What is an endless automatic repair loop?

An endless automatic repair loop occurs when a windows computer is unable to boot
correctly.

An endless automatic repair loop can be disruptive to your productivity levels within your
business. It can begin a continuous cycle of attempting to repair the issue which will carry out restarts if a problem occurs during the boot process.

The issues that can occur involve:

  • Corrupted files
  • Missing system file
  • Hardware failure
  • Problem with Windows operating system

To attempt the fix on an endless automatic repair loop you will need to access the advanced start-up options on the computer. You can use this to troubleshoot the issue which can involve the use of built-in Windows recovery tools, system backup, and a variety of troubleshooting techniques.

No Boot Loop

SCENARIO 1

If you see a message displaying “Automatic repair couldn’t repair your PC” with no boot loop, you can follow these steps!

Method #1

You can use bootrec.exe to update and configure boot issues in Windows.

  1. Click troubleshoot
  2. >Advanced Options
  3. >Choose Command Prompt
  4. > In the Command Prompt – enter commands one-by-one
    • bootrec.exe/rebuildbcd
    • bootrec.exe/fixmbr
    • bootrec.exe/fixboot

Follow these commands:

Chkdsk/ r c: – checks the metadata of a drive and integrity of the files on a disk.

Running Chkdsk/r c: – if you have more partitions, then replace the drive letter in the previous syntax (refers to the rules and structure of a language or system & defines the correct way to write programs in that language) with the drive (letter) you want to perform chkdsk on.

Restart your PC to check if the problem is resolved. Move to the next fix, if not.

Method #2

Boot in Safe Mode to repair Windows 10 image – if your system has boot-related or performance issues then the SFC (System File Checker) tool can be used to scan, detect, and even replace the missing or corrupted files using the Windows 10 recovery image. If the replacement files in the recovery are damaged, then SFC won’t work. DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) tool can scan and repair the install.wim image. You can then run the SFC tool.

  1. Go to Troubleshoot
  2. >Advanced Options
  3. > Start-up Settings
  4. Click Restart button
  5. From the list of options displayed, go to ‘Enable Safe Mode with Networking’
  1. Once in Safe Mode – if you suspect a driver issue with your software, then
    download the updated driver from the manufacturer’s website and save it to an
    external drive for later use.
  2. Hold +X and select Command Prompt (admin) from the list.
  3. While in Command Prompt – enter the following command and press Enter
    • DISM/Online/Cleanup-image/RestoreHealth
  4. Be patient, this might take a while.
  5. After the process, restart PC
  6. Install the updated driver that you have downloaded

Method #3

Run the Windows Start-up Repair as a method of troubleshooting.

Go to and click Advanced Options

  1. Troubleshoot button
  2. > click Advanced Options
  3. >Startup Repair- let Windows 10 run the diagnostics for you
  4. > Once successfully diagnosed, check results and see if the problem continues.

Method #4

Check the hardware specification of your computer.

If the issue persists it could be a sign the loop issue is in relation to the hardware and not the software.

The RAM (Random Access Memory) of the computer may not be able to load the Windows on a hard drive, or the hard drive (SSD or HDD) may be struggling to handle the large volume of Windows Files.

Here are some ways you can fix it!

SCENARIO 2

Method #1

Disable (ELAM) early launch anti-malware. ELAM drivers are the first point of defence against malicious boot-start drivers and decide on initialisation. This could falsely classify any crucial boot start file as malicious, which can cause issues during the boot. To disable ELAM, follow these steps:

  1. In the boot menu, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings
  2. Choose Disable early launch anti-malware protection
  3. Restart PC to check if the problem is resolved

Method #2
Remove problematic files.

A problematic file could be causing the automatic repair boot loop issue.

To delete a problematic file, follow these steps:

  1. In the boot menu, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt
  2. Enter this command in the prompt
    • C:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\Srt
    SrtTrail.txt
  3. This will display the boot critical files
  4. Enter the following to delete
    • Cd c:\Windows\system32\drivers
    Del <Enter the name of the corrupt file with extension>
  5. 5. Restart the PC and check if problem is solved.

Method #3

Disable automatic start-up repair.

  1. In the boot menu, choose to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
  2. Now in command prompt run:
    • bcdedit /set {default} recoveryenabled No
  3. This will disable the startup repair.

Method #4

A corrupted Windows registry might be the reason behind the Automatic repair boot loop. To restore your registry, follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. In the boot menu, choose to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
  2. In the command prompt enter the following comment:
    • copy c:\windows\system32\config\RegBack*c:\windows\system32\config
  3. If asked to overwrite the files, then type All and press Enter.
  4. Exit the command prompt and restart your PC.

Method #5

Refresh or Reset Your PC.

If you are still facing issues, then resetting and refreshing the system may fix the issue. This will remove the installed applications, but Universal apps will be saved if you chose the refresh options. Reset option will delete the installed files, settings, and apps. It is advised to back up the important files before trying out this option.

Seek a Pisys technician for additional support.