In this article, you will be guided through the troubleshooting steps you should take in the event that you tried to launch our program, but the computer restarted and went into Windows (either onto your desktop or to the Windows sign-in screen).
Index:
Launching a Scan From the Boot Menu
Launching a Scan from Use a Device
Launching a Scan From the Boot Menu
1. Shut down your computer.
2. Insert the FixMeStick into the USB port.
3. Power on your computer. Immediately start pressing the F12 key repeatedly in order for the computer boot menu to appear. Note: if the F12 key does not work, please click here in order to find the appropriate key to press to access your computer boot menu.
4. Using the up and down arrow keys, move down the list of bootable device options until you reach an option that says either FixMeStick or USB. You will press enter to launch your computer from that option.
- Your computer will start the FixMeStick program, and you will see our logo appear. The computer screen may go black for a moment, and the words FixMeStick… will appear in the top left corner. Eventually, our logo will appear again.
- Our in-scan screen will appear, as shown below. Your computer will search for an internet connection in step one, and will connect automatically. If it doesn't connect automatically, click here.
- Step 2 will check for product updates, which is also automatic. At this point, the program may go back to the logo screen, and repeat steps one and two. If you get a message saying that you are not authorized to run a scan, click here.
- Step 3 is checking malware definitions, which is also automatic. You will be prompted in the upper-right hand corner to register your stick, as shown below. We highly recommend you register your stick.
- You may receive a message saying Please press any key or click your mouse to continue. If you receive this message, either press any button, or click on your mouse to continue the scan. If you do not receive this message, you can move on to the next step.
5. Once the scan if fully engaged in step three, you will be prompted with a message saying Your input is no longer needed. This scan can take from one to several hours. At this point, you can leave your computer and let the scan run its course. Scans typically take between two and six hours to complete, but may be longer depending on the number of files on the computer.
6. When the scan is complete, our program will show you each item it's found, and ask if you would like to clean it, as shown below. Simply left-click Clean Computer. If no threats were found, you can skip this option. If your scan froze in the middle and did not complete, click here.
7. When the FixMeStick has completed its cleaning, you will receive a notice to exit FixMeStick and restart your computer. Once you left-click exit, you can remove our USB device and start your computer again. If you are having issues after a scan, please visit our Knowledge Base page for post-scan issues by clicking here.
If you are using Windows 8/8.1/10, you will need to disable a setting called Fast-Startup in order for our device to enter a scan after the computer reboots. In order to turn off Fast-Startup, please take the following steps:
1. Open your start menu by left-clicking on the windows key on your keyboard or the one in the bottom left corner of your screen if you are using Windows 8/8.1. If you are using Windows 10, go to step 2
2. Search for power and then select the Power & sleep settings option in the search result window.
3. On the right-hand side of the window that appears, you will see a title that says Power & Sleep. If you scroll down the right side, you should see a sub-heading titled Related Settings and a clickable item below that says Additional power settings. Please left-click that option.
4. A new window will appear titled Power settings. On the left hand side, you will see a list of clickable items. Please left-click the item that says Choose what the power buttons do.
5. You will be brought to a screen titled Define power buttons and turn on password protection. Below, you will see a clickable item that says Change settings that are currently unavailable. Please left-click this item.
6. Once you have left-clicked, you will see below that option that were previously greyed out, under Shutdown Settings are now available to be clicked on. Please locate the option that says Turn on fast startup (recommended). If this option is checked off, please uncheck it by left-clicking the box with the checkmark. If it is unchecked, leave it as is.
7. Once unchecked, please left-click Save Changes at the bottom right, and close all the related windows that we previously opened.
8. After saving these changes, you can try launching the scan from the FixMeStick application by following the getting started instructions here.
- If your computer continues to reboot back into Windows, you can follow the steps below to launch a scan from the Use a Device feature of your computer.
Launching a Scan from Use a Device
1. Insert your FixMeStick in your computer.
2. Access PC Settings by right-clicking on the windows key in the bottom left, clicking on Search, and then typing PC Settings in the search bar that appears. Alternately, you can move your cursor to the bottom right of your screen until the vertical menu bar appears, clicking search, and then searching for PC Settings.
3. In PC Settings select General and then click Restart Now under Advanced Startup.
4. Your PC will restart to the Choose an Option page.
5. Click on the Use a Device option listed in this menu.
- From here, you should see an option that mentions FixMeStick. It could also show up as USB Device or USB HDD.
- Once you select the FixMeStick option from the list, your computer will launch into a scan.
1. Insert your FixMeStick in your computer.
2. Access PC Settings by right-clicking on the windows key in the bottom left, clicking on Search, and then typing in the search bar that appears PC Settings. Or move your cursor to the bottom right of your screen until the vertical menu bar appears, clicking search, and then searching for PC Settings.
3. Select Update and Recovery.
4. Choose Recovery and then click Restart Now under Advanced Startup.
5. Your PC will restart to the Choose an Option page.
6. Click on the Use a Device option listed in this menu.
- From here, you should see an option that mentions FixMeStick. It could also show up as USB Device or USB HDD.
- Once you select the FixMeStick option from the list, your computer will launch into a scan.
1. Insert your FixMeStick in your computer.
2. Click on the Start Menu and select Settings. Alternately, you can type Settings into the search bar that appears after clicking on the start icon.
3. Then select Update & Security.
4. Select Recovery and then click on Restart now under Advanced start-up.
5. Your PC will restart to the Choose an Option page.
6. Click on the Use a Device option listed in this menu.
- From here, you should see an option that mentions FixMeStick. It could also show up as USB Device or USB HDD.
- Once you select the FixMeStick option from the list, your computer will launch into a scan.