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Win 11 stuck & Forced Restart won't stop spinning

Anonymous
2025-02-24T02:51:10+00:00

I noticed my Word files were not behaving so I closed everything down and tried to restart.

However, the computer is stuck in a loop with "Restarting" and the spinning circle.

I tired a Forced Restart by holding down the Power button for over a minute, but it kept spinning.

I tried various key combinations discussed here for similar issues including: 1) control alt delete, 2) Window key + R and 3) control shift.

Nothing works.

I have seen the other posts about Win 11 being stuck in restart mode and the final solution always seems to be a Forced Restart. I am more than willing to do this but it keeps spinning.

I thought I could just leave the computer on over night unplugged and let the battery drain, but I set the computer to go to sleep after 15 minutes.

Am I going to have to remove the battery? I don't have the tools. If there is another solution, please weigh in.

Thank you.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Gunasekar N 65,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-02-24T03:52:32+00:00

    Hi,

    It seems that your PC is not shutting down properly, as the hard disk does not completely turning off. This may be caused by power settings, Fast Startup, or even a BIOS-related issue.

    1. Disconnect all external peripherals from your device, including the keyboard, mouse, printers, external hard drives, etc.
    2. Press and hold the power button on your device for 30 seconds until it completely shuts off.
    3. Wait a few minutes, then turn your computer back on.

    If that doesn't resolve the issue, we can try an alternate option: draining the battery completely.

    1. Disconnect the AC adapter.
    2. Ensure that the device's screen remains on at the restart screen. If the screen turns off, place a coin on the touchpad to check if it wakes up before entering sleep mode.

    Please let me know how it goes.

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  1. Anonymous
    2025-02-24T03:17:09+00:00

    As I mentioned in my first post, a FORCED SHUTDOWN does not work.

    I have kept the power button pressed for over two minutes.

    It just keeps spinning.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2025-02-24T03:42:10+00:00

    Thank you to you both for attempting to help. However, all of your advice assumes that I can somehow start my device.

    I am not sure how to make myself clearer.

    It is as if the computer is in permanent RESTARTING MODE.

    Therefore, I cannot follow your advice to "Start" the computer. I would if I could.

    The computer is unresponsive and just seems to be forever being in RESTARTING mode without actually restarting.

    Thank you

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  3. Gunasekar N 65,640 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-02-24T03:29:15+00:00

    Hello,

    Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community and I'll be glad to assist you today.

    I understand that your Windows 11 computer is stuck in a restart loop with the spinning circle, and even a forced restart by holding the power button isn't working.

    If forced shutdown did not resolve your issue, make sure you can boot your PC in the Windows Recovery environment by following the steps below.

    1. Start your device and wait for the Windows logo (or the manufacturer's logo) to appear.
    2. As soon as the Windows logo appears, press and hold the power button until the device shuts down.
    3. Turn your device on again and repeat step 2.
    4. Turn your device on a third time. Windows should display the Automatic Repair screen.
    5. Select Advanced options.

    You can try recovery options like Startup repair, System restore or boot your safe mode to resolve the issue.

    If this method does not work and the device keeps spinning, it is recommended to create a USB Windows 11 Bootable installation media from a Working computer and use the drive to Repair your Older operating system

    Create a Windows 11 Bootable Installation media using the Media Creation tool (MCT)-

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-downlo...

    • Plug in the USB Bootable Installation media on the problematic PC and boot from it.

    • Select Repair your computer option instead of Install Windows.

    • Your device will boot into the recovery screen and you can try the recovery options listed there.

    For reference, you can check the Windows 11 clean installation article for reference on how to create a USB bootable installation media and boot your USB drive.

    https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsinsider/...

    I hope this information helps. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will be happy to help you further.

    Best regards,

    Gunasekar N

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  4. Anonymous
    2025-02-24T02:54:34+00:00

    I should have mentioned that my laptop is a Yoga 9i (14", 7).

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