How to fix the error “Your PC did not start properly”

Dealing with the “Your PC didn’t start properly” error on a Windows 10 or 11 computer can be quite annoying. This error usually occurs when you try to boot your computer and prevents you from accessing the system until it is resolved.

Advertising

This error message indicates that an error occurred during the startup process that is preventing your PC from starting properly. This can happen for a number of reasons, such as corrupted system files, problematic updates, or inaccessible boot configuration data.

In many cases, simply selecting the “Restart” option on the error screen can fix the problem, so it’s a good idea to try that first if you haven’t already. However, if Windows continues to display the “Your PC didn’t start properly” error screen, more in-depth troubleshooting may be necessary. Following the tips below will help you resolve the underlying issue and get your Windows PC to start normally.

Startup Repair is a useful tool that can automatically diagnose and fix problems that prevent your Windows PC from starting properly. It scans your system for corrupted registry entries, missing system files, and persistent hard drive errors and then tries to fix them. So if a restart doesn’t fix the problem, you should try running the Startup Repair tool using these steps:

Advertising

1. If your PC displays the Automatic Repair error screen, click the Advanced options button.
2. Select “Troubleshoot” and then click “Advanced options” in the menu that appears.
3. Click the Startup Repair option, select a user account with administrator privileges, and enter the password to verify your identity.
4. Click Continue and wait for the Startup Repair tool to diagnose and fix any problems.

Restart your PC after the Startup Repair tool runs successfully. If all goes well, Windows should start normally and no errors will appear.

A recent installation of a system update might have gone wrong, causing Windows to repeatedly display the “Your PC didn’t start properly” error. In such cases, uninstalling the problematic update should help restore things to normal. To do this, you’ll first need to boot your Windows PC into Safe Mode. Here are the steps to do that.

Advertising

1. On the Automatic Repair screen, click Advanced options.
2. Go to Troubleshoot, select Advanced options, and then select Startup Settings.
3. Click the Restart button. Wait for your PC to restart and press the 4 or F4 key on your keyboard to enter Safe Mode.
4. Once your PC boots into Safe Mode, press Windows + I to launch the Settings app and go to the Windows Update tab.
5. Click the Update history option and scroll down to select Uninstall updates. Click Uninstall next to the update you want to remove.

After removing the problematic update, restart your PC and check if the error still occurs.

Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is a database that Windows uses to store important information and settings related to system startup. It helps manage the loading and initialization of the operating system, including configurations for boot options, system files, and recovery settings. If there is a problem with the BCD file, Windows may not start properly and errors may occur. This can also happen if some of the system files on your PC are corrupted or missing.

Advertising

To repair the boot configuration data and system files on your PC:

1. On the Automatic Repair screen, click Advanced options. Then, from the menu that appears, select Command Prompt.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press Enter after each command: bootrec /fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot and bootrec /rebuildbcd
3. After repairing the boot configuration data, type the following command and press Enter to run the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) scan: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
4. Wait for the DISM scan to complete, then run the System File Checker (SFC) by typing this command and pressing Enter: sfc /scannow

Then restart your PC. Windows should then boot normally as expected.

If nothing else works, you can perform a System Restore. This will allow Windows to undo any recent system changes that may have caused the “Your PC didn’t start properly” error. Note that you can only use this option if you’ve previously created a restore point or configured Windows to create one automatically.

Advertising

1. On the error screen, click the Advanced options button and select System Restore on the following screen.
2. Click Next, select the most recent restore point, and then click Done.
3. Wait for Windows to restore itself to the specified restore point.

If Windows still boots to the error screen after a system restore, your last option is to reset your Windows computer. Don’t worry, you can do this without losing your personal files. Here’s how:

1. On the error screen, go to Advanced options and click Troubleshoot.
2. Click the Advanced options button and select Reset this PC.
3. Select the “Keep my files” option and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Once Windows has reset everything, you should be able to boot normally.