Stuck in Automatic Repair on Windows 8 Desktop!

[tberk]

My Dell desktop started rebooting itself yesterday throughout the day and going to my login screen where I could log into my desktop. Today, it reboots and goes to a "Preparing Automatic Repair" screen, stays for a couple seconds, goes to a light blue screen for less than a second and then starts over again. One time, I got a message on the blue screen saying "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" but havent seen that again since. I tried shutting it down and starting it up again and the same thing happens. For a while, it was stuck on a black screen with a windows symbol and a rotating circle at the bottom. I also tried getting into safemode by continuously pressing shift and F8 (as I read on other help pages). That did not do anything. At one point, I thought maybe it was going to fix itself because it took 5 minutes to scan and repair something on drive c (showed a percentage of progress)? But once that was done, the whole rebooting process started again and I cant get into my computer. I also took the battery out and put it back in with no luck.

I have also periodically getting a battery error on a black screen. When I look at the event log in the setup area (after pressing F2 on the black screen), I see CMOS Battery Failure. Can this cause all of the issues I have been getting with the blue screen and the repair mode?

I do not have a Windows 8 disc and I also dont know anyone around here who has Windows 8 to get a recovery disc made. I dont know what to do! But everything I need is on this computer and I need access somehow.

 

[RobWHS]

Can you get into the bios at all?

 

[tberk]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

 

[RobWHS]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

No the actual bios itself so you can at least try to restore it to default settings.
You really need a windows 8 installation disk as the "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" message is a corrupted drivers warning.

I'm assuming the installation is legit right and you have a paid for license?

 

[tberk]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

No the actual bios itself so you can at least try to restore it to default settings.
You really need a windows 8 installation disk as the "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" message is a corrupted drivers warning.

I'm assuming the installation is legit right and you have a paid for license?

The computer was given to me a year ago with the software already installed. I know it is a legit copy but I dont have the information for it. So the only thing it looks like I can do is buy a new disk? Would that wipe out all of my files on the computer? And I dont know how to get to the bios. I am not able to log in the windows - it doesnt even get to that screen.

 

[RobWHS]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

No the actual bios itself so you can at least try to restore it to default settings.
You really need a windows 8 installation disk as the "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" message is a corrupted drivers warning.

I'm assuming the installation is legit right and you have a paid for license?

The computer was given to me a year ago with the software already installed. I know it is a legit copy but I dont have the information for it. So the only thing it looks like I can do is buy a new disk? Would that wipe out all of my files on the computer? And I dont know how to get to the bios. I am not able to log in the windows - it doesnt even get to that screen.

Yes you'll have to either buy a disk or borrow one. What version of Windows 8 is it BTW? PRO?

 

[tberk]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

No the actual bios itself so you can at least try to restore it to default settings.
You really need a windows 8 installation disk as the "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" message is a corrupted drivers warning.

I'm assuming the installation is legit right and you have a paid for license?

The computer was given to me a year ago with the software already installed. I know it is a legit copy but I dont have the information for it. So the only thing it looks like I can do is buy a new disk? Would that wipe out all of my files on the computer? And I dont know how to get to the bios. I am not able to log in the windows - it doesnt even get to that screen.

Yes you'll have to either buy a disk or borrow one. What version of Windows 8 is it BTW? PRO?

Just Windows 8, I believe.

 

[RobWHS]

Can you get into the bios at all?

I am not sure what that is. When I Googled it, I saw to press F2 upon start up and when I do, it takes me to a blue screen with "OptiPlex 740" at the top. Is that what you are talking about?

No the actual bios itself so you can at least try to restore it to default settings.
You really need a windows 8 installation disk as the "driver-irql-not-less-or-equal" message is a corrupted drivers warning.

I'm assuming the installation is legit right and you have a paid for license?

The computer was given to me a year ago with the software already installed. I know it is a legit copy but I dont have the information for it. So the only thing it looks like I can do is buy a new disk? Would that wipe out all of my files on the computer? And I dont know how to get to the bios. I am not able to log in the windows - it doesnt even get to that screen.

Yes you'll have to either buy a disk or borrow one. What version of Windows 8 is it BTW? PRO?

Just Windows 8, I believe.

You really need a disk.