Error: ‘There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.’ on Windows 10
The problem started when I fired up the PC @ 08:00 Wednesday, 13th July on my HP Pavilion Desktop with 32-bit OS, a6000 model, 3GB ram, x64-based Intel processor and running Windows 10. The Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7 was difficult, had to clean re-install it thus losing everything.
The start process was hanging at about the point where the BIOS briefly shows itself. No problem, I thought, as I carry out a backup every Monday using Microsoft’s Windows 7 Backup and Restore so would be only 2 days behind. Started the Recovery from Monday’s system image which appeared to be going well until the very end when it failed with error 0x80070057. Retried it with the previous week’s image that also failed (0x800703ED) and worrying message — Volume does not contain a recognised file system.
The only other remedy that would work was to reset the PC. Whilst I have always kept copies of my personal files on an external hard drive, the main problem with 10’s upgrade was loosing 3rd party programs and all the PC’s settings so I need to avoid that route this time. Using the standard System Restore route would get me back to 4th July but that was when I discovered the C:\ drive was locked and there were no longer ANY restore points in the system anyway.
I then spent the rest of yesterday perusing the forum’s vast information base and came across a possible solution in the answer to a question of 28th May 2016.
«The drive where Windows is installed is locked. Unlock the drive and try again» error message on resetting the PC running Windows 10.
Use of the Command window to carry out the proposed answer was successful in restoring the Restore Points for System Restore and System Restore duly restored them. But the PC still does not fire up although there is a change to the behaviour. It now constantly tries an automatic repair whilst telling me that it will solve a problem it has come across and restart. Can’t restart but keeps trying!
Using the Command window and a reference to the address of the logfile where more info was stored I was able to use the sfc utility I had picked up from the above answer as follows:
‘There is a system repair pending which requires reboot to complete. Restart Windows and run sfc again.’
But I can’t do that until I find a way to repair Windows and yet this pending reboot is presumably what is causing the C:\ drive to be locked and thus preventing Windows from firing up. Stalemate!! (Although it could be something else entirely.) My only recourse was to Shut the PC down, either manually or using the facility in Recovery, and then to fire it up again. It was the only way to try to emulate restart by the longer but only available process but if I left the Installation USB drive in, it obviously just fired up again in recovery and if I took it out the PC reverted to the C:\ drive that hadn’t yet been corrected.
Incidentally, I have used the BIOS smart test on the internal hard drive and it passed with flying colours so at least that is something.
So are there any magic words that you can give me to pass via the Command Window that will either delete the system repair, reboot it and/or put the hard drive back to its former best?
Original title: Cannot start Windows because there is a system repair pending that will NOT reboot to complete.
Replies (11)
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I realize the inconvenience you are facing with booting the operating system. Now that you have me with you let me take care of this.
As you are unable to boot the operating system, this issue might have occurred when the boot files are missing or corrupted.
I understand that you have already tried to perform Startup repair on your device and couldn’t resolve the issue.
Method 1: I suggest you re-built the boot record by following the below commands and check if it helps.
Use the Windows 10 Media creation tool created to boot into Windows Recovery Environment, and try to rebuild BCD.
- Boot into Windows Recovery Environment using the Windows 10 DVD.
- Click on Repair your computer.
- Click on Troubleshoot and in the Advanced options.
- Select Command Prompt. Type the following commands into the prompt and press Enter key after each command.
- In the Command Prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
bootrec /fixmbr
bootrec /fixboot
bootrec /scanos
bootrec /rebuildbcd
5. Restart the computer.
Method 2: Also, I suggest you to Run check disk (chkdsk) for the issues with error: The volume does not contain a recognized file system
Follow the below steps:
chkdsk / f
chkdsk /r
2. You may be asked whether to schedule this volume to be checked next time when you restarts (Y/N).
3. Press Y key on the keyboard and press Enter key.
4. Restart the computer and check.
Chkdsk disclaimer: The Chkdsk (Check Disc) scan will try to identify and repair bad sectors found on the hard drive. Any data present on these sectors might be lost in the process. The computer can also go into a no boot state. Proceed at your own risk.
Hope it helps. Get back to us with an updated status of rebuilding the BCD and booting into operating system for further assistance.
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If you have any other suggestions I shall gladly try them out.
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We appreciate your interest and effort in resolving the issue.
As the total identified installation of the operating system shows: 0, I suggest you to follow the suggestions by 1stone replied on May 12, 2014 and Vijay B replied on January 13, 2014.
(Applies to Windows 10 as well)
Hope it helps. Try the above and update us the status of BSOD errors on your device for further assistance.
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Having no real experience of MS-DOS other than a book entitled MS-D0S MADE SIMPLE that I bought when it was published in 1994, I approached your first item with trepidation and so was immensely relieved to see the second item was in the form I am becoming used to in solving the present problem.
I double-checked each command before pressing ENTER and everything proceeded successfully. We now have bootrec / scanos reporting Window Installations of 1.
Unfortunately, after removing the installation media and altering the boot sequence to use the internal hard drive to make use of the newly found Windows Installation before I fired up the PC, the result was unchanged.
