WIndows 8 Hangs on restart

Anonymous
2012-11-08T06:10:40+00:00

I have Windows 8 Pro and when I restart, the Restarting... screen just hangs. It doesn't go away, so I have to power off my machine(hold power button).

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Performance and system failures

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Anonymous
2012-11-08T19:50:48+00:00

Hello Kim,

Sorry for the inconvenience that you are facing with Windows 8 on restarting it. I will definitely assist you in fixing this issue.

Let us start with couple of questions.

1.       Have you made any changes on your computer prior to the issue?

2.       What happens on the first boot?

3.       Do you have any third party security software installed?

Perform the following troubleshooting methods:

Method 1:

I would suggest you to boot the computer in safe mode and check how it works.

Follow these steps to boot the computer in safe mode.

a.       Press the “Windows + R” key on the keyboard.

b.      In the ‘Run’ windows type “msconfig” without quotes and click “Ok”.

c.       Click the “Boot” tab.

d.      Under “Boot Options”, select the “Safe Boot” option.

e.      Choose “Network” option below the “Safe boot” check box.

f.        Click “Apply” and then “Ok”.

g.       Then select “Restart” option.

h.      Once you check in safe mode, then I would suggest you to place the computer in normal boot option.

i.         Remove the check mark next to “Safe boot” option in “Boot” tab to place the computer in normal boot.

Method 2:

Place the computer in clean boot state and then try to install the program.

You can start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot." A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts.

Step 1:

a.       Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b.      In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c.       Click the ‘Boot’ tab and uncheck ‘Safe Boot’ option.

d.      On the ‘General’ tab, click to select the option ‘Selective startup’, and then click to clear the option Load startup items check box.

e.      On the ‘Services’ tab, click to select the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ check box, and then click ‘Disable all’.

f.        On the ‘Startup’ tab, click ‘Open Task Manager’. In the Task Manager window under startup tab, right click on each startup item which are enabled and select ‘Disable’.

g.       Click ‘OK’, and then click Restart.

h.      If it works in clean boot state, then follow rest of the steps.

Step 2: Enable half of the services

a.       Follow steps 1a and 1b to start the System Configuration utility.

b.      Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box.

c.       Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list.

d.      Click OK, and then click Restart.

Step 3:

a.       If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Service list.

b.      If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Service list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

c.       If only one service is selected in the Service list, and you still experience the problem, the selected service causes the problem. Go to step 6. If no service causes this problem, go to step 4.

Step 4: Enable half of the Startup items

·         If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 5: Determine whether the problem returns

a.       If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Startup Item list.

b.      If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Startup Item list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

c.       If only one startup item is selected in the Startup Item list, and you still experience the problem, the startup item that is selected in the list is the service that is causing the problem. Go to step 6.

d.      If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 6:

·         After you determine the startup item or the service that causes the problem, contact the program manufacturer to determine whether the problem can be resolved. Or, run the System Configuration utility, and then click to clear the check box for the problem item.

Step 7:

Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to boot to normal startup.

a.       Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b.      In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c.       On the ‘General’ tab, click the ‘Normal Startup’ option, and then click ‘OK’.

d.      When you are prompted to restart the computer, click ‘Restart’.

Method 3:

Perform System File Check (SFC), and then check if this fixes the issue.

Follow the steps:

a.       Press “Windows Key + Q” to open Charms Bar.

b.      Type “cmd” without quotes in the search box.

c.       On the left pane, right click on the “cmd” option and select “Run as Administrator”.

d.      Type “sfc /scannow” without quotes and hit enter.

**Note:**It may ask for windows installation DVD to fix and to enable SFC to make more than minor repairs. Some files saved on your computer might get deleted when fixing corrupted files.

I hope this helps you fixing the issue. If the issue continues, reply to this thread, we are glad to help you further.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-02-22T18:13:27+00:00

    I have the same problem. There is no issue when shutting down the computer completely, ie. when I select shutdown. This only happens if I select restart. I suspect there is some process running in the background that windows is unable to end.

