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Resolving Restart or Shutdown Issues

Normally, you shut down or restart Windows 10 by clicking the Power button on the Start menu, and then clicking Restart or Shut Down as appropriate. Sometimes, however, Windows 10 won't resume, shut down, or restart normally, and you must try to resolve the problem.

Recovering from a Failed Resume

Windows 10 creates a snapshot of the current state of the computer whenever your computer enters sleep mode or hibernates. Windows Resume Loader handles sleep and hibernate operations. With sleep mode, this snapshot is created in memory and then read from memory by the resume loader when you wake the computer. With hibernate mode, this snapshot is written to disk and then read from disk by the resume loader when you wake the computer. These snapshots are what enable the Instant On and Fast Resume features.

Your computer may have a problem resuming for any of a variety of reasons that may include errors in the snapshot, physical errors in memory, and physical disk errors. Whatever the problem, Windows Resume Loader prompts you with a warning message similar to the following:

Windows Resume Loader
The last attempt to restart the system from its previous location failed. Attempt to restart again?

Continue with system restart
Delete restoration data and proceed to system boot.

Enter=choose

The resume prompt gives you two options. You can try to continue with system restart, or you can delete restoration data and proceed to system boot. If you select Continue With System Restart, Windows Resume Loader attempts to reload the system state again. If you select Delete Restoration Data And Proceed To System Boot, Windows Resume Loader deletes the saved state of the computer and restarts the computer. Although a full restart will typically resolve any problem, you'll lose any work that wasn't saved before the computer entered sleep or hibernate mode.

Forcing Your Computer to Shut Down

When there are unsaved files, locked processes, or both, your computer will not logoff and shut down immediately. Instead, you'll see a related prompt listing the files and processes that are causing the problem. With unsaved files, you'll usually want to save the open files and then exit the related program so that you can resume logging off and shutting down.

With locked processes, you can wait for Windows to resolve the problem, either by getting a response from the program that allows Windows to close the program or by waiting until the timeout period has elapsed and letting Windows stop the program, which allows you to continue through the log off and shut down processes automatically.

That's the way Windows should work, but sometimes things go wrong. You can perform a hard shutdown by pressing and holding the device's power button or by unplugging the device. If your device has a removable battery, such as when you are working with a laptop, you can remove the battery to force the device to completely power down.

If you force the computer to shut down, the computer may enter Automatic Recovery mode when next started. See "Working with Automatic Recovery Mode" for pointers on how to exit this mode and continue with normal startup. After you start your computer, you may want to run Check Disk, to check for errors and problems that might have been caused by the hard shutdown.

Repairing a Computer to Enable Startup

Windows 10 includes the Startup Repair tool to automatically detect corrupted system files during startup and guide you through automated or manual recovery. The Startup Repair tool attempts to determine the cause of the startup failure by using startup logs and error reports, and then attempts to fix the problem automatically. If the Startup Repair tool is unable to resolve the problem, it restores your computer to the last known working state and provides diagnostics information and support options for further troubleshooting.

Every Windows 10 computer has a Window Recovery Environment (Windows RE) partition by default. This partition is created automatically when the operating system is installed. As a result, if your computer fails to shut down properly, the Automatic Recovery screen is shown the next time you start the computer. You can use the Automatic Recovery process to run the Startup Repair tool by following these steps:

After your device loads the recovery environment, click Advanced Options.
At the Choose An Option prompt, click Troubleshoot. Next, at the Troubleshoot prompt, click Advanced Options.
At the Advanced Options, click the Startup Repair option.

The Startup Repair tool checks for problems preventing your computer from starting. If problems are found, the tool tries to repair them to enable startup. The automated troubleshooting and repair process can take several minutes. During the first phase of the repair, you can click Cancel to exit.

If Startup Repair is successful, your computer will start. If Startup Repair is unable to find and correct problems, you'll see a note about this and will be able to send more information about the problem to Microsoft to help find solutions in the future. After selecting the option to send or not send information, you return to the Startup Repair dialog box.

To access advanced repair options, click the related link and follow the prompts to continue troubleshooting. Otherwise, click Finish. You may want to disconnect any external devices that you've recently connected to your computer and then try to start your computer again. Otherwise, ask your network administrator or your computer manufacturer for help.

Corrupted system files aren't the only types of problems that can prevent proper startup of the operating system. Many other types of problems can occur, but most of these problems occur because something on the system has changed. Often you can resolve startup issues using Safe Mode to recover or troubleshoot system problems. When you are finished using Safe Mode, be sure to restart the computer using a normal startup. You will then be able to use the computer as you normally would. See "Performing an Advanced or Safe Mode Boot," later in this tutorial, for more information.

Working with Automatic Recovery Mode

Your computer can start in safe or automatic recovery mode for a variety of reasons. Generally, safe mode is used when you select this option as part of troubleshooting and automatic recovery mode is used when Windows has detected a problem during a previous failed start. For example, after a sudden power loss, your computer may boot into automatic recovery mode.

Automatic recovery has several stages. During the initial stage, your device display a "Preparing Automatic Recovery" message while entering the preboot environment. During the next stage, your device will display a "Diagnosing Computer" message while loading the recovery menus and performing preliminary checks.

Next, your computer will display the Automatic Repair window. Here, if you simply click Restart, the computer will exit Automatic Recovery mode and attempt a normal start of the operating system.

The window you see actually depends on how far Windows gets into the startup process. If the device boots but Windows fails to load, you'll see a Recovery window that states this. The Recovery window options are similar to those shown and perform the same actions. You can restart or continue to the Choose An Option window.

Generally, if you find yourself staring unexpectedly at the Automatic Repair window, you should always try a restart to see if the computer will start normally. If the restart fails, however, you'll then need to continue through the repair process by clicking Advanced Options.

