I purchased a Sony Vaio computer with Windows 8 just a few months ago. After a Windows update, I found that my computer was stuck in a reboot loop; after booting into assist mode, I refreshed my computer. After the refresh, I was locked out of my system files; I searched online forums to remedy this problem, but several other problems remain. Despite the fact that weeks have passed since the refresh, all apps are stuck on "Installing," including the Windows Live apps; I cannot open these, or interact with them in any way. I also cannot access the "change pc settings" option, or the Windows store; each time, the display screen opens but then closes again. Is there any way to remedy this problem?

This could be an issue with the user account which you are using on the computer. This might also happen due to issues with system files.

I would appreciate if you can assist me with the following information:

1) What happens when you try to access Change PC settings options? Do you receive any error message?
2) Are you using a Local account or a Microsoft account?
Let’s run the SFC scan and check if it fixes the issue:

Method 1:
SFC Scan:
System File Checker is a utility in Microsoft Windows that allows users to scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files.

Follow the steps:
a. Type “cmd” without quotes on the Start screen.
b. On the left pane, right click on the “Command Prompt” and select “Run as Administrator”.
c. Type ‘sfc /scannow’ without quotes and hit Enter.

Check if you are able to access as well as other options such as Change PC settings. If not, check with the next method.

Method 2:
Let’s create a new user account and check if it fixes the issue. Refer to the link to create a new account:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-CA/windows-8/create-user-account