Asus Laptop "Preparing Automatic Repair" Loop

Stevephillips

Estimable
Sep 4, 2014
2
0
4,510
Hello,

This is my laptop, ASUS Q500A - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8009551&tab=7&SRCCODE=WEBLET101SATSFY&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-WEBLET101SATSFY-_-Satisfy&utm_source=EML&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=WEBLET101SATSFY

My laptop froze up on me two days ago so I restarted it. The Asus logo came up, and then it took a longer than normal time starting up. Then I got a flash of blue screen with some text on it, and the Asus logo came back up. Underneath it said "Preparing Automatic Repair." After a while the screen went black. It stays black until I restart the computer.

I've tried holding down all the F-keys, but the only ones that change the loop are F2 and F4. However, I can't really do anything from Bios to fix this issue. F9 doesn't access the recovery partition like it should, it just fast-tracks me to the black screen of nothingness. My laptop came refurbished, so I don't have a Windows 8 disk to try to reinstall windows, and I don't know what my product key is.

I do have an old Windows 7 disk from another computer, but I'm not sure if I can buy an additional product key for it.

Do I have any other options, or is my laptop now just a paperweight?
 
Solution
Are you able to boot into safe mode? You might be able to if this is a software driver issue. Getting into safe mode will also be helpful since you can then look at the event log and see exactly what is causing the problem.


Leave this last bit as a last resort, but you can try and find someone else with the same operating system as you have and create installation media from it by following these instructions from Microsoft: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

drapacioli

Distinguished
Dec 6, 2010
308
0
19,010
Are you able to boot into safe mode? You might be able to if this is a software driver issue. Getting into safe mode will also be helpful since you can then look at the event log and see exactly what is causing the problem.


Leave this last bit as a last resort, but you can try and find someone else with the same operating system as you have and create installation media from it by following these instructions from Microsoft: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/create-reset-refresh-media

 
Solution

Stevephillips

Estimable
Sep 4, 2014
2
0
4,510


As far as I know, Windows nixed safemode with Windows 8, so now I don't think I can do that. Additionally, I don't have my product key, so your second suggestion won't work out either. I tried to reformat the drive, and install windows 7 last night, but after the initial "Loading Windows Files" bar, I got the black screen of misery once again. I'm pretty much at my end here, unless someone can offer a suggestion.
 

drapacioli

Distinguished
Dec 6, 2010
308
0
19,010
Safe mode isn't gone in windows 8, they just made it stupidly complicated to access. Some computers will allow you to access it without booting into windows first. To see if you can, you need to hold shift and press f8 and hope a troubleshooting window comes up. If it does, then choose advanced repair options, troubleshoot, advanced options, Windows startup settings, restart, THEN you'll get the familiar safe mode options. Give it a try, it can't hurt (Though my Asus N53SV does not allow it, yours might). If it doesn't work, there are a few recovery tools that can be burned and booted from CD that we can try, but this would be the easier option first.