As a special type of computer diagnostics, safe mode assumes product launch operating system with the exception of virtually all unnecessary components. This mode is very common during the recovery of the user's computer after the appearance of certain breakdowns and malfunctions of a different nature. System malfunctions happen quite often, so proper knowledge of the safe mode startup procedure will be a significant advantage for the computer owner.
How to start safe mode windows 7
There are two commonly used options for opening Safe Mode in Windows 7. The first involves logging in during system startup, the second is enabled during system operation. The first option will work even in cases of serious computer malfunctions, because there is no need to fully boot the OS, the user enters safe mode and performs the required repair and recovery manipulations. A prerequisite for the second option will be a running and active OS, because this method is not applicable in all situations, consider how to start windows 7 safe mode:
- When the computer is turned on, you should restart it (if the PC is off, you need to turn it on).
- Before the start of the operating system, the display shows information about the BIOS version, it is at this moment that you need to press the F8 key several times (pressing more than two or three times is recommended).
- A screen will open with a window for selecting advanced OS boot options.
- Using the arrow keys, the "Safe Mode" section is selected and the "Enter" button is pressed.
When instead of a special window with a choice of options for starting the system, the inscription “Windows 7” appears, which means the normal boot of the OS, the user should try again to enter security mode. It should be noted that the F1-F12 keys may have been disabled earlier, in which case, the F8 button should be pressed while holding the Fn key (often on laptops).
Consider the launch option during the active OS environment:
With the OS running, press the key combination "Win + R", enter the query "msconfig".
The above settings will bring the user to an interface that will prompt you to restart the PC. The owner of the computer can enter safe mode by clicking the "Restart" item. 
If you select "Exit without reboot", the entry into the required mode will take place after turning off / on the PC or after its first restart.
1. Features of Windows 10, how to enter safe mode?
An innovative modification of Windows 10 did not include the outdated method of opening Safe Mode by using the F8 key. There are three ways to activate it, the first pair of which is used during OS boot. The last option involves the failure of the system to start in the user's usual operating mode.
Starting safe mode using "msconfig" configuration:
Safe mode can also be started using the command line:
If the PC refuses to boot, you can activate safe mode as follows:
- Must have boot disk Or a flash drive with Windows 10.
- Make a download from this disk or flash drives, select the required interface language and other parameters.
- In the window that appears, which prompts you to install the OS, you need to press the "System Restore" button located at the bottom of the window.
- Go to the "Diagnostics" section and in the subsection " Extra options", launch command line.
- In the window that opens, enter "bcdedit / set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true".
- Wait for the message that the operation was successful and deactivate the command line by clicking "Continue" after that.
- After restarting the PC, a menu with available modes of operation will be displayed, select "Safe Mode". (It can be disabled with the command "bcdedit /deletevalue (globalsettings) advancedoptions").
2. Windows 8, how to enter safe mode for correct troubleshooting?
Specificity Windows interface 8 suggests not the most familiar method of launching safe mode against the background of other systems. Consider the main options for entering this mode.
The first option is to log in using the F8 button.
However, this method may not work on all modifications of computers, its sequence is as follows:
How to start Windows 8 Safe Mode by changing boot options?
The method is considered to be quite effective; for its implementation, the following series of actions are used:
- Press the key combination "Win + R", enter the command "msconfig".
- Go to the section called "Download". In the item "Boot Options", you should check the box opposite the inscription "Safe Mode".
- Set the selector opposite the entry "Minimum", and then click "OK".
- A window opens in which the user needs to confirm the restart of the OS.
- After the reboot, safe mode will become active. After solving and troubleshooting, it is important to uncheck the previously checked box next to the "Safe Mode" item in the settings of the boot itself.
Another common way to activate Safe Mode in Windows 8 includes the following steps:
With bootable media.
Of course, including the possibility of a complete failure of the operating system, there is an option to enter safe mode using a boot disk or flash drive:
- Insert bootable flash drive on the PC and run from it.
- Select date, time and other options.
- In the installation window that appears, click on "System Restore".
- Go to the "Diagnostics" item and select the section called "Advanced options".
- In the "Command line" section, enter the task "bcdedit / set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true", then press "Enter".
- Close the command prompt, and then press the "Continue" key.
- After rebooting the OS, in the window that opens, press the F4 button.
- Login in safe mode. To window with possible options system startup did not appear after each subsequent shutdown / on or restart of the PC, you must enter the following into the command line: “bcdedit / deletevalue (globalsettings) advancedoptions”.
