Windows 8 In Depth

Automatically Repairing Your PC

If Windows 8 won’t start normally, your first troubleshooting step is almost always to start the system in Safe mode. When you make it to Windows 8, you can investigate the problem and make the necessary changes (such as disabling or rolling back a device driver). But what if your system won’t even start in Safe mode?

Your next step should be the RE’s Automatic Repair option, which attempts various repair strategies that are often useful for getting a PC back on its feet. Here’s how to use it:

1. Boot to the RE, as described earlier (see “Accessing the Recovery Environment”).

2. Click Advanced Options. The Advanced Options screen appears.

3. Click Automatic Repair. Windows 8 reboots and Automatic Repair prompts ...