Start your PC in safe mode in Windows 10

Safe mode starts Windows in a basic state, using a limited set of files and drivers. If a problem doesn’t happen in safe mode, this means that default settings and basic device drivers aren’t causing the issue. Observing Windows in safe mode enables you to narrow down the source of a problem, and can help you troubleshoot problems on your PC.

There are two versions of safe mode: Safe Mode and Safe Mode with Networking. Safe Mode with Networking adds the network drivers and services you’ll need to access the Internet and other computers on your network.

Select from the following sections to find out how to start your PC in safe mode from Settings, from the sign-in screen, or from a black or blank screen.

Press Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings. If that doesn’t work, select the Start button, then select Settings .

Under Advanced startup, select Restart now.

After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. You may be asked to enter your BitLocker recovery key.

After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select 4 or press F4 to start your PC in Safe Mode. Or if you’ll need to use the Internet, select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

When you can’t open Settings to get into safe mode, restart your device from the Windows sign-in screen.

On the Windows sign-in screen, press and hold the Shift key while you select the Power > Restart .

After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart. You may be asked to enter your BitLocker recovery key.

After your PC restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select 4 or F4 to start your PC in safe mode. Or if you’ll need to use the Internet, select 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

Note: If you’ve encrypted your device, you’ll need your BitLocker key to start in safe mode.

Before you enter safe mode, you need to enter the Windows Recovery Environment (winRE). To do this, you will repeatedly turn your device off, then on:

Hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.

Press the power button again to turn on your device.

On the first sign that Windows has started (for example, some devices show the manufacturer’s logo when restarting) hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.

Press the power button again to turn on your device.

When Windows restarts, hold down the power button for 10 seconds to turn off your device.

Press the power button again to turn on your device.

Allow your device to fully restart. You will enter winRE.

Now that you are in winRE, you will follow these steps to take you to safe mode:

On the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

After your device restarts, you’ll see a list of options. Select option 5 from the list or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

If you need more info on a black or blank screen error, see Troubleshoot black or blank screen errors.

Notes: If you need to exit safe mode, simply restart your device, or:

Press the Windows logo key + R.

Type msconfig in the Open box and then select OK.

Select the Boot tab.

Under Boot options, clear the Safe boot checkbox.

How to Access Advanced Startup Options in Windows 10 or 8

6 Methods for accessing the ASO Boot Menu in Windows 10 or Windows 8

The Advanced Startup Options menu, available in Windows 10 and Windows 8, is the central fix-it location for the entire operating system.

From here you can access Windows diagnostic and repair tools like Reset This PC, System Restore, Command Prompt, Startup Repair, and much more.

It’s also where you access Startup Settings, the menu that includes Safe Mode, among other startup methods that could help you access Windows 10 or 8 if it is having problems starting. In other words, Advanced Startup Options functions as the Windows 10/8 boot menu.

The Advanced Startup Options menu should appear automatically after two consecutive startup errors. However, if you need to open it manually, there are six different ways to do so.

The best way to decide which method to use is to base your decision on what level of access you have to Windows right now:

• If Windows 10/8 starts normally: Use any method, but 1, 2, or 3 will be easiest.
• If Windows 10/8 does not start: Use method 4, 5, or 6. Method 1 will also work if you can at least get to the Windows logon screen.

Time Required: Accessing ASO is easy and can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes, depending on which method you use.

All of these means of getting to the Advanced Startup Options menu work equally well in any edition of Windows 10, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 unless noted otherwise.

Method 1: SHIFT + Restart

This is by far the easiest way to get this done. Just hold down either SHIFT key while selecting Restart, available from any Power icon.

Power icons are available throughout Windows 10 and Windows 8 as well as from the sign-in/lock screen.

All you do now is wait while the Advanced Startup Options menu opens!

This method doesn’t seem to work with the on-screen keyboard. You’ll need to have a physical keyboard connected to your computer or device to open it this way.

Method 2: Settings Menu

In Windows 10, select the Start button, and then choose the settings button followed by Update & Security.

In Windows 8, Swipe from the right to open the charms bar. Select Change PC settings. Choose Update and recovery from the list on the left (or General prior to Windows 8.1).

Choose Recovery from the list of options on the left.

Locate Advanced startup, at the bottom of the list of options on your right.

Select Restart now.

Wait through the Please wait message until Advanced Startup Options opens.

Method 3: Shutdown Command

Another option is to open Run (use the WIN+R keyboard shortcut) if you can’t get Command Prompt started for some reason, probably related to the issue you’re having that has you here in the first place!

Save any open files before continuing or you’ll lose any changes you’ve made since your last save.

Execute the shutdown command in the following way:

To cancel the shutdown command once executed (like if you forgot to save your work!) execute shutdown /a in the same Command Prompt window.

Select Close to the signoff warning message that appears a few seconds later.

After several seconds, during which nothing seems to be happening, Windows will then close and you’ll see a Please wait message.

Wait just a few seconds more until the Advanced Startup Options menu opens.

Method 4: Boot From Your Windows 10/8 Installation Media

Insert into your computer a Windows 10 or Windows 8 DVD or a flash drive with the Windows installation files on it.

