Updated on May 11, 2024

Is your Windows 10 stuck on the loading screen, or is your Windows 7 stuck on the "Starting Windows" boot screen? It's a very common issue these days. This post provides you with several effective solutions to successfully address a computer stuck on the boot screen issue on Windows 10/8.1/8/7.

Here's the translation of the provided table into English:
Workable Solutions Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Fix 1. Remove USB Devices Windows 10 getting stuck on the Windows logo with spinning dots may occur due to faulty USB storage...Complete steps
Fix 2. Start Windows in Safe Mode Select "Advanced options" > "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart"...Complete steps
Fix 3. Check & Repair File System Use a partition manager tool to easily fix the file system or hard disk errors. Or you can manually...Complete steps
Fix 4. Perform System Repair If there's an issue with the Windows system causing Windows 7 to get stuck at startup...Complete steps
Fix 5. Perform System Restore Turn on Windows and press F8/Shift, then click 'Repair Your Computer'. When in Windows repair mode...Complete steps
Fix 6. More Helpful Solutions You can also resolve the Windows 10 loading screen issue by Checking System RAM...Complete steps

Does your computer get stuck on the starting Windows screen when you try to turn it on? Without any apparent reason, does Windows 10, 8, or 7 freeze at the startup logo, sometimes lasting for minutes or even hours? Some users suggest that forcefully shutting down the computer might resolve the issue, and upon restarting, everything would function normally. However, this is not a sustainable solution, nor is it an ideal method to safeguard your computer, data, or system security. Don't worry; we will provide comprehensive solutions here to fix the Windows 10/8/7 getting stuck on the startup/boot/loading screen issue.

Important: All the fixes mentioned below also apply to the Windows 11 stuck on boot screen issue.

Windows stuck in loading screen

Now you can follow any one of these provided methods to fix the Windows stuck on loading screen issue with ease. And you must be cautious while attempting to apply these solutions.

See Also: Windows 10 Stuck on Welcome Screen, Computer Won't Turn On? Causes and Fixes

Method 1: Unplug USB Storage Devices & Reboot PC

The Windows 10 stuck on the Windows logo with spinning dots issue might occur due to a faulty USB storage device. In this scenario, try disconnecting all USB-connected devices from your computer, including Bluetooth devices, SD card readers, flash drives, wireless mouse receivers, and more.

Once you've unplugged the USB cables and devices, remember to restart your PC. It should be able to start up normally.

Image of unplugging USB from PC

This method gets a lot of positive feedback online, and if you're lucky, it will solve the problem. If this method doesn't fix the "Windows 10 or Windows 7 stuck on Starting Windows" issue, proceed to try the next solution.

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Method 2: Start Windows 10/8/7 in Safe Mode

In certain instances, the "Windows stuck on loading screen" issue may be attributed to Windows updates or other issues. In such cases, you can enter Safe Mode, refrain from performing any actions, and then restart your computer to facilitate normal startup. Safe Mode boots with a minimal set of drivers, software, and services. When the computer is stuck on the boot screen and Windows fails to start normally, Safe Mode typically boots without any issues. This allows you to troubleshoot the problem effectively.

How to Enter Safe Mode When Your Computer Won't Boot Normally? If the Windows 10 gets stuck on the loading screen, to access Safe Mode, you should boot your computer from a bootable disk or forcefully shut down your computer multiple times until you see the "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen.

Then select “Advanced options” > “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced options” > “Startup Settings” > “Restart”. After your computer restarts, press 4 or F4 on the keyboard to start your PC in Safe Mode.

Restart Windows 10/8/7 in Safe Mode

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Method 3: Check and Fix File System

You can either opt to manually check and fix file system and hard drive errors with partition manager software, or tackle the issue manually. The former is recommended. Why? A partition manager can assist in booting your PC from a bootable disk and copying partitions with data to another external storage device, thereby preventing data loss errors.

"Check and Fix the File System with Partition Manager"

Here we recommend you try Professional Partition Manager Tool, which would help you do quite a lot of complex partition management jobs and fix system hard disk error with ease.

