How to fix "Getting Windows ready. Don't turn off your computer"? This article will give you the cause of this problem, let you know about 11 different fixes, and give you an easy way to back up your system.
I Desperately Need to Fix ‘Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer’
“My notebook computer cannot choose to reset the system due to a problem with the Optane memory module. When I restarted my computer, it was installing some Windows updates and it said on the screen: Getting Windows ready. Don't turn off your computer. But now that an hour has passed, it is still continuing to update and seems to be stuck. What I've found on the web is to keep waiting for it for 3 hours, but it's midnight and I want to sleep. But without moving the mouse, my computer goes to sleep again. I desperately need a working fix, can anyone help me?”
Windows 10 is not as stable as you think, and when you turn on, turn off, or restart your computer, you may encounter the problems described in this case. In fact, it's just Windows doing the prep work. Some users may be ready in minutes, but many more take hours, looking like it's stuck in a loop. You can try to fix it by referring to the following methods, but before doing so, it is recommended that you first understand the cause of this problem.
Understanding why computer is stuck on "Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer" window can help us solve this problem. The following are common reasons:
● Internet connection is too slow or network outages. ● Your computer is running too slowly. ● The operating system needs to be installed with a large number of updates due to a long period of non-update. ● The update file is corrupted. ● The update file is not compatible with your operating system. ● Software incompatibility. ● External device conflict.
“Getting Windows ready. Don't turn off your computer”. How long to wait? The answer given by Microsoft officials is a few minutes. But according to the feedback from a large number of users, it usually takes 1-3 hours. The exact time will depend on your computer, but it will take you a long time anyway. To save time, here are 11 methods you can try in turn to fix this problem.
This problem is easy to encounter when you haven't updated your operating system for a long time. From the feedback from Microsoft technicians, they recommend that you wait a little longer for the computer to download and install the update file. The advice we give is to wait 2-3 hours. If the “Getting Windows ready” stuck problem persists beyond this time, it is recommended that you try other methods to fix it.
You can reset your computer by pressing the power button, which will clear all information in memory. The good thing is that it doesn't affect disk data. It's a worthwhile method to try and maybe fix your computer stuck on getting Windows ready.
When your internet connection is too slow, it can cause Windows update times to take longer. To do this, you need to check if the internet connection is working. And if necessary, try to disconnect the internet connection.
Whether you're using a wired or Wi-Fi connection, check your router. You can first unplug the cable and plug it back into the router to see if it works. If you're in a hurry to use your computer, you can also try simply shutting down the router, disconnecting from the internet. Then seeing if that fixes "Getting Windows ready. Don't turn off your computer" problem.
Startup Repair can help you fix many system problems, you can try this method when you encounter "Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer".
Incorrect Windows updates and software can cause compatibility issues, triggering issues like "Computer stuck on getting Windows ready". To do this, you can uninstall them in Safe Mode.
SoftwareDistribution is the folder where Windows downloads and stores update files. If any of the files in this folder become corrupted, it may cause problems like "Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer". For this, you can fix this problem by resetting Windows 10 update components.
Note✍: After renaming the SoftwareDistribution folder, the next time Windows will automatically create a new SoftwareDistribution folder for downloading and storing error-free update files.
If your system files are corrupted, it can also cause Windows update times to be extended indefinitely. To do this, you can run the System File Checker (SFC) to repair corrupted files.
This command will take you some time, wait for the process to finish. Then restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed.
If you have created a system restore point using the Windows snap-in tool, you can fix this problem by means of system restore when you encounter "Getting Windows ready” stuck problem.
If System Restore doesn't work, you can also try resetting your computer to fix issues like "Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer".
If none of the above methods can help you fix the problem, then you are left with the last method - reinstalling the Windows 10 system, which can help you fix this problem effectively.
I believe the above 11 methods can help you fix "Getting Windows ready. Don’t turn off your computer" issue. But if you have to reset the computer or reinstall the system to fix this problem, you will need to spend a lot of time and face serious data loss. Therefore, it is recommended that you use AOMEI Backupper Standard for system backup.
When you face system problems or system crashes, you can use the system image file to quickly restore to the previous state (including installed programs and personal data, etc.). This method not only saves time and effort, but also keeps your data safe.
AOMEI Backupper Standard is a professional system backup software that can easily backup system partition, boot partition, recovery partition, etc. to an image file. But before making a system backup, it is recommended that you do the following preparations:
▶ You can clean the system first and delete useless files in it to save your space. If you upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional, you can also use differential backup, which can further save your storage space while improving backup efficiency. ▶ You need to download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard on your computer first:
Tips✍: Before starting the backup, you can customize the settings by clicking the three options in the lower left corner. ◑ Options: You can annotate the current backup to better distinguish it from other backup tasks. You can also choose whether to enable encrypted backups and email notifications, where encrypted backups are a paid feature that requires an upgrade to the Professional version. ◑ Schedule: You can enable scheduled backups, and customize daily, weekly, monthly, event-triggers, and USB plug in. The last two can be used in Professional. ◑ Scheme: You can choose the backup method (incremental backup, full backup and differential backup), or you can turn on automatic cleanup backup. Among them, differential backup and automatic cleanup backup require you to upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional.
Note✍: If your system is stored in the C drive, when the system is backed up, the programs, files and personal data (photos, music, text files, etc.) in the C drive will be backed up with the operating system.
In addition to system backup, AOMEI Backupper also has the following features that may interest you:
✡ You can create bootable media in case the system crashes or fails to boot. And use the previously created system backup image file to quickly restore the system to the previous state through the system restore function. ✡ If you want to migrate your system or data to another hard drive (such as your newly purchased SSD), you can use the Clone function of AOMEI Backupper, which can easily achieve a complete migration in a few simple steps. ✡ You can also use the Disk Backup feature of AOMEI Backupper Standard if you want to provide security for all the data in the disk.
How to fix "Getting Windows ready. Don't turn off your computer"? You need to understand the cause of this problem first, and then try to fix it by referring to the above 11 solutions. When you have successfully fixed this issue, you can use AOMEI Backupper Standard for system backup. So next time you encounter a similar problem, you can use the system image file to quickly restore your system.
AOMEI Backupper Standard is a professional system backup software that can complete system backup in just a few simple steps, even a computer novice can easily get started. Besides, it can also help you fix other errors such as “Windows 10 inaccessible boot device after clone”.