How to Fix “Your PC Did Not Start Correctly” in Windows 11

Turning on your Windows 11 computer only to be met by a blue recovery screen declaring “Automatic Repair: Your PC did not start correctly”—accompanied by two options: “Restart” and “Advanced options”—is an unnerving startup failure. Clicking “Restart” often merely leads to a brief manufacturer loading logo before looping straight back to the exact same Automatic Repair screen.

This repair screen triggers automatically whenever Windows detects two consecutive failed boot attempts. It indicates that the operating system kernel, master Boot Configuration Data (BCD), or essential hardware driver files suffered corruption, preventing the Windows bootloader from completing initialisation. Common culprits include abrupt power disconnections during Windows updates, file system corruption on the system partition, or incompatible display/chipset drivers. Follow these practical steps to escape the Automatic Repair loop and restore normal Windows booting.

Method 1: Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) via Command Prompt

Corrupted BCD entries or misaligned bootloader sectors are the most frequent cause of startup loops. Rebuilding the BCD from the Advanced Recovery environment re-registers your Windows installation.

1. On the blue “Your PC did not start correctly” screen, click the Advanced options button.
2. Select Troubleshoot, then click Advanced options.
3. Click Command Prompt from the tools grid.
4. In the black terminal window, execute the following boot repair commands in sequence, pressing Enter after each:

   bootrec /fixmbr
   bootrec /fixboot
   bootrec /rebuildbcd

5. If the tool asks: “Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All)”, press Y on your keyboard and press Enter.
6. Type exit to close Command Prompt and click Continue (Exit and continue to Windows 11).

Method 2: Run Offline System File Checker (SFC) and DISM Repairs

If corrupted system DLL files or drivers prevent Windows from reaching the desktop, run an offline System File Checker scan targeted specifically at your Windows OS drive.

1. In Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Command Prompt, determine your true Windows partition letter (in recovery mode, the OS drive is frequently assigned D: or C:). Verify by typing:

   dir C:\Windows
   dir D:\Windows

   Note which drive letter contains your actual Windows installation.
2. Execute the offline SFC scan (assuming your Windows drive is C: and boot partition is C:):

   sfc /scannow /offbootdir=C:\ /offwindir=C:\Windows

3. Allow the scan to reach 100%. The tool will replace corrupted core system binaries from the recovery store.
4. Next, run Check Disk to fix any file system allocation errors on the drive:

   chkdsk C: /f /r

5. Once complete, exit the terminal and reboot your computer.

Method 3: Boot into Safe Mode to Remove Incompatible Updates or Drivers

If a recent graphics driver or cumulative Windows update triggered the boot crash, booting into Safe Mode allows you to uninstall the problematic update without the driver loading into memory.

1. From the Automatic Repair screen, click Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options.
2. Click Startup Settings.
3. Click the Restart button in the lower-right corner.
4. Your PC will reboot to a numbered Startup Settings menu. Press 4 or F4 to Enable Safe Mode.
5. Once Windows boots into Safe Mode, press Windows + I to open Settings.
6. Navigate to Windows Update > Update history > Uninstall updates.
7. Locate the most recently installed Quality or Cumulative Update, click Uninstall, and confirm.
8. Restart your computer normally.

Method 4: Perform a System Restore to a Previous Working State

Windows automatically creates System Restore checkpoints prior to installing updates and drivers. Reverting to a restore point undoes system changes without affecting personal files.

1. In the Advanced options menu, select System Restore.
2. Click Next on the wizard screen.
3. Select a restore point dated before the boot loop occurred.
4. Click Scan for affected programs to review which recent drivers will be reverted.
5. Click Next, followed by Finish to confirm the restore.
6. Allow the restoration process to run without interruption. Once finished, Windows will reboot directly to your desktop.

Windows 11 Startup Repair Diagnostics Reference Table

Use the matrix below to assess the optimal recovery strategy for boot failures:

Observed Boot State	Probable Root Cause	Recommended Recovery Tool
Loops to Automatic Repair after update	Corrupted update package or driver conflict	Boot into Safe Mode > Uninstall updates
“Your PC did not start correctly” on every boot	Corrupted Boot Configuration Data (BCD)	Execute bootrec /rebuildbcd in Command Prompt
Error followed sudden power outage / crash	File system allocation table corruption	Run chkdsk C: /f /r from recovery Command Prompt
SrtTrail.txt error log mentions missing driver	Corrupted third-party kernel driver file	Restore system using System Restore point
Automatic Repair loops despite BCD rebuild	Corrupted system registry hives (SOFTWARE/SYSTEM)	Restore registry hives from RegBack or reset PC

Inspecting the SrtTrail.txt Diagnostic Log

Windows Automatic Repair generates a detailed text log recording exactly which diagnostic test failed. In the recovery Command Prompt, type notepad C:\Windows\System32\Logfiles\Srt\SrtTrail.txt and press Enter. Scroll to the bottom of the log file to inspect the Root cause found entry. It will state explicitly whether a specific driver (e.g., nvlddmkm.sys) or a corrupted file system volume triggered the shutdown, allowing targeted remediation.