If the PC in which Windows 8 was installed refuses to boot, you absolutely have to find a way to restore it. With Windows 8, Microsoft has made it easier to restore system startup when there are problems and has integrated an automatic troubleshooting and troubleshooting tool.
There are two alternative ways to restart Windows 8 when it no longer works .
The first, the simplest, assumes that a Windows 8 recovery disk has been created in advance and when the computer is still working properly.
The second mode, on the other hand, is the one to be used for emergencies, if you have not prepared yourself with a recovery disk or with a backup and nothing.
1) To create Windows 8 USB drive or recovery disk that can be used to start Windows 8 repair options in case of error when starting the PC, follow the instructions of the linked article.
In Windows 8, unlike Windows 7, you can create a recovery disk on a USB stick without having to burn a DVD.
When Windows 8 does not start, insert the recovery USB stick into your computer and boot it from USB.
Obviously, it will be necessary to enter the boot menu of the computer before the error appears, therefore you must press the key indicated at the beginning on the black screen, such as "boot Menu".
SEE: How to change the boot order of the computer
Select the CD / DVD player as the bootable media and press Enter to set it as the primary boot device.
After the repair disc has loaded, select the Advanced option to access the Windows 8 recovery console.
Here you can use the system image to restore your computer or reload a previous restore point.
ALSO READ the guide to create a backup image of Windows 8.1
After the repair tool has finished, restart your computer from the hard drive hoping that the problem does not come from a broken disk (in this case you need to change it).
2) If Windows 8 no longer starts and you don't have a recovery disc or a system image, you can use the installation disc .
First of all then, create the Windows 8 installation DVD or USB stick if you don't already have it.
Insert the Windows installation disc into the computer and start the PC from a CD player or USB stick (see How to change the boot order of the computer).
Click Next and, instead of clicking Install, select the computer recovery option at the bottom left.
The troubleshooting screen contains some options well explained in another article: Restore, reinstall or reinitialize Windows 8 .
Among these, one must attempt to reinitialize or restore.
3) If you are unable to reinitialize Windows 8, before proceeding with the complete reinstallation of the system you can save all the data with a simple backup.
If you are using a Windows 8 disk, select Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Command Prompt .
Alternatively, if you are unable to download the Windows 8 disc, download the Windows 7 installation disc because it is okay to repair your computer.
If you are using the Windows 7 installation disc, select the option Restore my computer using a previously created system image, click Next, then Cancel twice.
From the system recovery options window, go to the Command Prompt.
In the command prompt, without getting scared, you just have to write the word notepad and press Enter to start a Notepad window.
Then click on File -> Open in the notepad window and notice that an explorer window opens.
You can use this window to look at the files on your computer, save them and copy them (with the copy and paste) on a USB stick or another hard disk making a backup.
The important thing is to never double click on the files otherwise the Notepad tries to open them and everything freezes.
In this case, go back to the command prompt window, type taskmgr, start the Task Manager, end the locked Notepad and relaunch it again.
Once you are done copying files from your hard drive to another internal or external hard drive, you can always reinstall Windows 8 all over again using the installation disc .
READ ALSO: Start Windows 8 with the advanced boot menu
