Windows is a great operating system, but sometimes certain bugs can occur. Speaking of which, users reported that Windows can get stuck on a Welcome screen.
Disabling the credentials manager should do the trick
A computer gets stuck on the Welcome screen usually after an update or after entering a password.
A quick fix for that is to scan the OS for system bugs. Also, the Internet connection might be interfering sometimes.
Some recent changes within your settings or new software can also prompt this problem.
Make sure to check your network and device, as well as change faulty system settings.
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Today we’re going to show you precisely what to do to solve this.
Why won’t my PC get past the welcome screen?
This problem usually appears right after some changes have been made to your system. Many Windows users experience it after installing OS updates.
This can indicate that something went wrong during the updates and the process was not completed as it should have.
If you have not recently updated Windows, consider other changes you have made. Did you recently install any new software? Some apps may be incompatible with the OS, or you may have downloaded malware in the process.
Other things that can lead to this problem are corrupt drivers and registry entries, outdated software, and startup issues.
Thankfully, there are simple ways to manage all these problems and log back into Windows without much hassle. Follow the guide below to learn how.
Depending on your Windows, the way this affects your system can vary. The instructions in this article can help you solve the following problems:
- Windows 10 and 11 stuck on Welcome screen after entering a password this does not necessarily mean your password is incorrect, but rather an underlying system error
- Windows 10 and 11 stuck on Welcome screen before login – some users report not being able to even try to login into their Windows account
- Windows 10 and 11 stuck on Welcome screen spinning circle – loading time seems to take forever, even on multiple attempts to login
- Windows 10 and 11 stuck on Welcome screen even in Safe Mode – in this case, you will have to use the Automatic Repair troubleshooter to scan and fix your system
- Windows 10 and 11 stuck in Welcome screen after update – your update was not properly installed, this can happen when the update process is interrupted, often by a bad Internet connection or electricity fluctuations
How can I fix Windows 10 getting stuck on the Welcome screen?
1. Disconnect from the Internet
According to users, Windows 10 gets stuck on the login screen because it’s trying to connect to your wireless connection.
To fix this issue, be sure to temporarily disable your Wi-Fi and check if that solves the problem. If you’re not a network administrator, you can unplug your Wi-Fi dongle and check if that solves the problem.
If you don’t use a Wi-Fi connection at all, disconnect your Ethernet cable and check if the problem still appears.
Few users also suggest to use an Ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi.
According to them, disabling the Wi-Fi and connecting the PC directly to a router fixed the problem, so you might want to try that as well.
2. Check your hardware
According to users, sometimes this issue can occur due to faulty hardware such as a faulty internal SD card.
To fix it, users had to disconnect the problematic device from the motherboard.
This solution might require you to open your computer case, so if your PC is still under warranty or if you don’t know how to properly remove hardware, you should try a different solution.
3. Disconnect your USB devices
Many users utilize all sorts of USB devices such as keyboards, mice, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi adapters.
A few users reported that their PC was stuck on the Welcome screen due to their USB keyboard and mouse.
To fix the problem, you just disconnect all your USB devices, including your keyboard and mouse, and try to boot without them.
Users also reported that disconnecting all USB devices fixed the problem for them, so be sure to try that.
5. Disable Credential Manager
- Enter Safe Mode as shown in the first solution.
- Press Windows Key + R and enter services.msc. Press Enter or click OK.
- In the Services window, locate the Credential Manager service on the list and double-click it to open its properties.
- When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Disabled and click Apply and OK to save changes.
- Restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.
Some users claim that this problem occurred on their PC because Credential Manager was disabled, so if this service is disabled on your PC, be sure to enable it and check if that solves the problem.
4. Use a debugging software
One of the easiest ways to quickly troubleshoot the problem, even if you don’t know the cause, is to use a system restoring and optimization software such as Restoro.
The tool will thoroughly scan your PC and find corrupted files or faulty registry entries that might have led to your device freezing on the log-in screen.
Most certainly, Restoro will also look into other processes that affect your system’s performance in order to improve it and prevent similar crashes in the future.