The options at this point aren't really advanced. Instead, Windows is actually giving you two more chances to exit the repair and recovery process. If you click Continue, the computer will exit Automatic Recovery mode and attempt to continue loading the operating system. If you click Turn Off Your PC, the computer will exit Automatic Recovery mode and shutdown, allowing you to try to restart the computer normally later.

The only option that lets you continue into the repair and recovery process is Troubleshoot. When you click Troubleshoot, you access the Troubleshoot window. At this point, you've gone past your computer's sandboxed safety zone and entered dangerous territory.

Choose Reset This PC, and your computer will start the reset process which re-installs Windows and completely resets your device. All you need to do is follow the prompts. During the reset process, you'll be given the opportunity to specify whether to save files in your personal folders or remove them. All other data will be lost if it's stored on the same volume as the operating system. For example, if Windows is installed on the C drive, completing this process will destroy all other data on the C drive.

Choose Advanced Options to get to the actual Advanced Options window.

How you use these options depends on the problem you are experiencing. My recommendation is the following:

On your first repair attempt, select Startup Repair to force Windows to enter repair mode. In this mode, Windows will try to detect issues that are causing startup problems, such as a missing boot file. Windows will then attempt to an automatic repair. If the repair is successful, your computer will boot normally.
If automatic repair fails, you can next try to repair the issue yourself by using the Startup Settings option as discussed later in this tutorial in "Performing an Advanced or Safe Mode Boot" or by using the System Restore option.

For most people, the System Restore option may be the best choice. While you are working, your computer periodically creates restore points that save the system configuration. These restore points typically are created when you install programs or drivers but also when you make changes to the operating system that can affect the way the computer works. To try to use one of these restore points to restore your computer to a previous state, select System Restore and follow the prompts.

Performing an Advanced or Safe Mode Boot

Windows 10 needs access to specific system files to start properly. If the required files are missing or corrupt, your computer won't start and you'll need to use Startup Repair to try to resolve your computer's problem. Most of the time, repairing a damaged or missing file will fix such an issue; sometimes, you might need to continue troubleshooting to diagnose and resolve a deeper issue.

Usually, a computer fails to start because something has changed and your computer doesn't like the change. For example, you might have installed an update for a device driver that caused a system-wide conflict or failed partway through. Or a program you installed might have modified the system's configuration in such a way that prevents normal startup. Whatever the cause of the problem, if a Startup Repair doesn't fix things, you can try to resolve the problem using safe mode.

In safe mode, Windows 10 loads only basic files, services, and drivers, including those for the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video. The monitor driver sets the basic settings and modes for the computer's monitor, and the base video driver sets the basic options for the computer's graphics card.

Because safe mode loads a limited set of configuration information, it can help you troubleshoot problems. When you have finished using safe mode, be sure to restart the computer using a normal startup. You will then be able to use the computer as you normally would.

Several Safe Mode options are available. The option you use depends on the type of problem you're experiencing. The main options are:

Safe Mode:
Starts the computer with only basic files, services, and drivers during the initialization sequence. The drivers loaded include those for the mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, and base video. No networking services or drivers are started.
Safe Mode With Networking:
Starts the computer with basic files, services, and drivers, as well as services and drivers needed to start networking.
Safe Mode With Command Prompt:
Starts the computer with basic files, services, and drivers, and then starts a command prompt instead of the Windows 10 graphical interface. No networking services or drivers are started. Start the Explorer shell from the command-line interface by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, clicking File, clicking New Task (Run) to open the Create New Task dialog box, typing explorer.exe, and then clicking OK.
Enable Boot Logging:
Turns on boot logging to create a record of all startup events in the log files.
Enable Low Resolution Video:
Turns on low-resolution display mode, which is useful if the system display is set to a mode that can't be used with the current monitor.
Disable Automatic Restart On System Failure:
Prevents Windows from restarting after a crash. If you don't set this option, Windows will restart automatically after a crash.
Disable Driver Signature Enforcement:
Starts the computer in Safe Mode without enforcing digital signature policy settings for device drivers. This can temporarily resolve a startup problem related to a device driver with an invalid or missing digital signature. After your computer is started, you can resolve the problem permanently by getting a new driver or changing the driver signature enforcement settings.
Disable Early Launch Anti-Malware Protection:
Starts the computer in Safe Mode without starting anti-malware software that runs as part of the startup bootstrap. This can temporarily resolve a startup problem related to invalid updates or changes to your antimalware software. After your computer is started, you can resolve the problem permanently by updating, reinstalling or removing your anti-malware software.

You can use the System Configuration utility to start a computer in Safe Mode. If your computer enters automatic recovery, you can start in Safe Mode by following these steps:

After your device loads the recovery environment, click Advanced Options.
At the Choose An Option prompt, click Troubleshoot. Next, at the Troubleshoot prompt, click Advanced Options.
The Advanced Options window provides several troubleshooting options, including the option to start a system restore or open a command prompt window. To continue, click Startup Settings.
The Startup Settings window gives you one last chance to go back while also telling you what's going to happen when you click Restart. (Yes, all these windows are designed to prevent you from accidentally making changes you'll regret.)
Click Restart. Next, you'll have the startup options. Use either the number keys or the function keys to select the mode you want to use.

If a problem reappears when you start in Safe Mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes. Begin your troubleshooting by looking at newly added devices or updated drivers. Use Safe Mode to remove the devices, reverse the updates, or install different versions of driver software. Restart your computer to test your changes.

If you are still having a problem starting the system normally and suspect that problems with hardware, software, or settings are to blame, go back to Safe Mode and try using System Restore to undo previous changes.