“Your PC did not start correctly” – Fix the error in Windows

If Windows 10 or Windows 11 shows us this error when starting, it must be accompanied by two options, either Restart or access Advanced Options. It may be that restarting the computer solves the problem, but if not, we will have to opt for other types of solutions.

Why does Windows not boot properly?

Despite the alarming situation when we find that Windows is not able to start on the first try, the burden can begin to enter us when we see this happen repeatedly. I always get the same error Your PC did not start correctly, which indicates that there is a problem with startup configuration files that prevent normal use of Windows.

The reasons why this happens can be varied, so it is difficult to be able to detect them with certainty at first. The problem may be related to:

• File system corruption
• a power outage
• A recent hardware upgrade
• Presence of faulty software
• virus infection

Since there is no exact cause that tells us what the exact error has been that causes Windows to not start, it is difficult to know what specific solution we must apply to end it. That is why, if restarting the computer has not helped, it will be necessary to carry out another series of actions from the Advanced Options section that appears on the same screen as the error.

Steps to fix Your PC did not start properly

Next, we are going to see different actions that we can carry out in order to solve the error Your PC did not start correctly, being able to be valid all the options for both Windows 10 and Windows 11

Boot into safe mode

This mode allows us to start a session by limiting the elements that we want to start when we turn on the PC, so we will start only the essentials so that the operating system can start, allowing us to solve any problem with our computer. It is ideal to be able to transfer data to a USB drive, as well as correct this error.

To access, from the error screen we must click on Advanced options . In the new menu that appears, click Troubleshoot , then Advanced Options, and finally Startup Settings . Finally, we click on Restart.

Once this is done, the PC will restart and a list of options will appear, so we will press 4 to enable safe mode. If everything goes well, we restart the PC again to check if the error has already disappeared.

Use the startup repair tool

Windows has its own built-in utility that can be used in case something goes wrong with the operating system, it might automatically repair itself at startup. This reduces the probability that, due to a failure, it will be necessary to format and install Windows again from scratch.

In order to activate it, we must click on the Advanced Options section from the Your PC did not start correctly screen. Then click on Troubleshoot , followed by Advanced Options and finally Startup Repair .

Once this is done, the system will restart and we must log in with our user account. We let the process complete and restart Windows to check if it has been fixed.

Run System File Checker

In the event that our computer has difficulties loading Windows, this may be due to problems with some system files that may be corrupt, damaged or missing. If this is the case, we can use the System File Checker, both to be able to repair it and to re-download the damaged or missing files.

To do this, from the Your PC did not start correctly error screen, click Advanced Options and then select Command Prompt .

Here, we will type the following command and press Enter:

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

This will run the DISM (Deployment Image & Servicing Management) tool to repair corrupted files that are preventing the system from working properly. This will take care of scanning and downloading the necessary system files so that the PC restarts correctly.

Next, we press this other command and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

This command will take care of scanning the PC for lost or damaged files in order to replace it with the stable copy downloaded by DISM.

Once finished, we restart the computer, typing the following command and pressing Enter.

shutdown /r

Repair boot configuration data

Boot Configuration Data (BCD) is a set of data used by Microsoft to boot our computer with either Windows 10 or Windows 11. Our PC may not load Windows if the files that make up the BCD are damaged or missing. In this case we must rebuild the BCD of our computer.

To do this, click on Advanced Options on the error screen. Then we click on Command Prompt .

Here we write the following command and press Enter:

bootrec /fixmbr

If everything goes well we will see the message The operation has been completed successfully.

Now we write the following commands and execute them individually:

bootrec /fixboot bootrec /rebuildbcd

Through them the Windows installation will be scanned and any problems found will be solved.

If the command identifies any Windows installations, type Y or A and press Enter to add the installation to our boot list.

Finally, we restart the PC from the Command Prompt with this command:

shutdown /r

Do a system restore

Any installation of a program can produce errors that interfere with files and system startup settings, so if the error occurred after installing a driver or application, we can choose to go back to a previous restore point of the system. system where everything worked properly.

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 perform a restore once a week, or before we make critical changes to the system, such as installing drivers or updating the system. To be able to do a system restore we must follow the following steps.

From the error screen, click Advanced Options , then System Restore and click Next to continue. We select the account to restore and enter the password. Finally, we select the most recent restore point and click Next. We confirm the selection and click Finish to start the system restore.

After the restore, Windows will keep our stored files, but will remove apps, drivers, and updates installed after the restore point was created.