Since you can’t access the full system, you will most probably have to install the tool in Safe Mode, which runs on minimal resources.
- Restart your PC while it boots. Repeat this step several times until you see the Preparing Automatic Repair message.
- When that happens, click on Advanced options.
- Now choose to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings. Click the Restart button.
- Once your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select any version of Safe Mode by pressing the appropriate key.
Using Restoro is extremely intuitive and no further action will be necessary on your part. Besides, once you have the software, you will be able to use it for further monitoring your device performance parameters and take the appropriate actions.
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Users also claim that this problem was caused by Windows Update service. To fix the problem, you need to change the startup type of this service. To do that, you just have to follow these steps:
- Open the Services window.
- Locate Windows Update service on the list and double-click it to open its properties.
- When the Properties window opens, set the Startup type to Automatic (Delayed Start) and click on Apply and OK to save changes.
After doing that, restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.
Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is.Click here to download and start repairing.
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6. Disable the Fast Startup feature
- Press Windows Key + S and enter control panel. Select Control Panel from the list of results.
- When Control Panel opens, select Power Options.
- Select Choose what the power button does from the menu on the left.
- Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Uncheck Turn on fast startup (recommended) option and click on Save changes.
After you disable the Fast Startup feature, your PC might start a bit slower but the problem with the Welcome screen should be fixed.
Fast Startup is a useful Windows 10 feature because it saves your data once you shut down your PC allowing it to start faster. however, you should monitor it in case it causes trouble such as this one.
7. Remove your laptop battery
If you’re having this problem with your laptop, you might be able to fix it by removing its battery. Simply turn off your laptop and remove the battery for a minute or two.
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Then, insert the battery back and check if the problem still appears. If you have an extra laptop battery, you can try replacing your old battery and check if that helps.
8. Remove SmartPass
Everybody uses third-party applications, but sometimes these applications can interfere with your operating system and cause this and other problems to appear.
Several users reported that the SmartPass application was responsible for this problem on their PC. To fix the issue, you need to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode and uninstall the problematic application.
After removing the application, check if the issue still persists.
9. Remove your fingerprint reader software
A fingerprint reader is one of the best ways to protect your PC from unauthorized access, however, certain problems with it can occur.
Several users claim that this issue was caused by fingerprint reader software, and in order to fix the issue you need to remove the software.
To remove the software, first, you need to enter Safe Mode by following the steps from the first solution. After doing that, uninstall the fingerprint reader software and check if the issue is resolved.
10. Remove recently installed updates
- Enter Safe Mode again.
- Open the Settings app. The fastest way to do that is to press Windows Key + I.
- When the Settings app opens, go to Update & security.
- Now click on Update history.
- A list of all recently installed updates will appear. Memorize the names of the recent updates. Click on Uninstall updates.
- Now you should see the list of recent updates. Locate the problematic updates on the list and double-click them to remove them.
If removing the updates fixes the problem, you might want to temporarily prevent Windows from installing these updates.
Windows updates are important, but sometimes these updates can lead to certain problems on your PC.
11. Delete the Ngc directory
- Start your Windows in Safe Mode.
- When Safe Mode starts, navigate to this directory:
- C:WindowsServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalMicrosoft
- Keep in mind that some of these files are hidden so you need to show hidden files and folders. To do that, click the View tab at the top and check Hidden items.
- Look for Ngc folder and try to delete it. By default, this folder is protected by the system, so you’ll need to take ownership over it first. To do that, right click the directory and choose Properties from the menu.
- Go to the Security tab and click on Advanced.
- When the Advanced Settings window opens, click on Change in the Owner section.
- Enter your user name in the Enter the object name to select and click on Check Names button. If everything is in order, click on OK to save changes.
- Check Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and click on Apply and OK to save changes.
- A security warning might appear. Click Yes to continue.
- After doing that, you’ll have full control over the Ngc folder. Now you just have to delete it from your PC.
Once you delete the folder, simply restart your PC and the problem should be resolved. Keep in mind that this solution works if you’re using a PIN number to sign in to Windows 10. If you aren’t using a PIN, this solution might not work for you.
C:WindowsServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalMicrosoft
Keep in mind that some of these files are hidden so you need to show hidden files and folders. To do that, click the View tab at the top and check Hidden items.
12. Disable the wireless WAN adapter in BIOS
If you’re getting stuck on a Welcome screen in Windows 10, you might be able to solve the problem simply by disabling the wireless WAN adapter in BIOS.
To learn more about this feature and to see how to disable it, we strongly suggest that you check your motherboard manual for detailed instructions.
13. Perform an Automatic Repair
- Restart your computer a few times during the boot sequence. Click on the Advanced options button once it appears.
- Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Automatic Repair.
- Automatic Repair will now start. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the repair.
If you can’t find the Automatic Repair option, you can use Startup Repair instead. After you complete the repair process, the issue should be resolved.
14. Use Command Prompt
- Restart your computer a couple of times while your PC boots to start Automatic Repair.
- Click on Advanced options button once it appears.
- Now select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt.
- When Command Prompt opens, enter sfc /scannow to scan and repair your PC. This command will check for file corruption and repair it. Some users are suggesting to use chkdsk c: /f /r command instead, so be sure to try it.
- After the scan is completed, restart your PC and check if the problem still appears.
Several users reported that you can fix this problem simply by using bootrec command. To do that, you need to start Command Prompt by using the steps above and enter one of the following commands (or each in turn) + Enter:
- bootrec /fixmbr
- bootrec /fixboot
- bootrec /scanos
- bootrec /rebuildbcd
After the commands are executed, check if the error message still appears. Some users are suggesting to try using these commands instead:
- bcdedit /export C:BCD_Backup
- C:
- cd boot
- attrib bcd -s -h -r
- ren c:bootbcd bcd.old
- bootrec /RebuildBcd
15. Restart Windows Update service
- Enter Safe Mode as explained above.
- Press Windows Key + X to open Win + X menu and choose Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu. (If Command Prompt isn’t available, you can also use PowerShell as an administrator.)
- When Command Prompt opens, you need to enter the following commands:
- net stop wuauserv
- cd %systemroot%
- ren SoftwareDistribution SD.old
- net start wuauserv
After doing that, close Command Prompt and restart your PC. Now check if the problem is resolved.
- net stop wuauserv
- cd %systemroot%
- ren SoftwareDistribution SD.old
- net start wuauserv
16. Use System Restore
- Restart your PC few times during the boot until the Automatic Repair message appears.
- Now go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Restore.
- Select your username and enter your password.
- Click on Next, select the desired restore point and follow the instructions on the screen to restore your PC.
- After your PC is restored, check if the problem still appears.
Few users claim that performing System Restore fixed the problem for them, so be sure to try it.
Besides, any recent problems will be fixed when choosing to restore your system to a previous state.
17. Reset Windows 10
If the problem still persists, you might want to try resetting Windows 10 as a final solution. Before we start, we have to warn you that a Windows 10 reset will remove all your files from the C drive, so you should back them up.
To back up your files, you’ll need to use Safe Mode. In addition, you might need a Windows 10 installation media, so you might have to use a Media Creation Tool to create it.
After backing up your files, you can reset Windows 10 by following these steps:
- Restart your PC a few times until you start Automatic Repair.
- Choose to Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything.
- For the next step you might be asked to insert Windows 10 installation media, so be sure to have it ready.
- Now select your version of Windows and click on Only the drive where Windows is installed > Just remove my files.
- You should now see a list of changes that the reset will perform. If you’re ready to start, click on Reset button.
- Now follow the instructions on the screen to complete the reset.
Once the reset is complete, you’ll have a fresh installation of Windows and the problem should be permanently fixed.
As we already mentioned, this solution will remove all files from your system drive, so use it only if other solutions can’t fix this problem.
Has your Windows 10 ever got stuck on Login? If such is the case, don’t be shy to share your experience and any other possible solutions by hitting the comments section below.
- windows 10 errorsWindows Update
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