Hard drives are prone to errors due to various reasons such as bad sectors, corruption or virus attacks. If Windows detects such issues, it will automatically try to fix them upon boot.
However, if the problem is severe or if Windows is unable to fix the issue, it may get stuck at processing screen for a long time. You may be displayed an error ‘Repairing disk errors. This might take over an hour to complete’.
This error may keep you from booting into your system normally. No matter how many times you restart, you will be displayed the same message and it may seem like it’s a never-ending process.
This article covers some solutions to resolve the error and help you boot Windows 10 normally.
Solution 1: Automatic Repair using Installation media
You will need a Windows 10 installation media to perform this troubleshooting step. Once you have it ready, follow the steps below.
- Boot using the installation disk and note down the key to be used to start boot menu. It is usually F12.
- Restart the computer and keep pressing F12 (or a key according to your system) to start boot menu and change the boot to installation CD/DVD.
- When you boot your computer again, follow the on-screen instructions to enter the main screen
- Select Repair your computer > Troubleshooting
- Click on Advanced Options > Automatic Repair
This will repair any issues and your system should be up and running again. However, if it doesn’t resolve, you can try using System Restore, which is explained in detail in the next solution.
Solution 2: System Restore
System Restore is used to undo the last change you made to the system. Since you are unable to boot into your system, you will need an installation media in this case as well. To move your PC back in time, please follow the steps below.
- Use the installation disk to boot and note the key to enter boot menu which is usually F12.
- Restart your system and press F12 till you enter boot menu. Then change to boot from installation CD/DVD
- Once you are on the main screen, choose to Repair your computer
- Then select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options
- From the advanced options menu, select System Restore
Then, you will choose from a list of restore points depending on your situation. This will undo any changes made to your system after the selected point. Doing this should help resolve the issue for you.
If these methods don’t help you resolve the issue, the problem could be more serious. It is recommended that you recover data as soon as possible. Since the drive is inaccessible and you are unable to boot into your system, you may not be able to recover data the usual way.
Data recovery tools are needed in this case. Hi5 Software provides one of the best tools to recover data and partitions from your drives. The tool can also be used with other storage devices such as external hard drives, USB’s as well.
At times there may be problems with storage devices; they may not be recognized or become inaccessible. In that case, refer Windows 10 is not recognizing external hard drive for more details.
