I've been encountering this issue for the past 2 months in my Asus FX553VD laptop.

Whenever I hit "restart", I get into this "Preparing to configure Windows. Don't turn off your computer" screen for hours. And after that, the computer reboots like nothing happened. Because of that, when I want to "restart" my laptop, I usually shut it down and then turn it back on.

It annoys me because there are some time where I accidentally/unconsciously press the "restart" button and got stuck in the screen, like now, and I actually need it now to be functional.

After I did a hard reboot, and then it boots up and I got stuck into the preparing to configure screen again. Did another hard reboot and still the same. How do i resolve this?

Few notes:

- I've already tried to "Reset This PC" through the recovery option at the past; doesn't help.

- I've blocked a certain update but I forgot what is the number

- Unable to access Safe Mode (by pressing F8) during boot up

[Moved from: Windows / Windows 10 / Windows update, recovery, & backup]

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You see this message usually when Windows is doing an update to your computer. If it doesn't continue, most of the time it is being caused by a program or a damaged system files. This should have been already resolved by resetting the PC, albeit it depends on how it was reset, whether it is a complete wipe out or keeping the files from your computer.

When this happens, what we can recommend is to do a clean boot to your computer and check if the updates for your computer will be applied without being stuck to this message. For guidance on how to do a clean boot, kindly visit the link provided here and see if it helps: How to perform a clean boot in Windows.

Let us know if you need further assistance.

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Harassment is any behavior intended to disturb or upset a person or group of people. Threats include any threat of violence, or harm to another. Any content of an adult theme or inappropriate to a community web site. Any image, link, or discussion of nudity. Any behavior that is insulting, rude, vulgar, desecrating, or showing disrespect. Any behavior that appears to violate End user license agreements, including providing product keys or links to pirated software. Unsolicited bulk mail or bulk advertising Any link to or advocacy of virus, spyware, malware, or phishing sites. Any other inappropriate content or behavior as defined by the Terms of Use or Code of Conduct. Hateful content that attacks, insults, or degrades someone because of a protected trait, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability status, or caste. Any content about suicide and self-harm that could be dangerous. Any image, link, or discussion related to child pornography, child nudity, or other child abuse or exploitation.