Windows’ Safe Mode is an essential tool. On computers infected with malware or crashing because of buggy drivers, Safe Mode may be the only way to start the computer.
Safe Mode starts your PC with a minimal set of drivers and services. No third-party software or drivers get loaded, and even the built-in Windows stuff is limited to just what’s necessary. Safe Mode is a great way to remove problem-causing software—like malware—without that software getting in the way. It also provides an environment where you may find it easier to roll back drivers, and use certain troubleshooting tools.
When Safe Mode Can Help
When Windows starts normally, it launches startup programs, fires up all the services configured to start, and loads the hardware drivers you have installed. If you start in Safe Mode, Windows uses a very low screen resolution with generic video drivers, doesn’t initialize much hardware support, starts only the necessary services, and avoids loading third-party startup programs.
Sometimes, you can start Windows in Safe Mode when you can’t start Windows normally, making it a good place to start troubleshooting potential problems. If your computer is infected with malware or has unstable hardware drivers that cause blue screens, Safe Mode can help you fix it because those things aren’t loaded the way they are when Windows starts normally.
RELATED:Everything You Need To Know About the Blue Screen of Death
If there’s a problem with your computer and you can’t seem to fix it—or if your computer is unstable and keeps crashing or blue-screening—you should drop into Safe Mode to fix it.
How to Start Windows In Safe Mode
RELATED:How to Boot Into Safe Mode on Windows 10 or 8 (The Easy Way)
Your Windows PC should automatically start up in Safe Mode if it crashes more than once while trying to start normally. However, you can also boot into Safe Mode manually:
How to Fix Your PC in Safe Mode
After starting Windows in Safe Mode, you can perform most of the regular system maintenance and troubleshooting tasks to fix your computer:
Prog Safe Mode Next Boot Camp
Beyond Safe Mode: Reinstalling Windows
If you are having computer problems, it’s often not a good use of your time to spend hours isolating and fixing them. It may be much faster to reinstall Windows and start over with a fresh system.
Of course, reinstalling Windows will cause you to lose your personal files, so be sure you have a backup. On Windows 8 or 10, Refreshing your PC will preserve your personal files while replacing the system software.
If your computer continues to be unstable after a full Windows reinstall, your computer’s hardware may be faulty. A complete Windows reinstall rules out any software problems, unless there’s a faulty hardware driver that needs to be updated.
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![]() How To Boot Pc In Safe Mode
For decades, Safe Mode has served to load the operating system, albeit with reduced functionality, for the purpose of troubleshooting PC-related issues and performing diagnostics by loading only the OS's core components. Eschewing the processing of certain system files and the loading of device drivers, along with stopping specific services, provides a minimized surface that makes it easier to roll back files that may have introduced system instability or otherwise prevented the computer from booting properly.
More about Windows
The F8 method of invoking Safe Mode, which has been the commonly accepted approach dating back to Windows 95, was modified with the release of Windows 8 and the introduction of UEFI BIOS and SSDs. But fear not: As with most Windows shortcuts, there are multiple ways to enter Safe Mode. How to double vocals. Here are seven of them.
1. Settings
SEE: 20 pro tips to make Windows 10 work the way you want (TechRepublic PDF)2. Logon screen
3. System Configuration
4. Boot from Windows Recovery Drive
SEE: Windows 10 power tips: Secret shortcuts to your favorite settings (Tech Pro Research)5. Windows 10 installation media (DVD or USB)
5. Once the operation successfully completes, close the command prompt and select Continue to exit and boot into Safe Mode.
6. Automatic Repair mode
SEE: Windows 10 tip: Change UEFI firmware settings or start in Safe Mode (ZDNet)7. F8 or Shift-F8 during boot (BIOS and HDDs only)
If (and only IF) your Windows computer uses a legacy BIOS and a spinning-platter-based hard drive, you may be able to invoke Safe Mode in Windows 10 using the familiar F8 or Shift-F8 keyboard shortcut during the computer's boot process.
Due to the way in which the UEFI BIOS was designed, coupled with the inherent speedy nature of solid-state drives, Windows 10 (and to be fair, Windows 8 as well) will not respond to the interrupt boot brought about by pressing F8 or Shift-F8.
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Do you have a better way to access Safe Mode in Windows 10? Share your tips and advice with fellow TechRepublic members.
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Windows 10 has some of the favorite features for its users. But the functioning of Safe Boot in Windows 10 still consists of the same scenario. Safe Mode is not visible easily and is kept hidden. It generally fixes the problems, if not all, but most of the problems that persist in the operating system. Safe mode helps in troubleshooting, loading some drivers or resolution to the application fallacy and thus also deals with such numerous issues. Now if you want to boot Windows 10 into Safe Mode, below are the few different tweaks that you can choose and go ahead. How to Boot Windows 10 in Safe Mode
1st
Using System Configuration, Boot Windows 10 Into Safe mode
2nd
Via Troubleshoot option of Recovery, Boot Windows 10 Into Safe mode
Through Bootloader, Start Windows 10 into Safe Mode
Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu yes
Bcdedit /set {bootmgr} displaybootmenu no
These are the 3 ways, using any of which you can boot Windows 10 into safe mode.
RECOMMENDED: Click here to fix Windows errors
Starting Windows in Safe Mode isn’t terribly difficult. But, if you need to repeatedly reboot your PC and start in Safe Mode each time, trying to hit that F8 key or restarting from Normal Mode each time gets old. There is an easier way, though.
RELATED:How to Use Safe Mode to Fix Your Windows PC (and When You Should)
There are several ways to start Windows in Safe Mode, depending on the version of Windows you’re running. Pressing the F8 key at just the right time during startup can open a menu of advanced boot options. Restarting Windows 8 or 10 by holding the Shift key down while you click the “Restart” button also works. But sometimes, you need to restart your PC into Safe Mode several times in a row. Maybe you’re trying to remove pesky malware, roll back a finicky driver, or maybe you just need to run some troubleshooting tools that require a restart. There’s actually an option in the System Configuration utility that lets you force Windows to always boot into Safe Mode—until you turn the option off again.
Force Windows to Boot into Safe Mode
Clone trooper phase 2 armor. The easiest way to open the System Configuration utility is to hit Windows+R to bring up the Run box. Type “msconfig” into the box, and then hit Enter. This method should work in pretty much any version of Windows.
In the “System Configuration” window, switch to the “Boot” tab. Enable the “Safe Boot” check box, and then make sure the “Minimal” option below that is selected. Click the “OK” button when you’re done.
Windows asks if want to restart your PC now or wait until later. Whatever you choose, the next time you restart your PC, it will enter Safe Mode.
After restarting, you’ll know that you are in Safe Mode because Windows places “Safe Mode” text in the four corners of the screen.
And now, every time you restart your PC, Windows will start in Safe Mode until you’re ready to turn it back off again.
Turn Safe Mode Back Off
When you’re done fixing whatever required working in Safe Mode, you just need to turn off the “Safe Boot” option you turned on earlier.
Safe Mode Windows Xp
Hit Win+R, type “msconfig” into the Run box, and then hit Enter to open the System Configuration tool again. Switch to the “Boot” tab, and disable the “Safe Boot” checkbox. Click “OK” and then restart your PC when you’re done.
It’s not often you’ll need to return to Safe Mode several times in a row, but when you do, this method will save you a lot of hassle.
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