Before we toss you a digital life preserver, lets get the details from Lifehacker readerPatchkek.
The question:
I have a Windows 10 desktop.
The ones I tried didnt work well, until I found the Revert to a previous date option.
Computer went back on and functioned normally.
Unfortunately I still receive the windows did not load properly screen every several days.
Im running Windows 10 on a Mac.
I was thinking of completely wiping out windows and then reloading it.
Maybe I have a virus or bug ?
The humble answer:
For what its worth, youre not alone on this one.
I suspect that might be the case here.
Before we go nuclear, though, lets try a few things.
The last major Windows 10 update that would have probably affected you was the big 1909 update fromNovember.
Oh, except for KB4535996, which even Microsoft suggested users uninstall.
So, lets start there.
If you could, great!
If not, there goes that troubleshooting technique.
Theres no guarantee this will fix things, but its worth exploring before you take more drastic measures.
From there, try running a simple chkdsk /f to conform there arent any issues with your file system.
Youll want to usesome other techniquesto confirm youre ok (or headed toward disaster).
you might also run sfc /verifyonly followed by sfc /scannow in the same elevated command prompt.
If the first command found any corruption in your Windows system files, the second command should fix them.
Once youve finished this, consider pulling up the Windows Troubleshooter.
Pull up the old-school Control Panel (via the Start Menu) and select Troubleshooting.
Then, press Fix problems with Windows Update, and see what the utility finds (if anything!)
This should boot you into Windows 10’sAdvanced Startupoptions menu.
If all else fails, then a wipe and restore might be your best option.
Dont worry; it takes a lot less time than it sounds like.