    Translate the following text into English: -
  • Create a WinPE bootable disk on another healthy computer that has the same operating system as your current PC.
  • - Connect the bootable USB drive or SD card to the computer and set it to boot from the disk. - Choose to enter the Partition Master tool. Here, you can directly perform a disk or partition copy operation to copy partition data onto a new storage device; (Make sure to connect a new drive or storage device to the PC beforehand.) - Lastly, use Partition Master to check and fix any hard drive errors.

Later, you can reboot Windows and continue using your computer (If some data got lost, don't worry – you can restore them from the copied partition).

Manually Check Disk and Fix Hard Drive Error

    1. Turn on your Windows computer and press F8 or Shift+F8 to enter Safe Mode. Then, select "Repair Your Computer." 2. If prompted to choose a keyboard layout, click "OK." If asked to select an account, choose your account and click "OK." If there is a password, enter it. 3. When you see the System Recovery Options, click on "Command Prompt." In the command prompt, type **chkdsk e: /f /r /x** and press Enter. (Replace 'E:' with any other applicable drive letter.) 4. This command will scan the hard disk drive for errors and attempt to fix them.

Check disk and fix hard drive error that stuck your computer

Then, you can restart your computer to continue using Windows 10/8/7 without any issues.

?‍?Read Also: Fix Windows 10 Boot Loop

Method 4: Repair the System with the System Repair Disk

When there is something wrong with the Windows system, you may encounter the Windows 10 or Windows 7 getting stuck on the "Starting Windows" screen issue. To resolve this, you can use the system installation disc to initiate repair. Since you can't boot Windows 10 normally, you will need to use a Windows 10 installation CD or access Safe Mode to open the Command Prompt and type "bootrec.exe /fix" to perform a system repair.

Extended Reading: If you've recently upgraded your computer to the latest version of Windows 10 or Windows 11, but it's still stuck on the loading screen, it might be due to a faulty Windows update. In that case, you can skip straight to Method 9 or Method 10 for assistance.

Or if you're experiencing other new issues on Windows 11, as listed here, click the links below to get fixes for those issues.

Method 5: Restore the system to its previous state

This method requires you to have system backups on your PC prior to the disaster. If you do have a full system backup on your PC, you can follow these steps to attempt restoration:

    1. Turn on your computer and press F8 + Shift simultaneously, then select "Repair Your Computer" from the menu. 2. When the Windows repair mode is ready, if prompted to choose a keyboard layout, click "OK". If asked to select an account, choose yours and click "OK" again, entering a password if one is required. 3. Under "System Recovery Options," select "System Restore." This will show you all available Windows restore points.

Restore system when Windowns stuartup stuck.

    1. Select the appropriate restore point that was created when your computer was functioning normally. If you don't see all available restore points, check the box "Show more restore points." 2. Click "Next." After that, simply wait patiently for the process to restore all your Windows settings to the state they were in at the selected restore point.

Method 6: Check System RAM & Replace CMOS Battery

If it's caused by faulty memory in the computer or an issue with the memory slot on the computer's motherboard, you can try the following steps to fix it:

Check System RAM: Translation: Inspect the System Random Access Memory:

  • Attempt to change or reinstall the computer, then restart the system in Safe Mode: press F8/Shift during startup.
  • Select Safe Mode and press Enter.
  • Press Win + R or run MSConfig and click OK.
  • Under Selective Startup, choose the Clean Boot option.
  • Click Apply and then restart Windows in Normal mode.

Reinstall the CMOS Battery:

  • Press and hold the power button to shut down the computer.
  • Unplug the power supply cables and open the computer case.
  • Find and remove the CMOS battery.
  • Wait for 5 minutes, then reinsert the CMOS battery.
  • After that, restart the PC.

CMOS battery

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Method 7. Scan for Viruses in Safe Mode

A virus or some other type of malware might have caused a severe issue, resulting in the Windows PC not booting and preventing it from starting correctly. Since most viruses and malware do not load in Safe Mode, if you encounter the "Windows stuck on loading screen" issue when attempting to start your computer, you can attempt to scan your computer for viruses in Safe Mode.

  • Boot Windows into Safe Mode as described in Method 2.
  • Delete temporary files.
  • Download virus/malware scanners.
  • Run them to scan and remove all viruses/malware from Windows.
  • Reboot the PC to start Windows normally.

