Random 'preparing windows' screen after 3 months of usage?

Question

Question

Random 'preparing windows' screen after 3 months of usage?

by mcluckie97 May 29, 2013 6:11AM PDT

Hi,
I couldn't find this problem ANYWHERE online, so I thought I would just type it into a forum.

I installed Windows 8 on my computer in January of this year.

I have a slight issue with my computer, which I am worried will turn into something huge. Recently, after booting up my windows 8 computer, right before the tile interface screen (I have my preferences set so that it skips the log-on screen) the background color turns blue (it is normally red) and instead of logging-on it says 'preparing windows.' It takes a little less than 5 minutes, and then when it is done, it is as though I have made a new user account. The default screen saver is on, there are hardly any tiles, and NONE of my files are to be found ANYWHERE, with the exception of the account icon, which I can only see if I look at the little square on the top right hand corner of the tile interface screen; it is not in the pictures library (that is empty).

The first time this happened I completely freaked out, but after rebooting my normal account was just fine. It was as though nothing had happened.

This has happened 3 times now, and while right now it is no real issue, because all I have to do is reboot, I am afraid that it will turn into something that really is a problem.

Computer specs:
I built my computer, so I would really like to keep it working
-OS Windows 8
-my motherboard is an Asus F1A75-M PRO
-my processor is an AMD A8-3850 APU (2.49 GHz)
-64-bit OS and processor
-4 GB of RAM

P.S -- I do have another user account, which is not personalized AT ALL, since I almost NEVER use it, but even that has programs that I have installed on my main account, and has files of mine, so my computer is definitely not logging on to another account by accident.

Help, please?? Thanks !!

Discussion is locked

9 Posts

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The issue I know of? No it won't.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jul 30, 2013 1:59AM PDT

Microsoft is no longer being hammered about updates without reboots. It used to be in the news every time an update did that. Now, with businesses ignoring Windows 8 for a bit, not so much in the news.
Bob

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8.1

by losvarelas1 Jan 8, 2014 4:11AM PST

Nope had to upgrade to 8.1 because my laptop got to the point that it wouldnt work if I told it not to upgrade. Well now that classes have started I go to boot up and still got the damn preparing windows. I am at the point that I dont wait I just hit the off button, which I have set to turn off the laptop, and reboot. I am so going to build a laptop void of Bill Gates and his "new OS" more like POS

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Re: preparing Windows

by Kees_B Forum moderator Aug 19, 2013 6:04PM PDT

Windows does this if - for some reason - it can't login. Then it makes a temporary profile, which (a) has to be prepared, and (b) is totally initial.

The strange thing is that it can login with the next reboot. So whatever reason there was for not being able to login (commonly called some form of account corruption) was solved 'automatically'. You're lucky with that.

https://www.google.com/search?q=windows+temporary+profile finds a lot of info.
A lot of people seem to have a more permanent form of account corruption than you had. As I said, lucky you!

Kees

Kees

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Preparing Windows

by davidmsinden Aug 19, 2013 6:50PM PDT

Kees,
Thanks for the reply - very helpful, and for the Google link, which at first glance looks very interesting.

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fast boot again

by hvdberge Jan 9, 2014 4:23AM PST

For me the problem was solved by disabling the fast boot option, as I discribed above. It works also for Windows 8.1. The booting proces takes only ten seconds longer, and no more frustrations!

Back to Windows 8 forum

r. proffitt · Answer 1 · May 29, 2013 6:49AM PDT

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Answer

All I can offer is it happened to me.

by r. proffitt Forum moderator May 29, 2013 6:49AM PDT

I had postponed an update and even then Microsoft decided to force the reboot without warning. I saw that message as well as others so here's my beef. If I was in the middle of a presentation this would have been awful.

I thought MSFT had learned that lesson but as we see with the Windows 8, the start button, metro disaster they seem to want to cut the MSFT stock price in half or more.
Bob

billpe-2009 · Answer 2 · Jul 30, 2013 1:46AM PDT

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Answer

I have this problem, too...

by billpe-2009 Jul 30, 2013 1:46AM PDT

It seems to happen, if it happens at all, on the first boot of the day. I get a "Preparing Windows" message with my account image. After a while Windows 8 starts, but there are only a few tiles on the desktop. After a reboot things return to normal.

It takes a while to go through all the 'Preparing' stuff, and then go through a reboot, so there's a significant amount of time I'm waiting for the computer to go through this process.

I'm running Win 8, 64 bit on a HP laptop (Intel) with 6 GB of RAM.

Generally speaking, I'd say that Win 8 is a disappointment. It adds little to the capabilities I had with Win 7 and has more oddities and glitches than I would expect.

Maybe 8.1 will fix this.

davidmsinden · Answer 3 · Aug 19, 2013 5:52PM PDT

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Answer

Preparing Windows ...

by davidmsinden Aug 19, 2013 5:52PM PDT

This has just happened to me, too. I've been running Windows 8 since it first became available last year (mid-July 2012), but it has never happened before.
I had exactly the same symptoms - I got a dark blue screen saying "Preparing Windows ..."; this took a minute or two, then the Desktop appeared with many of my additional icons missing; all the personalisation that I had carried out, both to Windows programs and installed applications, seemed to have been lost, as all the options were at their default settings.
Having spent a long time trying to work out what might have happened, I eventually decided to do a Restart, and lo and behold, everything returned to normal! Very bizarre. I cannot explain this. It will be interesting to see if it happens again, as others have reported.

hvdberge · Answer 4 · Aug 30, 2013 5:49PM PDT

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Answer

fast boot

by hvdberge Aug 30, 2013 5:49PM PDT

I have the same problem, it happens not all the time, just occassionally. I read somewhere that it might have something to do with the fast boot option in Windows 8. I disabled this option in the control panel, in the energy savings section. You can find this option under the 'change settings for on/off button' on the left side, scroll down. (I have a Dutch version of Windows 8, so I'm not sure how it is named in English). It seems that the problem has gone now, but I am not sure that it stays away.

Random 'preparing windows' screen after 3 months of usage?

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