What to do if "Preparing Windows" doesn't finish

This time, we will explain the causes and solutions when "Preparing Windows" does not finish.

If the message "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" appears for a long time and the computer does not start, you may be worried that the computer has frozen.

If the message "Preparing Windows" is displayed for a long time, the following solutions may be possible.

• Check for HDD defects
• Just wait until it's completed
• Make sure the access lamp is not lit and then force quit.
• Remove peripherals
• Repairing user profiles, etc.

We will explain the above solutions in detail, so if you are having trouble, please refer to them.

How long should I wait if "Preparing Windows" does not finish on Windows 10 or 11?

Some people may not know how long they should wait if "Preparing Windows" does not finish on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

The message "Preparing Windows" is often displayed due to Windows updates, so the time will vary depending on how much update data is available.

In some cases, the process is completed after waiting an hour or two, while in other cases it takes about half a day.

If you have time, try waiting for a day or so, but if it still doesn't work, consider other solutions.

[Check first] Is there a problem with the HDD that causes "Preparing Windows" to not finish?

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish on a PC that uses an HDD, there is a high possibility that there is a problem with the HDD.

In this case, you need to remove the HDD from the affected PC and connect it to another PC to check if the problem is occurring.

To check the health status of your HDD, you can use free software called Cristal Disk Info.
The following article provides detailed instructions on how to use it, so if you are using an HDD on your PC, please check here first.

→Diagnosing the lifespan of a hard disk, how to use Cristal Disk Info

If there are no issues with the above checks, please try the solutions described in the following sections.

Why does "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" message persist in Windows 10 and 11? Also the solution

If the message "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" appears and the process does not finish on Windows 10 or Windows 11, please check the following items.

• If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, shutting down or restarting may be effective.
• If "Preparing Windows" does not finish but the access lamp is lit
• If "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" is displayed and the mouse moves
• Try removing peripherals
• Initialize BIOS
• If you can sign in as another user

We will explain each item below, so if you have any questions, please check them.

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, shutting down or restarting may be effective.

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish for a long time, shutting down (forced termination) and restarting may be effective.

However, as explained in the next section, you need to be careful if the access lamp is lit.

Only run it if it doesn't finish after a day or if you think your PC has completely frozen.

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish but the access lamp is lit

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish and you are thinking of force quitting, but the access lamp is on, do not force quit.

While the computer's access lamp is lit, data is being read or written to the HDD.

Therefore, turning off the power may cause data corruption.

If the access lamp is on, it means that the process is progressing, so let's wait until it is completed.

If "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" is displayed and the mouse moves

If you see the message "Preparing Windows. Please do not turn off your computer" and the mouse moves, it is not frozen, so we recommend waiting for it to complete as long as possible.

Try removing peripherals

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, disconnecting all connected peripherals may resolve the issue.

A possible reason is that the driver for one of the peripheral devices may be affected and Windows preparation may not be completed.

In such cases, removing the peripheral device may eliminate the effect of the driver and solve the problem.

Initialize BIOS

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, there may be a problem with the BIOS.

BIOS is a program for starting your PC.

In such cases, initializing the BIOS once may resolve the issue.

[How to initialize BIOS]

1. Start your PC.
2. When the manufacturer logo is displayed, press the BIOS startup key (F2, etc., depending on the manufacturer) multiple times.
3. Find a menu such as "Setup Defaults" and select it.
4. Select Initialize.

The initialization menu may also differ depending on the BIOS.

If you can sign in as another user

If you can sign in smoothly with another user, you may be able to solve the problem of "Preparing Windows" not ending by re-creating the user and migrating the data.

This article explains the steps to create a new user and then copy the original user's data.

[How to recreate the user]

1. Sign in as another user.
2. Right-click on "Start (Windows mark)".
3. Select "Settings".
4. Select "Account".
5. Select "Family and other users".
6. Select "Add someone else to this PC."
7. Select "I don't have sign-in information for this user."
8. Select "Add a user without a Microsoft account."
9. Enter your user name, etc.
10. Select the username you created.
11. Select “Change account type.”
12. Select "Administrator" as the account type.
13. Select OK.

