There are cases when your Windows 10 PC can encounter an issue where it gets stuck and will display a message that says, “Preparing Security Options”. If this is happening to your Windows 10 PC, you won’t be able to use your keyboard or even mouse and your screen will only be stuck on the screen as mentioned above.
As your computer is still stuck, you will be left with no choice but to shut it down and restart it. Tap the F11 key as soon as your PC powers on. This will take you to the Advanced Startup options where you can carry out some steps. If it still didn’t work, you have to boot your Windows 10 PC into Safe Mode and then try out the troubleshooting options below.
Option 1 – Try using System Restore
You can do this option either by booting into Safe Mode or in System Restore. If you are already in the Advanced Startup Options, just directly select System Restore and proceed with the next steps. And if you have just booted your PC into Safe Mode, refer to the steps below.
- Tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- After that, type in “sysdm.cpl” in the field and tap Enter.
- Next, go to the System Protection tab then click the System Restore button. This will open a new window where you have to select your preferred System Restore point.
- After that, follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process and then restart your computer and check if the problem is fixed or not.
Option 2 – Uninstall the Windows Updates you’ve installed recently
The issue could be caused by Windows Updates so you need to check if it’s indeed the case. The best way you can do so is via Safe Mode.
- Boot your PC into Safe Mode and then tap the Win + I keys to open Settings.
- After that, click on Update and Security and then select Windows Update from the left side menu column.
- Next, select the “View installed update history” option on the right-side column and click on Uninstall Updates which will open a window that will show the list of all the installed updates on your PC.
- From there, select the update you want to uninstall and click the Uninstall button located in the lower right corner of the window.
Option 3 – Try disabling the Fast Startup
- Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
- Then tap the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
- Next, type in “control” to open Control Panel.
- After that, select Hardware and Sound and click on Power Options.
- Select “Choose what the power buttons do” from the left side menu pane and click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Afterward, uncheck the “Turn on fast startup (Recommended)” entry and click on Save Changes.
- Now restart your PC and check if the problem’s fixed.
Option 4 – Try running both the SFC scan and CHKDSK utility
You can do both SFC and CHKDSK using Safe Mode and Advanced Startup options. For Advanced Startup options, click on the Command Prompt option and proceed with the steps. And if you have booted your computer into Safe Mode, follow these steps:
- Tap the Win + X keys or right-click on the Start button and click Command Prompt (admin).
- After that, type in this command and tap Enter to run the System File Checker or SFC – “Sfc /scannow”.
- Alternatively, you can use this command instead if the previous command didn’t work – “sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c: /offwindir=c:windows”.
- Wait until the SFC scan is done with the process and then restart your PC.
- Next, run the CHKDSK utility and once it’s done checking your disk for errors and then reboot your PC to save the changes made.
Option 5 – Try resetting Windows 10
You can reset your Windows 10 PC using either the Advanced Startup Options or by booting into Safe Mode.
- Tap the Win + I keys and go to Update and Security > Recovery.
- Then click on Get Started under the Reset this PC section.
- After that, follow the on-screen instructions with how you want to reset your PC and what files and settings you want to revert.
- Then it will reset your PC by reinstalling it
Option 6 – Try to rename the SoftwareDistribution folder
In this option, the Command Prompt is supposed to be like the one in option 4. You can use both ways there to open the Command Prompt.
- Open an elevated Command Prompt as admin and type in the commands below and tap Enter right after you typed in each one of them
- net stop wuauserv
- net stop bits
- rename c:windowsSoftwareDistribution SoftwareDistribution.bak
- net start wuauserv
- net start bits
Note: You can also rename the SoftwareDistribution folder to “SoftwareDistribution.bak” or “SoftwareDistribution.old” after you boot your PC into Safe Mode.
Option 7 – Try rebuilding BCD
Rebuilding the BCD can help you in fixing the stuck Windows 10.
- You can start by booting into the installation environment for Windows 10 from an installation media.
- After that, click on Repair your computer and on the blue screen, select Troubleshoot and then select the Advanced options menu.
- Next, select Command Prompt and type in the commands below one by one, and tap Enter right after you do so.
- exe /FixMbr
- exe /FixBoot