I have Windows 8 Pro and when I restart, the Restarting... screen just hangs. It doesn't go away, so I have to power off my machine(hold power button).

Let us start with couple of questions.

1. Have you made any changes on your computer prior to the issue?

2. What happens on the first boot?

3. Do you have any third party security software installed?

Perform the following troubleshooting methods:

Method 1:

I would suggest you to boot the computer in safe mode and check how it works.

Follow these steps to boot the computer in safe mode.

a. Press the “Windows + R” key on the keyboard.

b. In the ‘Run’ windows type “msconfig” without quotes and click “Ok”.

c. Click the “Boot” tab.

d. Under “Boot Options”, select the “Safe Boot” option.

e. Choose “Network” option below the “Safe boot” check box.

f. Click “Apply” and then “Ok”.

g. Then select “Restart” option.

h. Once you check in safe mode, then I would suggest you to place the computer in normal boot option.

i. Remove the check mark next to “Safe boot” option in “Boot” tab to place the computer in normal boot.

Method 2:

Place the computer in clean boot state and then try to install the program.

You can start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot." A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts.

Step 1:

a. Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b. In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c. Click the ‘Boot’ tab and uncheck ‘Safe Boot’ option.

d. On the ‘General’ tab, click to select the option ‘Selective startup’, and then click to clear the option Load startup items check box.

e. On the ‘Services’ tab, click to select the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ check box, and then click ‘Disable all’.

f. On the ‘Startup’ tab, click ‘Open Task Manager’. In the Task Manager window under startup tab, right click on each startup item which are enabled and select ‘Disable’.

g. Click ‘OK’, and then click Restart.

h. If it works in clean boot state, then follow rest of the steps.

Step 2: Enable half of the services

a. Follow steps 1a and 1b to start the System Configuration utility.

b. Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box.

c. Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list.

d. Click OK, and then click Restart.

Step 3:

a. If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Service list.

b. If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Service list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

c. If only one service is selected in the Service list, and you still experience the problem, the selected service causes the problem. Go to step 6. If no service causes this problem, go to step 4.

Step 4: Enable half of the Startup items

· If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 5: Determine whether the problem returns

a. If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Startup Item list.

b. If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Startup Item list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

c. If only one startup item is selected in the Startup Item list, and you still experience the problem, the startup item that is selected in the list is the service that is causing the problem. Go to step 6.

d. If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 6:

· After you determine the startup item or the service that causes the problem, contact the program manufacturer to determine whether the problem can be resolved. Or, run the System Configuration utility, and then click to clear the check box for the problem item.

Step 7:

Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to boot to normal startup.

a. Press the ‘Windows + R’ key on the keyboard.

b. In the ‘Run’ windows type ’MSCONFIG’ and click ‘Ok’.

c. On the ‘General’ tab, click the ‘Normal Startup’ option, and then click ‘OK’.

d. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click ‘Restart’.

Method 3:

Perform System File Check (SFC), and then check if this fixes the issue.

Follow the steps:

a. Press “Windows Key + Q” to open Charms Bar.

b. Type “cmd” without quotes in the search box.

c. On the left pane, right click on the “cmd” option and select “Run as Administrator”.

d. Type “sfc /scannow” without quotes and hit enter.

Note: It may ask for windows installation DVD to fix and to enable SFC to make more than minor repairs. Some files saved on your computer might get deleted when fixing corrupted files.