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I've read a number of related questions that aren't quite my question...

• 
  Windows 10 Getting Windows Ready Message Q: ...how can I get computer to stop showing me this screen? [ie. User simply does not want to wait 45mins for OS update installs]
  


• 
  Windows 10 64 bit stuck at getting ready Q: [From a new OS install] But after reboot, the system stuck at the "Getting Ready" screen forever. [ie. This user has never been able to log into the OS after install]


• 
  How can I disable the "Getting Windows Ready" message when Windows shuts down? Q: User is looking for a way to bypass "Getting Windows ready" screen on shut down / restart presumably because they will reload its state directly from a software called "Deep Freeze" instead. [ie. User wants to bypass OS procedure that is working as intended]
  

My Windows 10 64bit OS was recently 'refresh' (That's "Windows" for the 'Programs' folder is deleted, registry is recreated, and windows is reinstalled without deleting any other files on the machine). After the 'refresh', I've been able to log in and use the PC for a number of days. Then once I was assumably stuck on the blue screen with the dots moving in a circle, etc:

Getting Windows ready

Don't turn off your computer

It was stuck for a number of hours, but I eventually restarted the machine and it booted normally and I was able to use again for the last week.

Some time within the week I remember investigating my windows update, I noticed that I had an update that was getting stuck and wouldn't complete normally. I don't recall if I had been able to reboot the PC after that point.

Last night I rebooted the machine, and this time it has been stuck on the screen mentioned above for over 8-10+ hrs, so I suspect that the PC is now in an erroneous state.

I've now attempted to restart the machine a number of times including into safe mode (by forcing it into 'automatic repair' by hard booting the machine 3 times during the boot process) and it always comes back to the blue screen mentioned above.

How do I recover my machine from this state?

(Ideally least intrusive without a format/reinstall, etc)

Got it! From another 'licensed' Windows 10 PC...

Boot Windows 10 Installer from a USB:

• Download this tool: Create Windows 10 installation media
  


• Install the tool to a USB stick/drive


• Reboot the machine and smash F8 or F12 to get the machine to boot from the USB


• When you get to the screen that says "Install Windows 10" there will be a link in the lower left hand corner that says "Repair" <- click that!
  


• 
  Look here for some screenshots: 5. Use a Windows 10 installation drive and the Command Prompt
  

(There are a number of tools you can use here, but System Restore was the only that worked for me.)

Recovery options that worked for me:

• Restore back far enough to where the system was stable; I had to do it twice to stop the blue screen issue. First time I just stepped one restore point back. The second time I went back as far as possible, which was a "Critical Windows 10 Update" right after my 'refresh'




• DrMoishe Pippik suggests doing another 'refresh', which likely would have worked as well. Because I just did one of those, I know that a restore point was definitely faster and retained most of my installed apps.

Other tools you can try from the USB Installer that DIDN'T work for me...

• Startup Repair


• Startup Settings (for safe mode)
  

Bonuses:

Here's a strategy to "BLOCK" automated updates to Windows 10 Home Editions:

• HOW TO STOP AUTO UPDATES IN WINDOWS 10

Here's how to reset Windows Update if it gets into an erroneous state:

• Clear the contents of the Software Distribution folder, reset the Catroot2 folder and then run Windows Update again.

Reference: How to install Windows 10 from USB with UEFI support

Even though you wish to avoid reinstallation, that is probably the safest option, since it appears the refresh process was stuck or interrupted more than once. This ensures that all needed system files are in place. It may well be faster to do the full reinstallation than trying to refresh Windows from the active HDD.

Download the latest Windows ISO and installation media creation tool, create a USB instllation and perform a reinstallation whilst keeping data files.