How to troubleshoot windows being stuck on loading screen after applying updates and restarting

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How to troubleshoot windows being stuck on loading screen after applying updates and restarting

Mohammed, Omar 0

Hello Microsoft Team,- Issue:Requesting assistance with Issue being experienced when restarting a server after applying Monthly cumulative updates. The following cumulative updates were applied to the server KB5120242 on one instance and subsequently kb5126655 on another instance. Both times, the server had to be rolled back to a snapshot as Windows remained stuck at the initial loading screen. The windows logo was displayed with the initial splash screen loading however the bootup process did not proceed to the screen showing the percentage of the updates applied. For kb5126655, the screen remained stuck for approximately 3-4 hours with no progress.- System: Windows 22 Standard, 21h2. OS build 20348.5256. This is an in-place upgraded server, upgraded from windows 2016.

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Answer 1

No documented Windows Server 2022 issue currently matches this logo-screen hang, so preserve the failed-state logs and use WinRE to remove or revert the pending update before repairing and retesting on a clone. ^1^

First verify the update baseline

The reported build and KB numbers do not describe the same installed state:

Build 20348.5256 corresponds to KB5094128. ^2^
KB5120242 should advance Server 2022 to 20348.5499. ^3^
KB5126655 targets 20348.5761. Its documented Exchange issue concerns mail access and delivery, not an early-boot hang. ^4^

After restoring the existing snapshot, record the actual baseline with:

Get-ComputerInfo | Select WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OsBuildNumber
Get-HotFix | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending |
    Select-Object -First 15 HotFixID, InstalledOn
Get-WindowsPackage -Online |
    Where-Object PackageState -ne Installed |
    Select-Object PackageName, PackageState

Recover the currently hung installation

If another failed instance is still available, do this before snapshot rollback or repair. Recovery commands can change servicing state and logs.

Boot from matching Windows Server 2022 installation media.
Select Next → Repair your computer → Troubleshoot/Recovery Options → Command Prompt.
Run BCDEdit and identify the Windows volume from osdevice; it might be D: in WinRE.
Attach a separate disk as E: and preserve evidence:

mkdir E:\FailedBoot
robocopy D:\Windows\Logs\CBS E:\FailedBoot\CBS /E
robocopy D:\Windows\Logs\DISM E:\FailedBoot\DISM /E
robocopy D:\Windows\System32\winevt\Logs E:\FailedBoot\EventLogs /E
robocopy D:\Windows\System32\LogFiles\Srt E:\FailedBoot\Srt /E
copy D:\Windows\WinSxS\pending.xml E:\FailedBoot\
DISM /Image:D:\ /Get-Packages /Format:Table > E:\FailedBoot\Packages.txt

Microsoft identifies pending update actions, disk corruption, and missing or damaged files as supported WinRE recovery scenarios. ^5^

Review Packages.txt. If the failed KB’s package is explicitly Install Pending, record its exact package name and remove only that package:

DISM /Image:D:\ /Remove-Package /PackageName:<exact-package-name>

Otherwise—or if package removal does not complete—revert all pending servicing actions:

DISM /Image:D:\ /Cleanup-Image /RevertPendingActions

Reboot. Microsoft’s startup guidance specifically documents /Get-Packages, exact package removal, and /RevertPendingActions for startup failures after updates. ^6^

If startup still fails, return to WinRE and run, in order:

CHKDSK /f D:
SFC /scannow /offbootdir=D:\ /offwindir=D:\Windows
DISM /Image:D:\ /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Offline DISM might require compatible Server 2022 source files. If so, mount matching media as E: and use an appropriate image index:

DISM /Image:D:\ /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth ^
 /Source:wim:E:\sources\install.wim:<index> /LimitAccess

Prepare a controlled retry

Because snapshot rollback has already restored service twice, do not repeat this first on production. Use a cloned VM or isolated application-consistent copy, especially for a domain controller or transaction-heavy workload.

Before retrying:

Run online DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth, followed by sfc /scannow; inspect C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log if repair fails. ^7^
For KB5126655, confirm an update dated July 8, 2025 or later and the latest SSU are installed. The SSU is included in the LCU, but its prerequisites still apply. ^4^
Check free disk space, storage-controller and hypervisor drivers/firmware, and third-party security or storage filter drivers. Servicing failures can involve disk I/O, component-store damage, invalid payloads, or filter-driver interference. ^8^
Record BitLocker and Secure Boot state without changing them unless logs identify a related failure.

Once the restored or recovered server is bootable—and before another update attempt—collect the Microsoft TSS servicing bundle:

.\TSS.ps1 -CollectLog DND_SETUPReport

TSS collects CBS, Windows Update, servicing, policy, and setup diagnostics; it normally cannot collect from an installation still hung at the logo. ^9^

If no safe clone is available, open a Microsoft Support for Business case before another production retry. Provide the offline log copy, TSS bundle, VM/hypervisor details, pre-update build and package list, update deployment method, and timestamps of the hang.

References