How to Run Windows 10 Startup Repair from Command Prompt

User case: Windows 10 startup repair not working

When using Windows 10 or 11 computers, you may encounter various issues like PC running slowly, Windows showing blue, black, or white screen or the computer keeping crashing. Once these happen, you need to repair your Windows 10 or 11.

Windows 10 startup repair is a pre-installed feature that allows you to troubleshoot some Windows problems automatically. However, as the user case above described, it's likely to meet Windows startup repair not working or startup repair loop issues. In such a case, you can run Windows startup repair using Command Prompt to fix Windows 10 via CMD.

Preparation: How to open Command Prompt

First of all, let's see how to access Command Prompt on Windows 10 computers in different computer situations.

▌ Case one. Windows 10 can boot

If you can still boot into your Windows 10 computer, you can perform Windows startup repair from Command Prompt from Settings.

Step 1. Press the "Windows + I" keys to open the Settings Window. Next, click "Update & Security", and choose "Recovery" in the left panel.

Step 2. Click the "Restart now" button under the "Advanced startup" section, and your Windows 10 computer will begin to restart.

Step 3. When you see the "Choose an option" screen, click "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options".

Step 4. Then, click the "Command Prompt" option to enter into the Command Prompt for Windows 10 repair.

▌ Case two. Windows 10 can't boot

If your Windows 10 computer is unbootable, force restart the PC three times, then you will be led to Windows Recovery Environment. Then you can see the "Choose an option" window and follow the same steps in Case 1 to boot into Command Prompt.

If it does not work, you can create a bootable disk or USB flash drive like Windows 10 installation media or recovery USB drive to make your PC bootable in the first place.

Step 1. To create a Windows 10 installation media, you need to prepare a USB flash drive and download the Windows 10 media creation tool from the Microsoft website.

Step 2. Insert this installation media into your PC, press F2, Del, Esc, or other functional keys to enter BIOS, and boot your computer from it.

Step 3. When you see the Windows Setup dialog, click "repair your computer" to enter "Choose an option" windows and repeat the steps above, or press Shift + F10 keys directly to open Command Prompt for Windows startup repair.

How to repair Windows startup with CMD?

After getting into Command prompt in Windows 10 or 11 by using the above ways, you can enter the corresponding commands to fix Windows startup or other problems.

Way 1. Run SFC Scannow command to repair corrupted system files

If there is corruption in Windows system files, the automatic repair probably fails to work. SFC (System File Checker) is a Windows built-in command-line utility that can scan and repair any corrupted system files it detected. Thus, you can perform SFC command to diagnose problems and fix them.

Type sfc /scannow command line when you boot Windows 10 startup repair Command Prompt.

Way 2. Repair Windows 10 using DISM Command

If sfc /scannow command offers no help, you can try another Windows command-line tool DISM which is designed to scan and fix corrupted Windows 10 image. The command lines are below.

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth 

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Way 3. Use bootrec to fix Windows 10 boot issue

The major factor for Windows 10 startup repair not working is corrupted/damaged MBR, BCD, or Boot sector. To tackle it, you can type the following commands:

bootrec /fixmbr

bootrec /fixboot

bootrec /rebuildbcd

Way 4. Run CHKDSK to check disk errors in Windows 10

With Windows 10 startup repair Command Prompt, you can use CHKDSK command to scan and fix disk errors.

Type chkdsk F: /f command line and hit Enter. Replace "F" with the drive letter of other partition you want to check.

Way 5. Reset Windows 10 with command line to start over

If you have a serious computer problem and can't fix it with the four ways above, you can use the "Reset This PC" feature to restore your Windows 10 to its factory configuration. To reset Windows 10, follow the instructions below:

Step 1. Type systemreset –cleanpc in the elevated command prompt, hit "Enter", and you will see a blue "Fresh Start" window.

Step 2. Click "Next" to follow the prompts to finish the resetting.

Way 6. Do a system restore to fix Windows 10

In addition to Windows resetting, running a system restore is also an effective way to fix some severe computer problems, you can do as follows:

Step 1. Then type this command: rstrui.exe, and hit "Enter" to open the System Restore interface.

Step 2. You can choose the "recommended restore point" or tick "choose a different restore point", and click "Next" to follow the steps to restore your Windows 10 PC to a previous state.

Alternative to Command Prompt for Windows 10 startup repair

The above methods seem a little changeable for computer novices because all the operations need to be done under the command lines. Luckily, here is an easier way to replace Command Prompt in repairing Windows 10 problems. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a reliable tool that deserves a try, which is compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista.

✦ If your computer is bootable, you can download and install this software on your Windows 10 device.

✦ If you are unable to boot the PC, you can create a bootable media with AOMEI Partition Assistant on a normal computer, and then boot the problematic PC from it.

✦ If any data loss happens during your operation, you can use the "Recover Data" function to retrieve lost data.

When you see the main interface of AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can begin to use these features to repair your computer. Let's take "Rebuild MBR" as an example.

Step 1. Right-click the system disk and choose "Rebuild MBR".

Step 2. Choose a proper MBR type according to your operating system in the pop-out window. And then the program will set the type of MBR for your current OS.

Step 3. Click "Apply"on the toolbar to commit the operation and click "Proceed" to confirm the task.

As you can see, rebuilding MBR via AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is much easier and more convenient than using commands in Command Prompt. Besides, there are many other functions for Windows 10 startup repair such as checking partition, format partition, recover lost partition, and so on. All these operations can be done with just a few clicks!

Conclusion

What to do if Windows 10 automatic repair does not work? This article gives you a full guide on running Windows 10 startup repair from Command Prompt and teaches you how to repair Windows startup with CMD step by step.

In addition, a better alternative to Command Prompt for fixing Windows 10 problems is introduced as well. If you are not skilled in computer technology, this tool is more suitable for you.