3. How to enter safe mode in Windows XP?
Considering the outdated, but still relevant version of Windows XP for many users, let's consider the process of starting safe mode on it:
How to run safe windows mode XP from the system? In some cases, this option may be an alternative to the above. Consider the sequence:
Many users who switched to Windows 10 from Windows 7 (bypassing the eighth version) are at a loss: why did the developers remove safe mode from the system? Before, after all, as it was: I pressed F8 before starting Windows - and booted into safe. And now it doesn't work.
In fact, no one thought to deprive us of such useful tool. And there are even more opportunities to download it than it used to be. Let's figure out how to enter Windows 10 Safe Mode and what to do if it does not open.
The easiest way to boot your computer into safe mode is to press the Shift key along with the "" button in the Start menu or on the login screen.
After the restart, we will be offered a choice of 3 actions:
- Continue working in Windows 10 - return to normal mode, from which we just exited.
- Turn off computer.
- Perform troubleshooting. Even if we haven't broken anything yet, this item should be selected.
In the next menu, select the section " Extra options».
Then - " Download options».
To enter safe mode, you must restart the machine again. Click on the "" button on the next screen
After the restart, another menu will open - the last one. In it, we have to choose one of three types of safe-mode: simple or minimal (the minimum required set of system components), with support for network drivers (allows us to access the Internet) and command line (in the form of a command console interface without a graphical shell).
Each item has a specific key associated with it. It should be pressed to go to the desired environment.
Custom download options in the Settings app
The second method is no more difficult than the previous one. Just a little longer.
- Go to Start and open the system utility " Options».
- Click " Update and Security».
- Go to group " Recovery” and next to the item “ Special download options» in the right half of the window, click « Reload Now».
Windows will restart and the monitor will display the same blue background menu as shown above. What to do next, you already know.
Configuring Boot in the System Configuration Application (MsConfig)
With the app " system configuration» Many are familiar from previous releases of Windows. This is one of the administrative components that you can use to control how your computer boots. Including - switch it to safe mode.To quickly launch the utility, press on the keyboard Windows combination+ R or run the application " Run» from the Start menu. Enter the name of the application executable file in it - msconfig, and click OK.
". In the list " Download options» check the box next to « safe mode” and select the desired start type with the switch - “ Minimum" (simple), " Net” (with network drivers loaded) or “ Another shell» (interface in the form of a command console). Click OK.In the window prompting you to restart the PC now, click "".
After setting the "Safe Mode" flag in the MsConfig utility, the computer will start in it by default. To restore normal boot (normal mode), you must uncheck the box.
Use this method only if you are sure that safe mode works. Otherwise, you have every chance of getting an unbootable machine!
BootSafe program
B free program bootsafe designed to make it as easy as possible for the user to navigate between different regimes Windows download. It has only one window, 4 switches and a couple of buttons.The switches are designed to set the boot type of the operating system. Including:
- normal mode (normal start);
- safe mode minimal (minimal safe);
- safe mode with networking (network);
- safe mode width command prompt only
Button " Configureonly" saves the setting for later startup of the computer, and " RestartWindows” – immediately reboots it into the selected mode.
Using BootSafe before you make sure that safe mode works is fraught with the same consequences as checking the box in Msconfig!
Command line
Switch between modes Windows boot 10 is also possible using the command line. This method will help you out not only in case of failures in the graphical shell, but also in case of a complete non-start of the system, since command console is among the recovery environment tools.On Wednesday Windows recovery 10 we looked when we opened safe mode by rebooting with the Shift key pressed. If you forgot what it looks like, rewind this page up.
So, to boot the machine in one of the safe mode options, type in the command line (launched with administrative rights) the necessary instruction:
- Minimal (Easy) Safe Mode : bcdedit /set(current)safebootminimal
- With network driver support: bcdedit /set(current)safebootnetwork
- With the console interface: first the first command of this list, then - bcdedit /set(current)safebootalternateshellyes
To immediately restart the computer, in the same window, follow one more instruction - shutdown /r/t0
As in the previous cases, all 3 commands define a way Windows startup by default, that is, the system will boot in the specified mode all the time. To cancel the setting and return to normal boot, run following instruction: bcdedit /deletevalue(current) safeboot.
If you switched to the command line interface, in addition run the command bcdedit /deletevalue(current)safebootalternateshell.