    I had the same Restart issue and found a solution on a different discussion for "Windows 8 Start Screen frozen."

    http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-system/windows-8-start-screen-frozen/ef92e6b3-32d9-4612-8bad-b0c894ac4f86

    The first reply from MiguelSanto mentions the weather tile on the Start screen (Accuweather) causing issues for Windows 8. Read through the replies and see how many people solved their issues by uninstalling this app (which is automatically installed with Windows 8).

    Including the Restart issue, I had 4 issues I was trying to solve:

    1. Hanging on Restart
    2. Outlook will not Send/Receive (both 2010 and 2013 versions)
    3. Windows Home Server reported as being disconnected
    4. Two updates fail to install

    Btw, I did first follow Microsoft's suggestions for a clean reboot and also a Windows 8 repair. On clean reboot, all of the issues still existed so it was no help in locating the issue. The repair scan found no issues that needed to be repaired.

    Uninstalling the weather app appeared to solve the first 3 issues. Unfortunately, as another person reported, after a day the first two issues came back (WHS still worked). There is discussion that the Skype app (on the Start screen, not the desktop version) and a time app are also causing issues. I don't have the time app, but I will try uninstalling Skype.

    In the meantime, I was checking the Task Manager to see if I could identify any processes that might be issues. I checked Bing for "PresentationFontCache" and found an old post about issues caused by this process ... it seemed to still be relevant. I followed the suggestions and Restart and Outlook are working again.

    http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wpf/thread/2e47b80a-1423-466f-873a-8536a64ebe3c

    I also went into the processes and disabled ProtexisLicensing and Windows Live Mesh (since it has been terminated by MS).

    I'm not satisfied that everything is resolved, but I am focusing on third party apps on the Start screen.

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-02-26T03:01:52+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for approaching Microsoft Community.

    Perform the following troubleshooting methods:

    Method 1:

    I would suggest you to place the computer in clean boot state and then check if you can reboot the computer without any problem.

    You can start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot." A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts.

    To set the computer in clean boot, follow the steps from the link: How to perform a clean boot

    Note: After checking in clean boot, follow step: 3 from the article to reset the computer to normal boot.

     

    Method 2:

    Perform System File Check (SFC), and then check if this fixes the issue.

    Follow the steps:

    a.       Press “Windows Key + Q” button from the keyboard.

    b.      Type “Command Prompt” without quotes in the search box.

    c.       On the left pane, right click on the “Command Prompt” option and select “Run as Administrator”.

    d.      Type “sfc /scannow” without quotes and hit enter (There should be space between sfc and /).

    Note: It may ask for windows installation DVD to fix and to enable SFC to make more than minor repairs. Some files saved on your computer might get deleted when fixing corrupted files.

     

    I hope this helps you to fix the issue. If the issue continues, please do reply. We would be happy to help you further.

    I tried Method 2 and it worked for a few days. However, when I enabled "Fast StartUp" again on Power Options the restart issue came back with a vengeance. I did a system restore to a manual point I have created right after I fixed the problem, but no luck there.

    Then I tried Method 1. To my surprise, the PC hangs even with "clean boot" configuration. Does it mean that the problem is with Windows startup/boot? Is it a "power" issue. I wonder why the restart problem came back when I enabled fast startup option. Needless to say that even if I disabled fast restart option the PC hangs on restart.

    I would greatly appreciate your suggestions.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-02-26T19:21:17+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for keeping us posted:

    I would suggest you to perform the troubleshooting steps from the link “Optimize Windows 7 for better performance” and give a try to check how it works.

    If the issue persists or you have any issues with Windows please do post it in Microsoft Community. We would be happy to help you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-03-04T16:25:21+00:00

    Big problem with Win8... meant to be used with a UEFI bios, not a legacy bios common with most Win7 machines and before.... best rec? Stay with Win7 if you've got a legacy machine (pre Win8), or liquidate old machine and purchase a machine with Win8 factory install built to run Win8.

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