ASUS's recovery article lists the ways to recover a Windows 11 or 10 machine that will not start properly: Cloud Recovery in the UEFI BIOS, Cloud Recovery from within MyASUS in WinRE, installation media on a USB drive to reinstall Windows, and a Windows Recovery drive to restore the system. Cloud Recovery is useful because it needs no local recovery partition and downloads the image from ASUS. Before reaching for a reset, ASUS's boot article explains the commonest cause of a machine that starts into BIOS, Aptio Setup Utility or MyASUS in UEFI: a failed BIOS update, an EC or RTC reset, or a disconnected battery.
Try the EC reset (long-press power 40 seconds) and, if a failed BIOS update screen appears, wait 60 seconds or choose Yes to start the automatic update, keeping the charger connected.
Differential
Likely causes of “ASUS laptops is stuck at startup, automatic repair or recovery”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A failed BIOS update
What separates it The machine boots into BIOS, Aptio Setup Utility or MyASUS in UEFI
How to confirm ASUS says wait 60 seconds or choose Yes for the automatic BIOS update with the charger connected, or use a FAT32 USB stick with the model's BIOS file
- 2
An EC or RTC reset or a disconnected battery
What separates it The machine boots into a setup screen after service or a reset
How to confirm ASUS lists resets of the EC and RTC and disconnecting the battery as causes
- 3
Corrupt Windows files
What separates it Windows loops or shows recovery screens because of corrupt Windows files
How to confirm Use Cloud Recovery in the UEFI BIOS or in MyASUS in WinRE, after a backup
- 4
A missing recovery partition
What separates it Local recovery is unavailable because of a missing recovery partition
How to confirm Use Cloud Recovery or the Windows installation media on USB
- 5
A drive fault
What separates it The drive is not detected in BIOS because of a drive fault
How to confirm Run MyASUS diagnostics; contact an ASUS service center
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which ASUS machine you have and what appears at startup (logo, BIOS, Aptio, MyASUS in UEFI, recovery)
- Whether a BIOS update was running or a battery or memory change was made
- Whether the machine reaches BIOS with F2 (or Volume down and power on the Ally X)
- Whether you have a backup and a USB stick for recovery media
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedConnect power
ReversibleConnect power, by using the original charger throughout, as ASUS says for BIOS updates, and then test again to see whether it helped.
EC reset
ReversibleEC reset, by long pressing the power button for 40 seconds, then starting the machine.
Let the BIOS update run
ReversibleLet the BIOS update run, and if a failed BIOS update screen appears, wait 60 seconds or choose Yes.
Recover the BIOS by USB
ReversiblePlace the model's BIOS file in the root of a FAT32 USB stick and follow ASUS's steps.
Use Cloud Recovery
ReversibleUse Cloud Recovery, from BIOS or MyASUS in WinRE, and run Cloud Recovery, backing up first.
Use installation media
ReversibleCreate Windows installation media on a USB stick and reinstall if Cloud Recovery is unavailable.
Book service
ReversibleBook service, and if nothing recovers, contact an ASUS service center for the laptop, and then test again to see whether it helped.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Recovery by model
- All five machines run Windows 11 and support ASUS's Cloud Recovery routes and Microsoft's installation media. The Vivobook S15 S5507 is a Snapdragon Arm PC, so use Arm-compatible installation media.
- BIOS keys
- F2 with power on laptops; Volume down with power on the ROG Ally X.
- Repair cost
- A reset or reinstall from recovery media costs nothing but time. If the drive is at fault, a replacement is $99 to $179 per BadgerLayer's 2026 PC repair guide, and data recovery starts at $149, per BadgerLayer's 2026 laptop repair guide.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit the ProArt P16 H7606, ROG Zephyrus G14 GA403, Vivobook S 15 S5507.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the BIOS recovery and Cloud Recovery fail, contact an ASUS service center
- !If the drive is not detected in BIOS, book a service check
- !If files cannot be backed up before a reset, contact a data recovery service before erasing anything
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Cloud Recovery in UEFI BIOS and MyASUS WinRE, installation media and a Windows Recovery drive.
Causes, EC and RTC resets and BIOS recovery.
EC reset for an interrupted BIOS update.
The Zenbook premium ultrabook line.
The Vivobook mainstream laptop line.
The ROG Ally handheld gaming PC line.
Exact questions
Common questions
What does Startup Repair actually do?+
It scans for problems that stop Windows loading, such as damaged boot files, and tries to fix them without removing your files. Microsoft describes it as an option in the recovery environment, reached after a few failed starts.
What recovery options does ASUS list?+
Cloud Recovery in the UEFI BIOS, Cloud Recovery within MyASUS in WinRE, installation media on USB to reinstall Windows, and a Windows Recovery drive to restore the system.
Why does my laptop boot into BIOS?+
ASUS says it can follow a BIOS update that failed, an EC or RTC reset, or disconnecting or replacing the battery or memory.
Does Cloud Recovery erase my files?+
A reinstall erases the drive. Back up first and use the option that keeps files only if ASUS's screen offers it.
How do I get into BIOS on the ROG Ally X?+
Hold Volume down and press the power button; ASUS's charging article notes this for gaming handhelds.
Do I need to keep the charger connected?+
Yes. ASUS says to keep the device on power during a BIOS update and not to force a shutdown.