In some situations, you may run into an issue where your PC may be unable to boot directly into Windows due to issues with a bad driver update, failed Windows update, or a corrupted program attempting to start with the PC. Thankfully Windows includes a number of tools which can be used to restore your PC through the Windows Recovery Environment also known as WinRE.
How do I open the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRe)?
To open the Windows Recovery Environment, there are two primary methods:
Method 1 - Open WinRe from the Motherboard Splash
When starting your PC, you'll be presented with a Motherboard splash screen as shown above. This screen will usually show the name of your motherboard, as well as instructions to enter various options such as the Boot Menu, BIOS Setup, etc. On this screen, rapidly press the F8 key until you see a white circle indicating that Windows has begun loading. If done correctly, Windows will load immediately into WinRE instead of the operating system.
If the timing is missed, Windows will continue to load normally. If this happens, please try Method 2.
Method 2 - Open WinRe using the Interrupt Method
Before starting this method, make sure your PC is completely shutdown and identify the Power Supply On/Off switch on the rear of your PC. A power switch will be necessary for this method to properly interrupt the system. Please do not attempt this using the power button on top of the PC, as it may not be fast enough to properly interrupt the boot process.
When starting your PC, you'll be presented with a Motherboard splash screen, followed by the Windows boot screen. On most PCs, this will be represented either by the same splash screen with a white loading circle or a screen with the Microsoft Windows logo and a white loading circle.
Once the loading circle appears, turn off the PC using the power switch located on the rear of the PC to interrupt the startup. Repeat this process an additional 2 times and on the 4th boot allow the PC to boot normally. If done successfully, you'll receive a message stating that Windows is Preparing Automatic Repair. Once completed, you'll be brought to a blue Automatic Repair screen with options to either Restart or Shutdown your PC as well as an Advanced options button. Please select Advanced options to open WinRE.
What can I do in the Recovery Environment?
Once you are in the Windows Recovery Environment, there are a number of tools that can be used to help troubleshoot your PC. A few examples can be found below:
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