I think that you have hit the nail on the head. I also must have closed the laptop lid before closing down Windows. I was away for a few days and, when I returned, I opened the lid and Windows automatically started booting up – I presume it must have been in ‘sleep’ mode. I then did the ‘try again later’ thing quite a few times but with no success – UNTIL I closed down completely and left my laptop alone for a few hours. When I then ‘tried again’ everything was back to normal. I’m only guessing but I can’t help feeling that this is a heat related problem. It would appear that when Windows gets overheated it tries to protect by only allowing minimal access. I have also found that my PC slows down when the weather is on the hottish side. This I seem to have overcome by raising my laptop a few centimeters on small blocks to provide better air circulation. The joys of living in a sub-tropical climate!