Many users know the problem: The Windows 10 computer is started and instead of the desktop you only get the message "Windows is being prepared". But don't panic! There are several ways in which you can tackle the problem so that you can get back to work on your computer as quickly as possible.
1. Wait
It may be annoying, but it's no less effective nonetheless. In most cases, the message that Windows 10 is being prepared comes after an update has been installed. The update data is applied to the restarted computer. Depending on the capacity and performance of your computer, this may actually take some time. Normally there is also a status display below this message, which shows you the progress in percent. It can happen that the initialization and processing takes an hour or two hours. If you have to wait longer than three hours, something probably went wrong during the update. Then follow the further steps.
2. Switch off the PC completely and disconnect it from the power supply
If the update still does not load properly after waiting around two to three hours, an error has probably occurred. You can try pressing the Rest button first. If this does not help (or if your computer does not have a reset button), you can switch the computer off manually. This is not so dramatic as a faulty update is simply installed from the beginning afterwards. So you can't do too much damage to Windows with it.
To manually turn off the computer, press and hold the power button for an extended period of time, such as three seconds or more. You will see and hear when the PC has switched off. Now you have to disconnect the computer from the power supply.
In the case of a tower PC, flip the on / off toggle switch on the rear of the tower so that the PC is also switched off here. Then pull the plug out of the socket so that the PC no longer receives power. With a laptop, you need to unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. If your laptop does not have a removable battery, you have to let the device run empty, i.e. leave it switched on permanently without a charging cable until the battery has drained by itself.
Then wait a few minutes and plug everything back in. Then turn on the computer. If it starts up normally, everything is fine again..
3. Repair Windows automatically
It is possible that the Windows 10 update itself is not to blame for the fact that you can no longer start the computer properly. Perhaps a file in Windows that is preventing the update process has also been damaged. To make up for this, you can have Windows repaired. We'll show you how to repair Windows in this tip.
4. Restore / reset Windows
If the problem persists, you will need to restore Windows. You can do this using a boot medium such as a boot stick. We'll explain more about restoring Windows in this post. If this doesn't work either, you unfortunately have no choice but to restart the computer..
