Windows keeps giving me a preparing windows message during every boot up

Question

Windows keeps giving me a message during boot up like "preparing windows" and other things that flash to fast to read. I was successfully logged into my account but I'm still worried why it happens with each boot. I have ran sfc/scannow and restarted the laptop so I'm lost right now. Edit: I also just found windows corrupted files with sfc. I did fix it but that just shows that something is going on.

Answer 1

Hi Seraj,

I'm Cherrelyn, I'm here to help and I completely understand why this feels concerning. The "Preparing Windows" message on every boot often indicates Windows is having trouble properly loading your user profile. Have tried to create a new local user account and see if it boots normally. Then check the Event Viewer under Windows Logs > System for errors during boot. And run DISM/Online/Cleanup- Image/RestoreHealth in Command Prompt as admin to rule out deeper image issues.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to guide you for further assistance.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 2

Hi Seraj,

Thanks for the update and it really helps. You’ll need to download the exact Windows ISO that matches your version, mount it, then run this command as admin and adjust D: if needed:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:D:\sources\install.wim /LimitAccess

If .wim doesn’t exist, try install.esd instead.

As for the profile issue, let’s try creating a new local admin account. Just run:

net user TestUser NewPass123 /add

net localgroup administrators TestUser /add

Then log in with that. If it boots fine, we’ll know your old profile is corrupted.

Let me know how it goes, I'm here to guide you for further assistance.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 3

Hi Seraj,

Thanks for the update and yes, I agree, there’s definitely some deeper corruption at play if SFC and DISM keep finding issues after every restart. And yes, it’s safe to shut down your laptop, but ideally after running SFC/DISM to avoid worsening the corruption. Since even the new local account shows “Preparing Windows,” this points to system-level corruption, not just a profile issue. At this stage, a repair install using an in-place upgrade might be the cleanest path forward. It keeps your files and apps but replaces all system files.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 4

Hi Seraj,

Thanks for the update and yes, that is a bit strange, but it’s a good sign that SFC came back clean this time. It’s possible one of those updates actually resolved the corruption, or it temporarily masked it. Either way, it's smart to move forward with a repair install just to be sure everything’s solid.

Here’s how to do a repair install in-place upgrade no USB needed:

1. Download the official Windows 11 ISO using the Media Creation Tool or from Microsoft's website.
2. Right-click the ISO file and select Mount.
3. In the mounted drive, run setup.exe.
4. Choose **"**Keep personal files and apps" when prompted.
5. Let the setup complete and your system will reboot a few times.

This process refreshes Windows system files without wiping your apps or data. Just make sure you're connected to power and don’t interrupt the install.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn

Answer 5

Hi Seraj,

Yes, the second screenshot Windows 11 Installation Assistant is the easier option if you're just upgrading your current Windows version. But for a full repair install, the first screenshot Windows 11 ISO for x64 devices is what you’ll want.

Download the ISO, mount it, and run setup.exe, then select “Keep personal files and apps”. This will refresh your system files more thoroughly.

Warm regards,

Cherrelyn