windows 8.1 hangs on Please Wait screen (restoreoptin)

Anonymous
2013-10-19T03:11:39+00:00

When logging in, a Please Wait screen shows up along with a Cancel button. I tried letting it sit there for more than half an hour but nothing happens. I noticed the application is letterboxed and I can use Win+D to see that the desktop show up. The screen stays on top blocking all mouse activity and most of my screen.

Eventually I logged into another account and found restoreoptin running and terminated it. That removed it from my original account however it will do it again if I log out and log back in.

Any ideas?

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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2013-10-25T17:25:19+00:00

<Modifying post to help other find the answer quickly>

I found another workaround that allows for still using skydrive, and further confirms the relationship to skydrive setup.

(This is the method I used)

  1. login to the affected account
  2. Press Windows Key + L to lock the computer
  3. Switch to a user account with administrator priveledges
  4. open task manager & switch to the "Processes" tab (Press "More Details" if don't see a processes tab)
  5. find restoreoptin.exe & end task that process
  6. switch back to affected account (Start Page, click your account name/picture, click the account you want to switch to)
  7. Open Charm menu (windows key + C), select "Settings", then Change PC Settings
  8. Select Skydrive
  9. Modify the File Storage, Camera Roll, and Sync Settings (not sure which one does the trick)
  10. logout & log back in
  11. you should no longer be prompted with the blank 'please wait' screen

Another workaround that should achieve the same, as posted by others:

  1. login to the affected account
  2. Press Windows Key + r
  3. Type:

taskkill /f /im restoreoptin.exe 4. Open Charm menu (windows key + C), select "Settings", then Change PC Settings 5. Select Skydrive 6. Modify the File Storage, Camera Roll, and Sync Settings (not sure which one does the trick) 7. logout & log back in 8. you should no longer be prompted with the blank 'please wait' screen

and just for completeness, you could also try:

  1. login to the affected account
  2. Press: Windows Key + r

Type:

taskkill /f /im restoreoptin.exe 3. Press: Windows Key + x

Press: a

Press: <Alt + Y>

(run cmd as administrator) 4. Type:

cd c:\windows\system32

restoreOptIn.exe /Ramp
  1. Complete the Wizard

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Anonymous
2014-01-03T18:25:43+00:00

I fixed it much more simply. I had to recently rebuild my dell xps 27 and started with 8.0. Setup everyone's account since I have a home network and domain setup. Then upgraded, I ran into the same issue as everyone here in the post. What I had to do to fix is is unassociated all the windows live/Hotmail/outlook accounts from the domain accounts and then re-apply them. This then asked me to verify that the account has permissions to skydrive, and asked for verification. Texted me, I put in the verification code and it was fixed on all accounts. Someone also mentioned making it a local account and then reassigning to your windows account. Seems to fix it as well.

Steps for Domain accounts:

  1. Remove association from your windows account
  2. Re-add your windows account
  3. verify that the pc has permissions to back up your info to sky drive/turn off sync with sky drive.

Windows Account:

  1. Make it a local account
  2. Re-add your windows account
  3. Verify that the pc has permissions to backup your info to sky drive/turn off sync with sky drive.

Appears to be a bug in the 8.1 upgrade where the pc and sky drive trust is broken, it didn't happen until I received a windows update, but I could see this happening if you download the patches during the upgrade process.

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180 additional answers

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  1. Anonymous
    2015-02-26T20:47:46+00:00

    My Dell laptop goes automatically into advanced Windows options (where you can run safe mode) when it cannot boot 2 times. So you could try forcing shut down when the pc wakes up, before Windows account screen comes up. Just do this 2 times by maintaining the power button pressed during boot. This should give you possibility of safe mode.

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-02-26T19:50:01+00:00

    Unable to log-in because the screen says "Please Wait" for 2 days now.

    How am I suppose to get to safe mode settings enabled  if I can't log in because its says "Please wait"

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-02-20T15:37:17+00:00

    Hello,

    found this fast solution:

    1. Give Task Manager the option to show itself Always on top (you can do this by entering your PC in Safe Mode, opening Task Manager with Ctrl+Alt+Canc and tick the right option in the menu).
    2. Boot the PC normally.
    3. When the "Please Wait" screen problem pops out, open Task Manager. Find the process RestoreOptIn and right-click it, select "Open file location" (or similar). A folder appears containing restoreoptin.exe.
    4. You have to change to rename or delete this file so Windows cannot open it anymore. Right click on it and go properties--> security --> advanced.
    5. A Window will pop-up. In the second line there is the owner of the file. By default it is "Trusted Installer", but you have to change it with "Administrators". Click Change and type "Administrators" in the box, then click Check Name and Ok.
    6. click Apply and Ok. Close all Property tabs of the file and re-open it with right-click, go to Security and click Change. From there you can give yourself full control of the file from now on.
    7. rename the file to what you want, or delete it (I renamed my copy of it with some random letters).
    8. The problem should be fixed. Try by rebooting.

    This method may be complicated but is fast and doesn't need to restore the system. Hope it works for someone like it did for me. Surely this problem is the worse I had in my 10-years Windows experience, and it is not sort of "good advertising" for Microsoft itself.

    If you want a more detailed guide on how to take control of files, try searching this on Internet, there are plenty guides.

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