windows 8.1 hangs on Please Wait screen (restoreoptin)

Anonymous

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?

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Anonymous

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

(This is the method I used)

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

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

login to the affected account
Press Windows Key + r
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:

login to the affected account
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

Complete the Wizard

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Anonymous

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:

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

Windows Account:

Make it a local account
Re-add your windows account
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

Anonymous

2014-03-19T11:38:49+00:00

I don't know why Microsoft hasn't done anything about this issue... this combined with the absurd reduced functionality of Windows 8 has finally convinced me to just be done with Microsoft products.

If what I have marked as Answers does not work for you then please create a separate post and mention that you have already tried everything in this one. I would not expect Microsoft to monitor this post closely since I have already marked it having an answer.

Hi I have this problem too.

John could I suggest you unmark the thread as answered. It has not been.

The closest thing to an answer has come from Christopher Cooper.

All the other solutions are just a crude hacks to workaround a big problem that a lot of people seem to be having.

Having worked as a developer I think it's quite probable that in a busy QA/Support department priority is given to looking at issues that are unanswered. Answered threads could easily slip off the list and never be looked at again. This could explain why MS haven't done anything about it
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Anonymous

2014-03-19T02:39:22+00:00

John... that is so true. I guess no one expects Microsoft to be 'monitoring for issues', however this problem has been mentioned all over the place and YES we can open more threads and more threads... but if Microsoft has not been able to fix it so far then what are they monitoring??

All I know is I cannot update to 8.1 because I have lost critical data, have had to re-install programs and have spent hours and hours fixing up something Microsoft could not be expected to be 'monitoring'...

My time and business is equally as important and neither do I have the time to be pointing out something wrong with a program that I paid for and spending hours and hours fixing up. Sorry to be sounding so rude, however facts are facts and maybe Microsoft should be 'monitoring' things a little more closely. It should be clarified that those of us who are forced into buying the product should not be responsible to 'try everything' to fix something we already paid for. I don't hire a cleaner and they have them sit and watch while I sweep the floor.

Just to be clear. I was not trying to make any excuses for Microsoft. I was merely trying to say that this post is probably going to be the least fruitful. If I knew how to escalate this issue I certainly would.

When I first had the issue, I was not sure if I could do anything. Luckily, my other account did not have the issue at the time and I could track down the issue to restoreoptin.exe. I created a batch file to run on startup that would kill restoreoptin.exe after 5 seconds until the issue went away.

The best way I know around this issue is to make your login a local account. (I know that is annoying for certain things as well.)
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Anonymous

2014-03-18T00:58:31+00:00

John... that is so true. I guess no one expects Microsoft to be 'monitoring for issues', however this problem has been mentioned all over the place and YES we can open more threads and more threads... but if Microsoft has not been able to fix it so far then what are they monitoring??

All I know is I cannot update to 8.1 because I have lost critical data, have had to re-install programs and have spent hours and hours fixing up something Microsoft could not be expected to be 'monitoring'...

My time and business is equally as important and neither do I have the time to be pointing out something wrong with a program that I paid for and spending hours and hours fixing up. Sorry to be sounding so rude, however facts are facts and maybe Microsoft should be 'monitoring' things a little more closely. It should be clarified that those of us who are forced into buying the product should not be responsible to 'try everything' to fix something we already paid for. I don't hire a cleaner and they have them sit and watch while I sweep the floor.
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