It still finds a fault and goes into Automatic Repair mode immediately and tells me it will restart for me but it cannot. Using ‘sfc /scanfile=c:\windows\system32\logfiles\srt\srttrail.txt’ again still reports a pending system repair has not rebooted and so the C:\ is still locked.
Whilst the overall result is disappointing, I draw comfort from the fact that progress is being made in that the Windows count is now being correctly reported as 1 which is surely better for making further progress than before when it showed as 0.
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Would I be correct in thinking that, despite our combined efforts, there appears to be no solution to the problem of removing the pending system repair other than a clean re-install of the Windows 10 OS or to Reset the PC via the Recovery system. Are there any differences between these two methods?
Both will clearly result in the loss of my programs and settings but keep my personal files but at least the PC will return to life.
I have my doubts that Reset via the Recovery procedure will be able to work because of the C:\ drive being locked but perhaps you will advise me whether this would be the case.
I would also appreciate your confirmation that we have now reached the end of the road other than by taking either of the above alternatives.
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If MS does not come up with an answer, there is one possible option. You could do a fresh install of Windows 10 (wipe the hard drive) and then once installed, you can see if you can restore your existing system from your backup image(s). (I don’t use Windows Backup and Restore but it appears that it does have the option to make an «image» of your hard drive).
I did some looking around about your problem and could find no consistent solution for it. See what MS comes back with first.
BTW, I prefer Macrium Reflect as a backup solution. I feel it is much easier to work with. You can create a bootable version of it which will allow you to restore images even if your can’t boot your system. At least you are backing up your system. Unfortunately too many people do not and when Windows 10 hit them, some lost the world.
Also I would strongly suggest that you shut off «Fast startup» (the setting is buried in the Power settings). It is my unprofessional opinion that Fast Startup is at the root of a lot of evils that have befallen Windows 10. I had three instances that occurred to me:
1. A six year old laptop that I updated last year, suddenly got the «Start Menu» not responding» issue. After three hard restarts, it miraculously worked again.
2. I help out in a little computer lab in our local community. Once I booted one system up and signed in using my individual login. But no desktop came up. The only thing I saw was a black screen with a cursor in it. I tried hard reboots, but it did not help, so I tried to login to a second user account on the system. That worked fine. I logged out of that I tried my account again. This time it worked.
3. A second time I logged into a system and I got the infamous «Start Menu» button not functioning along with a few other Taskbar items. I found a suggestion to boot into Safe Mode and then reboot into normal mode. That worked. Everything was again functional.
The number of issues like these which people have incurred at boot time seem eerily suspicious. This is why I suspect Fast Startup and do not use it in my systems at home.
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I was actually going to contact Microsoft before I went for a re-install. It is their system after all. I have also wondered, since the post you have responded to, whether the message revealed by ‘sfc /scanfile=c:\windows\system32\logfiles\srt\srttrail.txt’ is the latest one or the original one. That came from a pending system repair that has never been removed by its reboot during the period that the Windows Installation was not being recognised and thus it keeps triggering the Auto Repair.
Now Windows is being recognised then presumably that file can be manually removed to avoid Auto Repair cutting in as soon as the OS starts to load. If so, I would have two problems removing it — I don’t know MS-DOS, I abandoned the text book I referred to in my post of 15 July and stuck to various forms of Basic for my programming, moving up to more complex forms as I became more proficient with experience. I also don’t know if my speculation is correct because I don’t know how the system works. As I stated in my 15th July post, I have already been able to use System Restore to get back to 4th Jul as a result of Windows now being recognised and it is only the constant Auto Repairing that is preventing me from accessing Windows to confirm that the System Restore has actually worked. I’ll see what they have to say.
With regard to your Fast Startup suggestion for when I get the PC working again — are the settings in Control Panel/Power Options because they only talk there about saving energy. This lap top setting is on the Power Saver setting and I usually have both PC’s on the same setting but the Desktop may have been left on High Performance. I’ll check when the PC works again or after a re-install.
I also found many similar ‘power settings’ including this:
that contains the file AAA_SettingsPageScreenPowerAndSleep.
I do have problems sometimes with waking the PC from sleep and I put it to sleep often so you may have a point.
With regard to Windows Backup and Restore I have always in the past relied on 3rd party systems starting off with Norton and ending with Nero and all the backups are and always have been stored on an external hard drive.
When Windows 10 came along the upgrade from Windows 7 did not work and the re-install from a Microsoft download wiped everything including the Nero BackItUp program — as you have alluded to it is not a pleasant experience especially if like me you are super-cautious in backup matters. But I was even more gutted when I came to re-download the Nero to find that many major companies such as Nero, Norton have abandoned the full system recovery versions in favour of just Personal File backups. I assume because the Microsoft version is part of Win10. I have always used an Iomega software backup system for personal files and favoured programs since 2001 when I bought the first PC and still use it to this day.
Before being forced to switch to Backup and Restore I tested their Repair Disk and Image file version including the restore element. There is nothing more nerve-wracking than overwriting a working OS with one that you don’t know will work until after the event! It always worked and has done so after a previous few occasions after the upgrade so it came as yet another shock when the System Image Recovery failed right at the very end with the
error number mentioned in my original post of 14th July when the current problem reared it’s head.