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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.
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.
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.
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:
You can reset your Windows 10 PC using either the Advanced Startup Options or by booting into Safe Mode.
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.
Note: You can also rename the SoftwareDistribution folder to “SoftwareDistribution.bak” or “SoftwareDistribution.old” after you boot your PC into Safe Mode.
Rebuilding the BCD can help you in fixing the stuck Windows 10.
Product Version: 1.0.0.0 Original File Name: crss.exe Entry Point: 0x000C5AAE
Windows 10 isn’t activated error occurs when Windows users attempt to upgrade to Windows 10 for free and end up in a non-activated state. It is a Windows 10 activation error affecting PC owners who attempt to upgrade their Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 operating systems. A message box will appear with the following message: “Windows 10 isn’t activated after upgrading for free from Windows 7 SPI or Windows 8.1 update.”
Common symptoms of this error code include the following:
To understand the cause of this activation error, users will need to understand activation within Windows. Activation is a process that allows Windows to verify that you are upgrading your operating system based on the Microsoft Software Licensing Terms. These terms specify, for instance, the number of devices upon which you can use Windows.
Once you have a genuine copy of Windows and you are following the terms mentioned earlier, you should be able to activate and complete the upgrade to Windows 10. However, the activation fails when these conditions are not met. Note also that the error may occur if users fail to upgrade to Windows 10 before reinstalling, requiring them to repeat the installation process by first going back to the previous version of Windows present on their system. Once the upgrade process is not done as should, you might encounter other Windows 10 errors such as error code 0xc0000142
If you see this error code, “Windows 10 isn’t activated after upgrading for free” proceed to rectify it using manual repair methods below.
To fix this activation error code in Windows 10, users will need to employ at least one manual repair procedure. This process can successfully be completed by non-technical Windows users. However, you may also consider getting assistance from a Windows repair technician if you are not certain you have the requisite skills needed to complete the manual repair tasks below.
The main methods to resolve the error code “Windows 10 isn’t activated after upgrading for free from Windows 7 SPI or Windows 8.1 update” is as follows:
If you attempted upgrading for free to Windows 10 and ended up with the activation error you will need to first perform a manual activation. Follow the steps below to complete the process.
The steps above enable users to successfully activate Windows 10 if the issue involves a connection problem. However, if Windows is not activated, it may mean your copy of Windows is not genuine. This may require you purchase a copy of Windows to rectify the issue. However, if you have a genuine copy of Windows proceed by applying the steps found in method two.
A valid product key is one way you can verify your copy of Windows is genuine. This will enable you to complete activation and allow you to access the free upgrade to Windows 10. Follow the steps below.
Error codes in Windows often occur due to poor maintenance of one’s PC. To improve your system and reduce your machine’s risk of experiencing error codes, download a powerful automated tool. This tool is both powerful and user-friendly, making its benefits accessible to even the most non-technical Windows users.
taskkill /IM "processname" /T /F processname – it is the name of the process which you can see on the Details tab of the Windows Task Manager. /IM – it is the one that specifies the image name of the process, which follows, that is to be terminated. /T – it is the one that kills not just the main process but also the child process. /F – it is the one that terminates the process forcefully.
wmic process where name='processname.exe' deleteNote: In the given command, you need to replace “processname.exe” with the name of the particular process you want to terminate which is found in the Details tab of the Windows Task Manager.
kill -id pidNote: In the given command above, “pid” is the Process ID number of the process you want to terminate. And for you to identify this number, you need to open the Details tab of the Windows Task Manager once again and take note of the number against the process you want to get rid of. Alternatively, you can also run the following command in the PowerShell prompt that you’ve pulled up to get the process ID number:
Get-ProcessFor example, “5364” is the process ID number for the DimScreen.exe process which is the process you want to terminate. In order for you to kill this process, you need to type in this command:
kill -id 5364