Laptop stuck in "preparing automatic fix" loop

Hello

I need a bit of help with fixing my laptop.

When I switch it on all I get is a message saying " preparing automatic fix", I've left it in this mode for hours and nothing happens, I've searched the internet and this is a known problem, I've tried all the remedy's that have been suggested but to no avail, one fix that I haven't tried that was suggested was to put a new Ram memory card in, any idea's if this would likely to be the problem

Thanks

 

Windows 10?? You tried booting from installation drive and select repair option?? You can boot a Linux distro or utility tools to test if RAM is OK. Replace Hard drive and do a fresh install will also tell you if it is a HD problem or other hardware...

 

Thanks for the reply.
Yes it is Windows 10, I'm afraid the rest of your reply really goes way over my head

 

Well, your specific laptop model might have a restore option or OS restore download. Check there for support first. If not, look up guides on Youtube for repair methods. You need to download installation tool from Microsoft (If they still have Win 10 version...). You need a USB drive that it can format as an Install drive. You might need to search how to boot from USB on your specific laptop. Google and youtube search...

If your laptop has important files on it, remove the internal hard drive or SSD and test with a different drive. If you're not comfortable doing that, definitely take it to somebody who can.

 

@cayo: That loop can be such a pain, I’ve seen it a few times. It usually isn’t the RAM, unless the stick itself is dying, which is rare. Most of the time it’s Windows getting stuck between a bad update and a corrupt boot file. If you’ve got another device handy, try creating a Windows 10 recovery USB with Microsoft’s media creation tool.

Boot from that, go to “Repair your computer” → “Advanced options” → “Startup Repair.” Sometimes just running that gets it out of the loop. If not, you can open Command Prompt from the same screen and run chkdsk c: /f or sfc /scannow.

I’ve had it work after that more than once. If it still refuses, you might have to reinstall Windows – but don’t throw in new RAM yet. Try the recovery steps first; way cheaper, and it fixes it most of the time.

 

Great advice! Three ways to fix. If it's an old machine say more than 7 years with lots of use it could be hardware failure.

In that case it could be RAM, or a motherboard issue which would require a new laptop. If the HD is still spinning up and working, you can save that to use as an external drive so you can still access your files.

Good luck with the repair!

 

Update on this.
I purchased a SSD to USB enclosure and took the hard drive out of the failed laptop and plugged it into my new laptop which has enabled me to recover all my files and photos

Thanks for the Help

 

Sorry you couldn't save the old laptop.
I like to repurpose my old devices, usually devoting each to a specific task.

My first tablet, must be over 10 yrs old is still serviceable as a sleep sound machine. Another tablet went straight into my music studio to record and play music to accompany my playing.

But if your laptop is dead, it's dead.