own after restarting, try this:

• Press the Windows logo key + R.
• Type msconfig in the Open box and then select OK.
• Select the Boot tab.
• Under Boot options, clear the Safe bootcheckbox.

Solution 3: Repair the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) & Repair MBR

If you are experiencing the “Startup Repair Couldn’t Repair Your PC” error in Windows, it may be due to issues with your Boot Configuration Data (BCD) or Master Boot Record (MBR). These components are essential for booting your operating system and starting your computer, and if they become corrupted or damaged, it can cause issues with your system’s startup process. To fix this error, you may need to rebuild your BCD and repair your MBR using the Windows Recovery Environment. Rebuilding the BCD involves recreating the boot configuration data from scratch, while repairing the MBR can help to fix any issues with the partition table that may be affecting your system’s startup.

Repair BCD

• In Windows Recovery, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt. It may take some time for Command Prompt to start.
• Copy and paste the following command to rebuild the Windows 11 BCD completely from scratch: bootrec /rebuildbcd
• Press Enter to run the command.
• Restart your PC.

Repair MBR

• Insert your bootable Windows media to your problematic PC.
• Restart your PC and Press ESC or Delete key (Some PC support F12, F2) To Access BIOS setup.
• Change the boot order To Boot your computer with the bootable media to start the Windows setup.
• Press Any Key to boot from installation media, and skip the first screen.
• And on the next screen click on Repair your computer on the lower-left corner.
• Click Troubleshoot followed by Advanced options then Command Prompt To Access Advanced command prompt to fix MBR.
• Type: bootrec /fixmbr on the command Prompt window then press the enter key.
• Once you execute the command, you will receive a confirmation message operation is completed successfully.
• Type: bootrec /fixboot on the command Prompt window then press the enter key.
• Type: bootrec /rebuildbcd on the command Prompt window then press the enter key.
• Remove the bootable Windows media then reboot your computer.

Solution 4: Disable automatic startup repair

If you’re experiencing issues with your Windows computer and the automatic startup repair feature is not resolving them, you may want to disable automatic repair temporarily. The automatic startup repair feature is designed to help troubleshoot and fix issues with your system’s startup process. However, in some cases, it may not be able to resolve the issue, and you may be stuck in a repair loop.

Disable automatic startup repair

• Once the Troubleshoot screen is on display, click on the Advanced Options button and open Command Prompt.
• Input “bcdedit /set recoveryenabled No” into the window and Enter to disable automatic startup repair. You can exit once the operation has been confirmed as successful.

Solution 5: Disable early launch anti-malware protection

Early Launch Anti-Malware (ELAM) is a security feature that was introduced in Windows 8 and later versions of the Windows operating system. ELAM is designed to protect your computer from malware attacks during the boot process, when other security features may not yet be active.

ELAM works by loading and validating anti-malware drivers before any other third-party drivers are loaded during the boot process. This allows the anti-malware software to detect and block any malicious code that may try to load before the operating system starts up. ELAM is part of the Windows Boot Manager, and it is enabled by default in Windows 8 and later versions of the Windows operating system.

If your computer is stuck in the automatic startup repair loop then you should try to disable ELAM.

Disabling early launch anti malware protection

• Access the Boot Menu.
• Choose to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Repair.
• Your computer should now restart and give you a list of options.
• Choose to Disable early launch anti-malware protection (it should be option no. 8).
• Restart your computer, and check if the issue has been resolved.

Solution 6: Reset Windows to factory settings

If you’re experiencing an automatic startup repair loop and other troubleshooting methods have not worked, resetting Windows to its factory settings may be a viable option. Resetting Windows to its factory settings will erase all of your personal files, settings, and apps, and restore the computer to its original state when it was first purchased. This means that any issues that may have been causing the automatic startup repair loop will be completely eliminated.

• Open Settings.
• Choose Windows Update.
• Go to Advanced Options.
• Choose Recovery tab.
• Click the Reset PC button.
• Follow the on-screen instructions carefully.

Frequently Asked Questions