Startup & recovery troubleshooting
Boot failures, restart loops, WinRE, Startup Repair and recovery pathways.
Start here
When Windows cannot reach a usable desktop, prefer Windows Recovery Environment and the recovery tool that matches the trigger.
Escalation boundary
If firmware cannot see the system drive or hardware diagnostics fail, leave the software-only path.
Startup & recovery
Windows 11 won’t start: when to use Startup Repair
Use Windows Recovery Environment and Startup Repair for genuine startup failures, not ordinary app crashes.
Startup & recovery
Windows 11 stuck in a restart loop: use recovery options in the least disruptive order
Move from Windows Recovery Environment and startup checks toward restore or reinstall only when the loop persists.
Scoped errors