[How to migrate user data]

1. Sign in with the newly created user.
2. Select "Explorer (mark folder)".
3. Select "PC".
4. Select "C drive".
5. Select User.
6. Select the folder with the original account name.
7. When prompted, select Continue.
8. Change the folder display options to show hidden files.
9. Select only the folder and copy it.
   At this time, do not copy DAT files or BLF files with blank icons.
10. Paste the copied folder into the newly created user's folder.
    Please overwrite everything.

In this way, if for some reason the "Preparing Windows" message does not finish for a specific user, you may be able to solve the problem by adding a new user and then copying the old user's data.

Try system restore

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, attempting a system restore may resolve the issue.

[System restoration procedure]

1. Enter the recovery environment by failing to start Windows multiple times.
2. Select "Troubleshoot".
3. Select Advanced Options.
4. Select "System Restore".

Run sfc /scannow

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish, running "sfc /scannow" at the command prompt may solve the problem.

[Steps to run sfc /scannow]

1. Enter the recovery environment by failing to start Windows multiple times.
2. Select "Troubleshoot".
3. Select Advanced Options.
4. Select "Command Prompt".
5. Type sfc /scannow at the command prompt.
6. Press the Enter key.

If "Windows Resource Protection did not detect any integrity violations." is displayed, it means that no problems with system files were found.
If the message "Windows Resource Protection found corrupted files and successfully repaired them" is displayed, it means that sfc /scannow performed the repair, and the problem has been resolved. Please check again.

Is “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” effective if “Preparing Windows” does not finish on Windows 10 or 11?

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish on Windows 10 or Windows 11, shutting down using the "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" keys may not be effective.

Normally, you can shut down or start the task manager by pressing the "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" keys.

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish and "Ctrl + Alt + Delete" does not work, you will need to wait or force a shutdown by long-pressing the power button.

However, please be aware that there is a risk of data corruption if you force quit.

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish on Windows 10 or 11, is it okay to force quit?

If "Preparing Windows" does not finish on Windows 10 or Windows 11, you may think that it has frozen and want to force quit.

However, you should be careful as force termination in such cases may result in data corruption.

For example, if the access lamp is on and data is being processed, the data may be lost or damaged if the power is turned off midway through.

The access lamp is a lamp that lights up when the HDD is being accessed.

In this way, if the access lamp is lit, we recommend waiting until the process is completed to prevent data corruption.

Is it wrong to close the laptop when "Preparing Windows" does not finish?

If you close your laptop while the message "Preparing Windows" is displayed, it may go to sleep and cause problems.

You can change the setting to enable or disable sleep, but in most cases it is not set.

Therefore, it is best not to close your PC while the message "Preparing Windows" is displayed, and if possible, be careful not to put it into sleep mode.

If "Preparing Windows" is displayed every time

If the message "Preparing Windows" appears every time you start your PC, it may be because an update is occurring every time, or your user profile is corrupted.

If you are having issues with your user profile, the following solutions may resolve the issue.

→If you can sign in as another user

If you don't start up your PC often, it's possible that the update is arriving at the time you start it up, so please wait until it's complete.

You can stop automatic updates by changing the settings, but for security reasons we recommend updating regularly.

[How to pause automatic updates of Windows Update]

1. Select "Start (Windows mark)".
2. Select "Settings (gear mark)".
3. Select Update & Security.
4. Select "Stop updates for 7 days."

You can temporarily stop automatic updates using the method above.

Automatic updates can be stopped for up to 35 days.

If Windows updates do not finish

If you cannot finish updating Windows, please refer to this article.
→[2023] Solutions and causes when Windows updates do not finish

summary

This time, I explained the problem that "Preparing Windows" does not finish.

The message "Preparing Windows" is mainly displayed when updating Windows.

Therefore, if you haven't done any updates for a while, it's a good idea to wait as long as possible.

If the problem still persists after trying various solutions, there may be a problem with the PC itself.

In such cases, it is recommended that you consult a specialist.