A Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 that will not finish starting can be recovered with the tools Windows and Lenovo build in, and the order matters: check power, find out how far it gets, then use the recovery menu. First make sure it has power. Connect the Lenovo charger, wait ten minutes and look at the charging light. Then do a power reset: hold the power button for about thirty seconds with the charger unplugged, release, reconnect the charger and start again.
The checks in more detail
If the laptop reaches the Lenovo logo and then shows a blue screen, a repair screen or a loop, Windows has trouble loading, and the recovery environment is the answer. On the IdeaPad Slim 5 there is a small Novo button, a tiny hole on the side or a button near the power key, which opens the Novo menu when pressed with the laptop off, as Lenovo's guidance describes. The menu offers Normal Startup, BIOS Setup, Boot Menu and System Recovery.
Choose System Recovery to reach Windows' recovery options. From Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Repair tries to fix boot problems automatically, System Restore returns to a restore point, Uninstall Updates removes a recent update that broke start-up, and Startup Settings lets you start in Safe Mode, where a driver or program causing the loop can be removed. Use Command Prompt for sfc and chkdsk repairs if you are comfortable.
If these fail, Reset this PC reinstalls Windows and offers to keep your files, but back up first if you can, using Safe Mode with Networking or a USB drive. Disconnect external devices before recovery, since a USB stick or dock can change the boot order. Check the BIOS, entered from the Novo menu, to confirm the drive is detected: a missing drive points to hardware. A BitLocker prompt asks for the recovery key, which is in your Microsoft account. If recovery cannot start, contact Lenovo with the serial number from the base or the BIOS.
Differential
Likely causes of “Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 family is stuck at startup, automatic repair or recovery”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A drained or stuck power state
What separates it The laptop does not respond
How to confirm Do a power reset
- 2
A failed update
What separates it It loops or shows a repair screen
How to confirm Uninstall the update from recovery
- 3
A corrupt driver
What separates it A blue screen at start-up
How to confirm Start in Safe Mode and remove it
- 4
A boot order change
What separates it A USB device stalls start-up
How to confirm Disconnect devices and check the Boot Menu
- 5
A drive fault
What separates it The BIOS does not see the drive
How to confirm Contact Lenovo
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- How far start-up gets
- The error on screen
- Whether the BIOS sees the drive
- The BitLocker key location
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedDo a power reset
ReversibleHold power for thirty seconds.
Press the Novo button
ReversibleWith the laptop off.
Choose System Recovery
ReversibleFrom the Novo menu.
Run Startup Repair
ReversibleOr uninstall a recent update.
Try Safe Mode
ReversibleTo remove a driver.
Reset this PC
ReversibleOnly after a backup.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Novo menu
- It opens recovery and the BIOS.
- Backup
- Do it before a reset.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the drive is missing in the BIOS, contact Lenovo
- !If recovery cannot start, ask Lenovo with the serial number
- !Back up before resetting
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
What is the Novo button?+
A small button or hole that opens Lenovo's recovery menu.
Will Startup Repair erase my files?+
No.
Will Reset this PC erase them?+
It can; choose to keep files and back up.
Where is my BitLocker key?+
In your Microsoft account.