FIX: Windows 10/11 Stuck on Restarting screen. (Solved)

Is your Windows 10 stuck on the restarting screen every time you restart your PC? If yes, continue reading below to troubleshoot the issue.

Microsoft releases updates for Windows 10 every now and then, but these updates can cause problems on the system or cannot be installed and the system is stuck on Restarting screen.

Other times, Windows 10 may get stuck on the restart screen after you install a new device or program that prevents Windows to restart your computer normally.

Whatever the reason is, in this tutorial you'll find several methods to prevent Windows 10 to get stuck on Restart screen.

How to FIX: Windows 10/11 gets stuck at Restarting screen.

Before you continue to the methods below, try the following and see if the problem persists:

1. If your computer is stuck on the "Restarting" screen, press and hold the Power Button on your PC for 5 – 10 seconds shut down your PC. Otherwise shut down your computer normally.

2. Remove the connected peripherals that not needed to operate your PC (e.g. USB disks or other USB devices).

3. Power On your PC and boot to Windows. If the problem occurred after installing a new program, go ahead and remove it.

4. Restart the computer and if Windows 10 doesn't hang on restart, continue working. Probably the problem was due to a Windows update or other background operation preventing the restart. If you can boot to Windows but the problem re-occurs when restarting your PC, ensure that your pc is clean from viruses and malware and continue to the methods below.

• Method 1. Force Windows to re-Download Updates.
• Method 2. Remove Unnecessary Startup Programs.
• Method 3. Disable Third Party Services.
• Method 4. Update Drivers.
• Method 5: Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter.
• Method 6. Disable Fast Startup.
• Method 7. Repair Windows System Files.
• Method 8. Clean Install Windows 10.

Method 1.  Force Windows to re-create the Windows Update Store folder.

The second method to fix the "Stuck on Restarting" issue on Windows 10, is to delete and recreate the "SoftwareDistribution" folder, because some times Windows stuck on restarting, because it tries to install a problematic update.*

* Info: The "C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution" folder, is the location where Windows stores the downloaded updates. Sometimes an update may not have been downloaded properly or may have been corrupted, so it is important to force Windows to download the update again from the beginning.

1. Press Windows   + R keys to open the Run dialog box.

2. Type cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an administrator Command Prompt.

3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit Enter to stop the Windows Update Service (if started):

• net stop wuauserv

4. Now, give the following commands in order:

• cd %systemroot%
• ren SoftwareDistribution SD.old
• net start wuauserv

5. Close Command Prompt window.
6. Go to Start   > Settings > Update & Security.
7. Click Check for updates.
8. Let Windows to download any available updates and install them.

Method 2. Remove Unnecessary Startup/Background Programs.

1. Press the CTRL + SHIFT + ESC keys to open the task manager.
2. At Task Manager window, select the Startup tab.
3. Now review all the startup applications and disable those that you do not want to run at startup/background. (e.g. skype, utorrent, etc.)

4. Shutdown your computer.
5. Power on your computer again and boot to Windows.
6. Restart your computer and see if the problem is solved. If yes, then open Task Manager again, enable one-by-one the disabled startup programs and restart until you find the culprit.

Method 3. Disable Third Party Services.

1. Press Windows   + R keys to load the Run dialog box.
2. Type msconfig and press Enter.

3. In System Configuration utility, select the Services tab and…

1. 1. Check Hide all Microsoft Services.
   2. Then click Disable all
   3. Press Apply and OK.

4. When prompted click Exit without restart.

5. Shut down your PC.
6. Power on your computer again and boot to Windows.
7. Restart your computer and see if the problem is solved. If yes, then open the System Configuration utility again and enable one-by-one the disabled services and restart your PC, until you find the culprit one.

Method 4. Update Essential Device Drivers.

1. Press Windows   + R keys to load the Run dialog box.
2. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the device manager.

3. In the Device Manager double click at Display Adapters.
4. Right-click on your display adapter and choose Update driver.

5. At next window, click the Search automatically for drivers option.

6. If Windows finds a newer driver, go ahead and install it. If not, go to the VGA's Support website and download and install the latest drivers. *

* Note: In some cases the problem is resolved after installing an older and more stable version of the VGA driver.

7. Navigate to your computer or motherboard manufacturer's support website and download the latest Chipset drivers.

Method 5: Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter.

Sometimes running the Performance Troubleshooter can fix various problems in Windows 10. To run the performance troubleshooting utility:

1. Navigate to Windows Control Panel.
2. Set the View by to: Small icons and then click Troubleshooting.

3. Click on View all.

4. Double click at System Maintenance.

5. Press Next and then follow the onscreen prompts to run the System Maintenance troubleshooter.

Method 6. Disable Fast Startup.

1. At the search box type control panel and press Enter.
2. Change the View By (at the up right) to Small icons and then click Power Options.

3. At the left pane, choose Choose what the power buttons do.

4. Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.

5. Scroll down and uncheck the Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click Save changes. *

* Note: If the "Turn on fast startup (recommended)" option is missing from this window, then you have to enable Hibernation on your computer.

6. Restart your PC.

Method 7. FIX Windows corruption errors with DISM & SFC tools.

1. Open command prompt as administrator. To do that:

1. 1. In the Search box type: cmd or command prompt.
   2. Right click on the command prompt (result) and select Run as Administrator.

2. At the command prompt window, type the following command & press Enter:

• Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth

3. Be patient until DISM repairs component store. When the operation is completed, (you should be informed that the component store corruption was repaired), give this command and press Enter:

• SFC /SCANNOW

4. When SFC scan is completed, restart your computer.
5. Try to update your system again.

Method 8. Perform a Clean Windows 10 installation.

Many times, it is better and less time consuming to backup your files and to RESET your PC or to perform a clean Windows 10 installation, than to try to resolve update problems in Windows 10.

That's it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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Konstantinos Tsoukalas

Konstantinos is the founder and administrator of Wintips.org. Since 1995 he works and provides IT support as a computer and network expert to individuals and large companies. He is specialized in solving problems related to Windows or other Microsoft products (Windows Server, Office, Microsoft 365, etc.).

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