Windows 7: Windows 7 will not restart without startup repair

Working on a Dell Inspiron laptop running Windows 7 Home...

Within last week I have been having trouble with Windows 7 restarting. Originally noticed when the computer goes into sleep mode. When I try to resume windows it defaults to the startup repair tool. Usually this will run 20-30 mins and system will restore. It is happening regularly.

If I power down during the startup repair and do a hard reset, the computer will give me the option to start normally. When I select this the computer will continue and startup without issue.

If I shut down normally and restart the same result has also been occurring.

System runs fine once booted. Only other symptom I noticed is the clock time shown in the tray is consistently wrong now. Could this possibly be a CMOS battery issue?

Anyone have any suggestions on a cause?

Have you tried system restore?

Yes... I did select the option to restore Windows 7 to a previous state. This had no effect.

Have you installed any new programs recently?

try running sfc scan three times.

SFC /SCANNOW Command - System File Checker

If you reset the clock and it's wrong again in short order then I would replace the CMOS battery, yes.

Then if necessary work through these Troubleshooting Steps for Windows 7 - Windows 7 Forums

Additional info after above comments... I ran sfc/scannow three times. It identified issues, however all 3 times it said it could not repair all files. I ran sfc/scannow in safe mode... should I have run it under normal operation? I can post the log file, however I am not at the machine right now (let me know if worth it).
I tried to trace back any new programs added within the last 2 weeks and all I could find were some windows updates and an Adobe update. The furthest restore point I don't think was far enough back to catch the issue. I clicked show older restore points, however they were only within the last week.

additional quick note.. I did not restart between each sfc/scannow... my assumption would be that I should try this first..

If SFC will not repair damaged System files which are causing performance problems, and you cannot manually replace the files as also shown in SFC -SCANNOW Command tutorial's Option 3 Tip Box, then the next step is a Repair Install