What To Do When Windows 11 Stuck On Getting Things Ready Screen

Why Is Your 🪟 Windows 11 Screen Stuck?

Windows 11 gets stuck on the getting things ready screen when background setup tasks, user account configurations, or system updates freeze unexpectedly. This freezing often happens due to corrupted background files or connected external hardware that disrupts the normal startup sequence.

Sometimes, this process gets stuck. A background file might get corrupted. A piece of external hardware, like a printer or an external hard drive, might be confusing the setup process. In other cases, a recent Windows update 🔃 failed halfway through, leaving your computer in a loop.

Step 1Be Patient and Wait It Out

Waiting one to three hours is the best first action when your computer freezes during major Windows updates or setup processes. Older traditional hard drives and slow internet connections require significantly more time to process large system files before completing the setup.

Major Windows updates move a lot of data. If your computer uses a traditional hard drive instead of a fast solid-state drive (SSD), this takes a very long time. If you have a slow internet connection and Windows is trying to download extra files during setup, it will also take longer.

Give the computer at least one to three hours. If your disk activity light (the small light on your computer case that flashes when the hard drive is working) is blinking, your computer is still working. Do not turn it off yet. Interrupting the computer while it writes system files can break your operating system.

Step 2Unplug All Extra Devices

Disconnecting all non-essential external devices like printers, scanners, and USB flash drives helps fix a computer stuck on the getting things ready screen. Extra peripherals often confuse Windows during startup by forcing the system to install driver updates simultaneously.

Connected devices like printers, scanners, flash drives, and extra monitors often confuse Windows 11 during startup. Windows 11 tries to install drivers for these devices while also trying to finish its own setup. This conflict between device drivers and startup tasks can cause the computer to freeze on the startup screen.

1. Look at your computer and unplug every USB device.
2. Leave only your monitor, mouse, and keyboard plugged in.
3. If you use a laptop, unplug any docking stations.
4. Wait to see if the screen changes.

Step 3Perform a Hard Restart

Performing a hard restart using the physical power button is necessary when your computer remains completely frozen and the normal shutdown menu is unavailable. Pressing and holding the power button for ten to fifteen seconds forces the system to shut down completely so you can reboot.

1. Press and hold the physical power button on your computer or laptop for about 10 to 15 seconds.
2. Do not let go until the screen goes completely black and the computer shuts down.
3. Wait 30 seconds.
4. Press the power button normally to turn the computer back on.

Often, a simple restart clears out the glitch, and Windows will bypass the frozen screen to load your desktop normally.

Step 4Use Safe Mode to Fix Corrupted Files

Booting into Safe Mode lets you fix or remove the specific files causing your computer to freeze on startup screens. Safe Mode starts Windows using only the absolute minimum system files and drivers required to run the operating system.

To get into Safe Mode when you cannot reach the desktop, you will need to interrupt the normal boot process a few times.

1. Turn on your computer.
2. As soon as you see the Windows logo or your computer manufacturer's logo, press and hold the physical power button for 10 seconds to force the computer to shut down.
3. Turn the computer on again and repeat the forced shutdown.
4. Turn the computer on a third time and let it run.
5. Windows will recognize that something is wrong and will boot into the Automatic Repair environment.
6. On the screen that appears, click Advanced options.
7. Go to Troubleshoot, then select Advanced options.
8. Click on Startup Settings and then click the Restart button. Note: You may need an administrator account to complete this step, though the recovery environment often handles it automatically.
9. When your computer restarts again, you will see a list of options. Press the number 4 or F4 on your keyboard to enable Safe Mode.

Once you are in Safe Mode, you can uninstall recent updates or run a system file check to fix broken files.

Step 5Uninstall Recent Quality or Feature Updates

Uninstalling recent updates through the automatic repair environment fixes startup loops caused by faulty Windows update installations. Accessing advanced troubleshooting options allows you to remove the most recent quality or feature update that broke your system.

1. Turn your computer on and off three times as shown in Step 4 to open the Automatic Repair environment.
2. Click Advanced options.
3. Go to Troubleshoot, then select Advanced options.
4. Click on Uninstall Updates.
5. Choose Uninstall latest quality update or Uninstall latest feature update, depending on what caused the issue. Follow the on-screen prompts to finish. Note: This action requires administrator privileges.

Step 6Run System File Checker

Running the built-in System File Checker tool via the command prompt automatically scans for and repairs damaged system files causing Windows to hang. Accessing the recovery environment allows administrators to execute this repair command before the operating system boots normally.

1. Access the recovery environment by turning your computer on and off three times.
2. Click Advanced options, then go to Troubleshoot, and then Advanced options.
3. Click on Command Prompt. Note: This action requires administrator privileges.
4. Type the following command carefully and press the Enter key on your keyboard:
   
   DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
5. Wait for that process to finish. Then, type the following command and press Enter:
   
   sfc /scannow
6. Let the scan run completely. It will find broken files and fix them.
7. Close the command prompt window and restart your computer normally.
   
   

   

   
   

Unique Tip: Disable Fast Startup via Command Prompt

Disabling the Fast Startup feature through the command prompt prevents your computer from getting stuck in setup and configuration loops. Fast Startup pre-loads data to turn your computer on faster, but this process occasionally interferes with normal Windows 11 updates.

If you can access the Command Prompt using the recovery steps mentioned earlier, you can turn off Fast Startup to see if it clears the freeze.

1. Open the Command Prompt from the recovery environment (Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt). Note: This action requires administrator privileges.
2. Type the following command exactly as written and press Enter:
   
   powercfg /hibernate off
3. This command turns off hibernation, which also completely disables Fast Startup.
4. Close the command prompt window and restart your computer.

Unique Tip: Disabling Network Connections During Setup

Cutting off your internet connection during a fresh computer setup bypasses infinite loading loops caused by unstable network downloads and Microsoft account sign-in errors. Disconnecting the ethernet cable or turning off Wi-Fi forces Windows to complete the basic setup offline without interruption.

You can bypass this by cutting off the internet connection entirely.

1. If you use an Ethernet cable, unplug it from the back of your computer.
2. If you are connected to Wi-Fi, turn off your home router temporarily.
3. Restart your computer using the power button.
4. Without internet access, Windows will usually give up on trying to download updates in the background and will let you finish setting up a local offline account or skip the frozen screen.
5. Once you reach your normal desktop screen, you can plug your internet back in and install updates manually at your own pace.

Summary

Fixing a Windows 11 computer stuck on the getting things ready screen involves waiting out background tasks, unplugging extra USB devices, and performing a hard restart. Advanced troubleshooting steps like using Safe Mode, uninstalling bad updates, and running repair commands help resolve persistent startup freezes.