Method 8: Check for Recently Installed or Updated Drivers

If antivirus solutions don't resolve the issue, you can also attempt to boot your system in Safe Mode, check for recently installed or updated drivers, uninstall or reinstall them, and observe if that provides assistance.

Method 9: Reinstall/Clean Install Windows 10/8/7

If none of the above methods can solve the "Windows 10 stuck on windows logo" issue, you should try to do a clean installation of Windows 10. This method is simple but may cause you to lose some files and data. Don't worry; you can use the "Clone Disk" feature in the Partition Wizard Bootable Edition to back up all data on your computer, format your computer's hard drive, and then reinstall Windows 10 to fix the loading screen issue.

All you need to do is download the ISO image file of the current Windows system and then perform a clean installation of Windows 10, 8, or 7. This will resolve issues with Windows getting stuck on the loading screen, boot, or startup errors.

Reinstall/clean install Windows 10.

Method 10: Roll Back to a Previous Version of Windows

If you've already resolved the "PC stuck on boot screen" issue with the above method, but you believe the current version of Windows is problematic and unstable, you can opt to roll back to a previous version of Windows.

However, you should first check if you can still roll back. The rollback period is initially set to 30 days, but with the release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, Microsoft shortened it to 10 days. Within this period, you can revert to an earlier version in WinRE by following the steps below.

    Here are the translations for the provided languages in English: 1. Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool and create a Windows 10 installation media. 2. Boot or start your computer from the Windows 10 installation media. 3. On the Install Windows page, click "Repair your computer" to initiate the Windows Recovery Environment. 4. In the Windows Recovery Environment, on the Choose an option screen, click "Troubleshoot". 5. Click "Advanced Options" and then select "Go back to the previous build".

Here's the translation for the text and image you provided: Text: "Fix PC stuck on boot screen by rolling back" Image Alt Text: "Fix PC stuck on boot screen by rolling back to previous build" Image Source: "/images/en/screenshot/partition-manager/go-back-to-previous-build.png" Width: 700px Height: 380px

Does the above fix work for you? If so, share it to help others with the same issue.

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Final Verdict

When encountering the issue "Windows 10 stuck on loading screen" or "Windows 7 stuck on starting Windows," do not worry. You can attempt the ten effective solutions outlined in this post to resolve the problem. Furthermore, for additional assistance, feel free to reach out to our professional technical support team via email or live chat.

Do You Require Specialized Services for System Boot Problems?
We also offer personalized remote assistance to resolve boot issues. If the solution above doesn't solve your problem, please reach out to our professionals through Email or LiveChat on this page. For efficient support, it's recommended to connect the unbootable system drive to a functioning computer before connecting with us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Windows Getting Stuck on the Loading Screen

**1. How do I fix Windows 10 stuck on the loading screen?**

To fix the Windows 10 stuck on loading screen issue, you can do so in Safe Mode. To enter Safe Mode when the PC is stuck on the boot screen, you should boot your computer from a bootable disk, or shut down your computer abnormally one or more times until your computer boots with the "Automatic Repair" screen. Then, select "Advanced options" > "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart". After your computer restarts, press 4 or F4 on the keyboard to start your PC in Safe Mode.

This can happen after a driver update, some graphics issue, and sometimes even after a major Windows 10 Update or other problems. At this point, you can enter Safe Mode, do nothing, and then reboot your PC.

**3. How do you fix a frozen screen on a loading laptop?**

If your Laptop is stuck on the loading screen (with spinning circles but no logo), follow the steps below to resolve the issue.

Turn off your laptop > Boot into System Recovery (press F11 repeatedly as soon as you press the power button) > Then, select "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "System Restore". Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

4. How do I fix Windows 7 stuck on the loading screen?

To resolve the issue of Windows 7 getting stuck on the "Starting Windows" screen, attempt to either change your computer's memory or reinstall the memory. Next, restart your computer in Safe Mode. While in Safe Mode, press the Windows key + R to open the MSCONFIG utility and click OK. Here, choose the Clean Boot option by deselecting all the options under Selective Startup. Finally, click "Apply" and restart Windows 7 in normal mode.