Tutorial to Fix It Looks Like Windows Didn’t Load Correctly Error

"I just upgraded Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 Pro and always shut down my PC correctly, but often when I start my computer, I get the Recovery: It looks like Windows didn’t load correctly screen, I have to turn it off and then on, then my computer boot normally, how to fix this problem, please help."

We found that many Windows 10 users have encountered this problem. It interrupts the Windows load process and is annoying.

Don’t worry! We are going to share the basic knowledge related to this error and tell you how to fix it quickly in this tutorial.

In this tutorial, we are going to tell you how to get rid of the directory name is invalid error effectively.

• Part 1: Windows couldn’t load correctly error on Windows 8, 8.1, 10
• Part 2: Causes of windows didn’t load correctly
• Part 3: How to fix 'Windows couldn't load correctly' in Windows 10, 8.1, 8 or 7
• Part 4: How to recover lost files after Windows didn’t load correctly

Part 1: Windows couldn’t load correctly error on Windows 8, 8.1, 10

In addition to Windows 10, some Windows 8/8.1 users complained about Windows didn’t load correctly boot error. When people try to turn on their computer, they get the blue screen with a message said:

Windows couldn’t load correctly;

Windows couldn’t start correctly;

Or, Windows couldn’t restart correctly.

Part 2: Causes of windows didn’t load correctly

The most common causes of Windows didn’t load correctly include:

1. System files are corrupted. If key system files are corrupted due to wrong operations, virus, and more, Windows cannot load normally.

2. File system is damaged. Windows relies on file system to read files and load itself, so you cannot access Windows when file system is damaged.

3. Another common cause of this issue is that BCD is missing. That may be caused by disk write errors, bad sector, malicious programs or configuration errors.

Part 3: How to fix 'Windows couldn't load correctly' in Windows 10, 8.1, 8 or 7

In this part, we will share multiple solutions on how to fix Windows didn't load correctly in Windows 10/8.1/8/7.

Solution 1: Check disk status with Windows Security & Maintenance

Windows built-in Maintenance tool allows users to check the disk status and learn if Windows didn’t load correctly error is due to disk damage.

Step 1: Open your "Control Panel" from the "Start" menu. Go to "System and Security", you can go to "Security and Maintenance".

Step 2: Click on "Maintenance" to expand it, and then scroll down to "Drive status" area. If there is something wrong on your boot drive, you can repair or fix it to complete troubleshooting.

Solution 2: Fix load problem in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a diagnostic startup mode in Windows that is used to gain limited access to Windows and troubleshooting. So, it could fix Windows didn’t load correctly error.

Step 1: Keep pressing "F8" or "Shift + F8" while booting the computer.

Step 2: On Windows 7, the Advanced Boot Options screen will show up directly. And you can select "Safe Mode" to boot into Safe Mode.

On Windows 10/8/8.1, click "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced Options" > "Startup Settings" and click the "Restart" button. When Startup Settings screen pops up, choose "Safe Mode" to go into it. Now, the load error should not occur.

Solution 3: Fix Windows load issue by chkdsk

Chkdsk is a simple way to repair your disk and help you to get rid of Windows didn’t load correctly error.

Step 1: First of all, boot into Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

Step 2: When the command prompt window pops up, input "chkdsk [boot drive letter] /f" and click the "Enter" button.

Step 3: Wait for the process to complete and reboot your PC into normal mode.

Solution 4: Fix Windows didn’t load correctly through restore

If you have made backups for your PC, simply restoring it could fix Windows didn’t load correctly error caused by wrong configurations.

Step 1: Make a Windows 10 DVD or bootable USB, insert it to your PC and restart it.

Step 2: Follow the onscreen instructions until you reach the Windows Installation screen, go to "Repair your computer" > "Troubleshoot" and click "System Restore".

Step 3: Then complete rest steps and fix Windows load problem.

Solution 5: Rebuild Windows BCD with bootrec

As mentioned before, missing BCD may trigger the Windows didn’t load correctly error. So, follow the steps below to rebuild Windows BCD.

Step 1: Open the Advanced Boot Options screen by hitting F8 key while PC booting.

Step 2: Select Command Prompt to open a command prompt window without loading Windows.

Step 3: Perform the commands below one by one:

bootrec.exe /fixmbr

bootrec.exe /fixboot

bootrec.exe /rebuildbcd

Step 4: Finally, restart your PC to let bootrec rebuild BCD.

Part 4: How to recover lost files after Windows didn’t load correctly

If you find your files are lost after windows didn’t load correctly error occurs, Apeaksoft Data Recovery could help you to recover them. Its key features include:

1. Recover lost files in one click.

2. File recovery in various situations, including Windows didn’t load.

3. Support a variety of data types and formats.

4. Restore lost files in original status, format and quality.

5. Preview lost files for selectively recovery.

6. Quicker, safer and lightweight.

7. Available to Windows 10/8.1/8/Vista/XP.

In short, the best data recovery software almost equips all features you are looking for.

How to recover lost files after Windows didn’t load correctly

Step 1: Look for lost files by types

Download and install Data Recovery on your PC. When discover files are lost due to Windows didn’t load correctly, launch the program.

Select what file types to recover under Data Type section and where the files stored originally. Then click on the “Scan” button to start looking for lost files.

Step 2: Preview before lost files recovery

When result window pops up, select a file type, and then you can look at all readable files on right pane. The "Filter" function at top ribbon is able to find a single file quickly. Moreover, the "Deep Scan" function at upper right corner could recover more files.

Step 3: Recover lost files in one click

Make sure to select all desired files deleted by Windows didn’t load correctly error by checking corresponding boxes. Then click on the "Recover" button to restore your files to a proper destination.

Conclusion

Now, you should understand what you should do when Windows didn’t load correctly error pops up. This error may be caused by various facts and we identified the most common ones in this post. Moreover, we have told you how to troubleshoot with multiple solutions. If you want to recover lost files when Windows didn’t load correctly, Apeaksoft Data Recovery is the best option. All in all, we wish that our tutorial is helpful to you.