A technician is working on a Windows 7 computer that will not boot correctly; it is stuck in a constant loop. Which of the following should the technician perform FIRST to try and resolve this issue?

A repair installation replaces corrupted or missing Windows system files by reinstalling the OS over itself without deleting user data or applications. It directly addresses boot failures caused by damaged system binaries or the bootloader. This is the appropriate first step because it is targeted and reversible compared to more destructive options.

Shadow copy recovery restores previous versions of specific files and is not designed to fix a system-level boot loop.

System Restore requires the system to be accessible enough to reach the recovery environment, and may not be available if the boot loop prevents that access.

Factory restore wipes all user data and applications, making it a last resort rather than a first step.