How to bring back the menu of various boot options
If you want to return the ability to quickly switch to safe mode by pressing F8 before the system starts, as it was in Windows 7, run the following instruction in the console:bcdedit /set (default) bootmenupolicy legacy
The window for additional ways to boot Windows 10 will look the same as in the "seven":
However, due to the fact that the duration of the launch of the “ten” compared to the “seven” has noticeably decreased, it will be extremely difficult to catch this menu. After all, the period of time when the system responds to pressing F8 has also been reduced several times.
I don't know about you, but I don't like this method very much. Modern computers with disks marked according to the GPT standard boot in a matter of seconds. It is impossible to have time to press a key on them before the start of Windows, since it starts almost simultaneously with turning on the machine. In this case, there is another solution: we can make the menu open by itself and not close until you tell it what exactly you want to download.
To enable this option, you will again need the command line. Follow the instructions in it:
bcdedit /set(global settings)advanced optionstrue and reboot.
Before each new start of Windows 10, you will see this picture:
However, this menu is already familiar to you. To enter the normal mode, you will have to press Enter each time, in safe mode - F4, F5 or F6.
Experimented? Did not like? Then we'll put everything back in place. To mark the first command (black screen additional options launch, as in Windows 7), follow the instructions below:
bcdedit /set (default) bootmenupolicy standard
To mark the second one (Windows 10 startup options on blue screen), do another one:
bcdedit /deletevalue(globalsettings)advancedoptions
After restarting the PC, no extra menus will open.
How to restore Windows 10 Safe Mode if it's not working
The reasons for the failure to boot a computer or laptop in safe mode are various tweaks to speed up or decorate Windows, as well as user experiments with system registry. It is in the registry that the keys responsible for starting the safe mode are located. Even their partial damage leads to the fact that the latter stops opening, while the normal one continues to work properly.safe mode keys are stored in the registry key HKLM/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/SafeBoot. This section consists of two subsections: Minimal and network. I think you understand what each of them is responsible for. When you select the minimum (normal) safe mode, the system reads data from the first. When choosing the option with loading network drivers - from the second. An additional parameter, AlternateShell, is responsible for opening the command line interface instead of Explorer, the rest Windows takes from the Minimal section.
The fact that all safe mode settings are stored in one place, and not scattered throughout the registry, makes it easy and quick to restore them in case of damage. To do this, you need a copy of them made on another, working PC, where Windows 10 of any version is installed.
How to get it:
- Launch Registry Editor ( regedit.exe) in a "healthy" system. To do this, it is convenient to use the system application " Run».
- Find the branch mentioned above (HKLM/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/SafeBoot), click on the SafeBoot folder right click mouse and select " Export».
- Save the file under any name without changing the extension that will be assigned to it by default (.reg), and then transfer it to the “sick” system.
After clicking OK in the confirmation window, the SafeBoot keys are imported into the system and the safe mode will restore its work.
That's all. Successful experiments!
What is safe mode? This is a kind of diagnostic mode that allows you to identify problems that occur with your computer. Here are a couple of examples for you. Let's say you decide to reinstall Avast antivirus!. To do this, you must first uninstall the program from your computer. Although it is easy to do this, you will have to remove a lot of “tails”, so it’s better to use special utility, which can be downloaded on the official website - it will do everything for you, but you need to run it through safe mode. Or another example: you "picked up" a banner on your desktop. Where should you go first to try to get rid of it? That's right, in safe mode. Today you will learn how to do it, fortunately, we will not take much of your time.
How to enter safe mode on windows XP, Vista and 7?
On all three of these operating systems, the procedure is completely the same, except for small nuances. What do you need to do? Just restart your computer and as soon as it starts to boot, periodically press the F8 key. This key is used in modern computers, so there should not be any difficulties. In front of you you will see a black screen with a menu in which you must select one item (it is highlighted in red).
After the system boots up, a message like this will appear:
Click on the "Yes" button and wait a bit until the system is loaded to the end.
Safe Mode for Windows 8
In fact, this operating system is not much different from the previous ones, but there are some nuances here. After you have restarted your computer, along with the F8 key, you must also hold down the Shift key. After that, you will see the system recovery menu in front of you, which must be enabled by clicking the See advanced repair options button.
The next step is to click on the Troubleshoot button. Here's what it looks like:
Once in the new menu, click on Advanced Options.
Now Windows Startup Settings.
And finally, click on the small Restart button located in the right corner, as in the screenshot.
Now it remains only to wait until Windows reboots and select Safe Mode in the already familiar menu.
As you can see, nothing complicated. The main thing is to practice a little and then you can perform all these actions with your eyes closed.
