Ugh, boot failures. That’s never a fun time, is it? It’s like your computer’s decided to just…nope out of starting its day. Windows 10, bless its heart, can sometimes be a bit dramatic about these things.
So, first off, don’t panic! It happens to the best of us. Let’s think about what might be going on. Did you recently install any new software, hardware, or maybe even just a Windows update? Sometimes those things can throw a wrench in the gears. If you did, try booting into Safe Mode. You can usually get there by repeatedly hitting F8 or Shift+F8 during startup (though it can be tricky with newer systems, so look up your specific computer’s method). If you can get into Safe Mode, that tells you the problem is likely a software or driver issue. From there, you can try uninstalling anything you recently added.
Now, if Safe Mode is a no-go, it could be a bit more serious. Maybe Windows got corrupted somehow. That’s where the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) comes in. If your computer doesn’t automatically boot into it after a couple of failed attempts, you might need a Windows 10 installation USB drive or DVD. If you have one, boot from it, and you’ll find options to repair your startup.
In WinRE, you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve. First, try “Startup Repair.” It’s like a little Windows doctor that tries to fix common boot problems automatically. If that doesn’t work, you can try “System Restore” if you’ve got restore points enabled. That’ll roll back your system to a previous state, which can sometimes fix corruption issues.
Another thing you can try in WinRE is the Command Prompt. It might sound scary, but it can be really useful. You can try running commands like sfc /scannow to scan for and fix corrupted system files, or chkdsk /f /r to check your hard drive for errors. These commands are like giving your system a little tune-up.
