Technology comes with its pros and cons. While most of the time it is efficient and convenient, it does become a massive pain at times. We are talking about windows system restore hangs and other critical errors. Dealing with windows errors is not an easy task. It is one hell of a chore. Advanced systems and software programs bring advanced errors. And unfortunately, if it’s related to your system, you will have to deal with it yourself. It’s not like having one of the Frontier deals, that if you encounter a problem, you conveniently call their customer care service. If it isn’t way too critical, the following guide will help you sort it out.
Do you have Windows 10? It is the most popular Windows today. Impressed by its popularity and ease of use, I also installed Windows 10. While I’m happy with the overall performance of Windows 10, I had to with some major errors. And that’s why I’m writing this guide. I dealt with ‘System restore initializing’ hung up for more than two hours. If you are encountering the same problem, tag along.
Windows 10 Restore
You must have got a critical error message stating that the start menu is no more functional. It’s pretty obvious now that your system restore is stuck. The initializing may take more than two hours. Windows would say that you cannot manually interrupt the ongoing restoration process. Now you are trying to figure out what to do.
Well, first things first. Don’t panic! Relax and take a deep breathe. Grab a mug of coffee and gear up to fix it according to what we are going to suggest. When it comes to system restoration, being stuck is a common issue. You may get stuck in the initializing process, or on restoring files. Figure out your solution in the following guide.
It is Stuck on Initializing – What to Do?
We would recommend waiting patiently for some time when you think the system restore is stuck. Especially if you have tons of data on your system. It may take some extra time. If your Windows 10 is stuck on the initializing part, or on the restoring files part, then you need to shut it down forcefully. You need to restart it and then check the status. If you end up on the same screen and message, then consider the following methods.
Method #1: Boot your System from Safe Mode using Networking
With Windows 10 installation media, you need to follow the following steps:
- Begin with inserting the installation media that you created. If you do not have installation media, then it may be created and downloaded from the official website of Microsoft.
- Restart your system.
- You will see the ‘Install Windows’ screen. Choose ‘repair your computer’.
- From the ‘Choose an option’ page, select ‘Troubleshoot‘. You can use the Safe Mode from there. By selecting advanced options, select startup settings and then Restart.
- When it restarts, press F5. This will restart your system in Safe Mode with Networking.
- Now you can attempt a system restore.
Method #2: System Restore in Safe Mode
There might be chances that you do not have windows installation media with you at that time. If that is the case, you can try doing a system restore in safe mode.
- you need to prepare a Windows 10 installation disc. To prepare the disc, go to the Microsoft website and download Windows 10 tool on a disc.
- Insert the disc into a computer, and make the BIOS to boot the PC or laptop from it.
- Then click on Repair your computer on the install screen to enter WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment).
- Next, go to Choose an option > Troubleshoot > Advanced Options >Startup Settings > Restart.
- Select the Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt option by pressing F6.
- Confirm the account and password.
- Enter the command rstrui.exe in the CMD window and press Enter to run System Restore. Check if there is any failure during the restoration.
Method #3: Run the Startup Repair
If your system works normally after the forced shutdown but gets stuck on another restore attempt, try this method.
- There’s a possibility that the boot manager of your system has corrupted.
- For this, Restart your system and run “Startup Repair“. From the ‘choose an option’ list on the screen, choose Troubleshoot. Select Advanced options and click Startup repair to run startup repair automatically.
Method #4: Fixing Windows 10 System Restore Stuck on Restoring Files
- Run the SFC scans
- In WinRE, go to Advanced Options to enter Command Prompt.
- In the CMD window, type sfc /scannow and press Enter key.
- Wait until the verification is fully completed.
- The scan will indicate any corrupted file via the System File Checker. It will replace it with a good copy
- Follow the instructions by System Restore by selecting one of the available restore points from the list
- You cannot use System Restore as the image backup. It only backs up the critical files in the system. It will not restore user data like music, photos, documents, and videos
- System Restore may fail or get stuck at times
Method #5: Use AOMEI Backupper and Protect Your System
AOMEI Backupper is popular professional software. It is designed for restoration and backup. As compared to the built-in backup tools in Windows, it is a much more flexible and efficient way to backup. You can download it for free. Install and open to follow the following steps:
- Click Backup on the main interface. Then select System Backup
- It will pick the source automatically. Choose a location as the destination path. We would recommend choosing external hard drives, cloud, or NAS for the backup computer. Don’t back up to the internal hard drive
- You can change options like email notification and compression via Backup Options. You can also schedule automatic backups on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
- Now click on the ‘Start Backup’ and you are good to go!
All the aforementioned methods are helpful and efficient in restoring your Windows 10. However, don’t consider it a long-term solution to the protection of your system. It doesn’t restore your personal data and you don’t want to lose it in case of the primary hard drive corrupts. In order to have better protection, consider having an image backup. If you have a subscription to one of the ISPs such as FiOS Internet service, consider having your image backup on a cloud. That’s the safest option!