Safe mode for laptops
With laptops, the situation is quite different. Each model can use its own key to enter Safe Mode. For example, the most commonly used buttons are F2, F5, F8, or F12. On some models, usually Toshiba, you can try pressing F10 or even Esc.
Alternatively, you can use boot disks that allow you to enter the system into safe mode. To do this, the boot disk must be written to either optical disc or on a USB flash drive. True, it is unlikely to boot on its own, so you need to make sure that the media starts up first. To do this (as a rule, you need to press the Delete key) and in the 1st Boots Device section, select your flash card.
If you can't get into safe mode
If you are unable to get into Safe Mode, then most likely this is due to the presence of viruses on your computer. Try using antivirus utilities to help get rid of malicious files.
There are situations when the user cannot get into the system (for example, a banner pops up on the desktop and all actions are blocked), or in Safe Mode. In such cases, only the use of a boot disk can help.
Sometimes this is due to problems in . To solve this problem in Runet, you can find files with .reg permission, created for a particular OS. However, no one can provide any guarantees that they will work.
The reasons why Windows does not boot can be different. Reinstalling the OS of course solves the problem, but all programs and files are deleted, which is not good.
Therefore, we will resort to booting the operating system in safe mode. And we will deal with the problem already with the running OS.
How to boot laptop in safe mode
The loading of this mode is different for each operating system. For example, if you asked yourself how to start the system in safe mode on Windows 8, then the recommendations on how to enter a safe system on a laptop with Windows XP will be useless.
You can try to start Windows 8 in this way:
1) find the power button in the "Settings" tab;
2) press the SHIFT key and hold while pressing "Restart";
3) after this operation, the laptop will display a list of possible options, from which you will need to select "Diagnostics", then "Advanced options", then "Boot options", and "Enable safe mode";
4) at the bottom of the monitor there will be a window with the inscription "Restart";
5) you need to click on it, then as many as 9 ways will appear on the monitor, three of these options will belong to safe mode.
If you press the F4 key on the keyboard, then the safe mode will connect, and if you press F5, then the system that supports network drivers. If you select the F6 key, the system will be able to display the command line.
How a computer or laptop of any kind tolerates safe mode: method number 1
There are two main startup options that should be suitable for any laptop. The first one consists of the following:
1) Turn on the laptop to fully launch the OS;
2) Turn off absolutely all programs that were involved in the boot process. You can do this using the “Exit” command in various specific applications;
3) Select and press the shutdown button to turn off the laptop;
4) Wait a few minutes and activate your laptop;
5) Among the selection of suggestions, download the desired mode.
You must always be prepared for what this process downloads will be quite slow. Different samples have different ways, sometimes even 5 minutes.
It will seem that it simply does not work, in such a situation, the laptop that turns on and boots up may decide that the device is frozen.
No need to immediately reboot or shut down. A damaged operating system will not start from the desired option, but the computer will restart automatically, or simply shut down. In this case, the monitor will be black, and "Safe Mode" will be written on top.
How to boot into safe mode on a computer or laptop: method number 2
There is another way that guarantees the safe boot of a laptop almost 100%. It consists of the following. You will have to press the F8 key many times when starting the laptop.
Then a list of options for launching will be displayed, you need to choose the one you need. If pressing the F8 key does not give the desired result, then the F12 key must be pressed. As a rule, either one or the other key reacts.
There is only a small chance that none of the options provided will solve the problem. AT this example there are a couple of alternatives.
For example, for Windows 8, you can burn the operating system (you need to do it yourself) or try the USB boot option.
Windows 7 has more simple option launcher is the "System Configuration" utility. In order for at least one of the methods given as an example to bring the desired benefit, such solutions to the problem must be analyzed even before it appears, then actions will be confident and more effective.
Sometimes it becomes necessary to boot the laptop in safe mode, for example, with a problematic Windows. And it is not difficult to do this, although some laptop models require special approach. With this in mind, we offer you several ways to start your laptop in safe mode.
Turn on or reboot the device and immediately press the F8 button (on some models - F5, F12 or a combination of "Shift" and "F8"). As a result, on the screen you will see all the modes that the computer offers to boot the operating system. Accordingly, we select the safe mode we need with the up and down buttons, confirm our choice by pressing Enter and wait for the laptop to boot.
Please note that the process of booting a laptop in safe mode may take a little longer (from 1 to 5 minutes). Therefore, this period must be patiently waited, even if it seems that the device is frozen.