Windows 8 Startup menu: Troubleshoot boot issues in developer preview

Windows 8 Boot menu

Windows 8 Startup menu is the right place to start troubleshooting boot issues. This handy tool can help you to troubleshoot issues in cases where Windows 8 developer preview does not boot properly, when it goes into a boot-loop (constantly rebooting), and in many other scenarios — that we’ll be exploring in future articles.

In this article I am going to guide you through the steps using Windows 8 Startup menu to troubleshoot and repair boot issues.

Step #1

In order to get to the Windows 8 Startup menu in developer preview, you’ll need to reboot your computer, as soon you see that the computer starts (before the POST finishes), hit F8 in your keyboard and the system will go into the new Startup menu — that also has a Metro style user interface, it is touch enabled and you can even use the mouse. Pretty cool, right?  –. Then you’ll be presented with 3 options, click Troubleshoot (Refresh or reset your PC, or use advanced tools).

Windows 8 Boot menu

Step #2

Click on Advanced options from the menu to get into the Automatic Repair menu.

Windows 8 Troubleshoot menu

Step #3

Next, click the Automatic repair (Fix some problems that keep Windows from loading) from the menu.

Windows 8 Advanced options

Step #4

Now Windows 8 Developer Preview — Automatic repair will ask you to choose an account to continue.

Windows 8 Automatic repair - Choose an account to continue 

Step #5

Enter the account password and click Continue.

Windows 8 Automatic repair - Account password

Now Windows will search for problems and if any is found it will be repaired.

Windows 8 Searching for problems

Then a report will be shown to you — Startup Repair. If Windows wasn’t successful finding any problems, you will get a notification that says: Startup Repair could not repair your computer. At this point you can click Restart to boot into Windows 8 or click Advanced options to keep troubleshooting.

Windows 8 Startup repair - Could not repair your computer

The alternative

If everything worked out fine, your computer will now boot properly. Now in the case you got the error below:

Windows Recovery Environment 

Your PC needs to be repaired 

Windows failed to load because a requred file is meassing or curropt 

File NDIS.SYS

Error Code: 0xc0000221

Your PC doesn’t have the Windows Recovery Environment installed. You’ll need to use the recovery tools on your installation media. If you don’t have any installation media (like a disk or USB device) contact your system administrator or PC manufacture.

Press Enter to try again.

You can try Windows Repair Environment using your installation media (e.g., DVD or USB drive). Just insert the media into the computer, restart — make sure your system is configured to boot from the media you are using –. Let Windows 8 Developer Preview load the files. Once you are in the graphical interface environment, click Next, and instead of clicking Install Now, click on Repair your computer link that is located in the bottom-left hand corner of the window. Then just follow the normal repair steps I mentioned above.

Hopefully this will help you to repair any boot issues in this early release of the next Microsoft’s operating system Windows 8. 

If you also would like to know how to uninstall Windows 8 Developer Preview, there are a few things that you need to know about that. Curious? Click here to read the article

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About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.