You can borrow someone else’s disc (or other media) if you need to. You’re not installing or reinstalling Windows, you’re just accessing Advanced Startup Options—no product key or license breaking required.

Select Next from the Windows Setup screen.

Choose Repair your computer at the bottom of the window.

Advanced Startup Options will start, almost immediately.

Method 5: Boot From a Windows 10/8 Recovery Drive

Insert your Windows 10 or Windows 8 Recovery Drive into a free USB port.

Don’t worry if you weren’t proactive and never got around to creating a Recovery Drive. If you have another computer with the same version of Windows or a friend’s computer with Windows 10/8, see How to Create a Windows 10 or Windows 8 Recovery Drive for instructions.

On the Choose your keyboard layout screen, select U.S. or whatever keyboard layout you’d like to use.

Advanced Startup Options will begin instantly.

Method 6: Boot Directly to Advanced Startup Options

Start or restart your computer or device.

Choose the boot option for System Recovery, Advanced Startup, Recovery, etc.

On some Windows 10 and Windows 8 computers, for example, pressing F11 starts System Recovery.

What this boot option is called is configurable by your hardware maker, so the options mentioned here are just some that we’ve seen or heard. Whatever the name, it should be clear that what you’re about to do is a boot to the advanced recovery features included in Windows.

The ability to boot directly to Advanced Startup Options isn’t one that’s available with a traditional BIOS. Your computer will need to support UEFI and then also be configured properly to boot directly to the ASO menu. Fortunately, this is very common these days.

Wait for Advanced Startup Options to begin.

What About F8 and SHIFT+F8?

Neither F8 nor SHIFT+F8 is a reliable option for booting to the Advanced Startup Options menu. See How to Start Windows 10 or Windows 8 in Safe Mode for more on this.

If you need to access Advanced Startup Options, you can do so with any of the several methods listed above.

How to Exit Advanced Startup Options

Whenever you’re finished using the ASO menu, you can choose Continue to restart your computer. Assuming it’s working properly now, this will boot you back into Windows 10/8.

Your other option is Turn off your PC, which will do just that.

Hold shift restart windows

Вопрос

Suddenly this option is no longer available when I hold down SHIFT key + Restart did not restart into Recovery Environment but just went straight to Windows.

I am running Windows 10 Version 1511 (OS Build 10586.104)

1. reagentc /disable then reagentc /enable. Everything seems correct but no dice.
2. Checked the output from bcdedit & diskpart to make sure the GUID & Offset are correctly set in reagent.xml

Am I missing anything here ?

Ответы

That to me is relevant as Recovery options work on your system, reagentc /boottore achieving that. But the call to load recovery options from the GUI does not. So I would take that to be the ‘load recovery options’ part of shutdown\restart is being ignored. Possibly as some other installed software is ‘enhancing’ or controlling the shutdown\restart but does not understand the ‘load recovery options’ part.

OK. I know that reagentc /boottore works and I could not see any installed software that would cause shutdown/restart, settings->Recovery, SHIFT+Restart to be ignored. Perhaps something is not correctly set to trigger shutdown/restart, SHIFT+Restart, settings->Recovery. So here’s what I did:

Repair the UEFI Bootloader.

1. Assign a drive letter s: to EFI System partition
2. cd /d s:\efi\microsoft\boot
3. ren BCD BCD.bak
4. bcdboot c:\windows /l en-us /s s: /f ALL
5. a new BCD is created.
6. Reboot

Now, everything works.

Все ответы

Yes the SHIFT key was held down at all time from start to reboot. If I open Admin Command Prompt and type:
%SystemRoot%\System32\Cmd.exe /c reagentc /boottore&shutdown /r /t 00
It will then reboot into Recovery.

UPDATE: Further testing by restoring the orginal backup image without any third party apps installed, ran latest Windows Updates and tried again with SHIFT+Restart and it worked so my conclusion is either some installed third party programs caused the conflict and disabled this SHIFT+Restart option.

If any body has any other idea, please post. Thanks

Thanks for quick response. I have about 81 items listed under «Program and Features», too long to list and not sure if they are all available to public, those such as Abode software, Cyberlink Power DVD, Power Director, Corel etc.
Beside this option being disabled. My PC is running smooth and without a glitch, it is just something that bothers me even though I can get into Recovery using other means such as booting up from the Istallation Media, Recovery disk or create a shortcut as shown a above (%SystemRoot%\System32\Cmd.exe /c reagentc /boottore&shutdown /r /t 00). I just want to find out what it is to disable it.

Another thought that I use CCleaner to clean up the registry, wonder if it deleted any entry that would affect this.

Go to settings, then update & security, advanced startup, restart now, creates the same ability.

Go to settings, then update & security, advanced startup, restart now, creates the same ability.

You mean: settings->update & security->Recovery->advanced startup->restart now ?

No dice, just go straight back to Windows.

You mean: settings->update & security->Recovery->advanced startup->restart now — that goes to recovery options for me.

Did try CCleaner, still get the shift restart options. Yes 81 bits of software too much for me to test!

Anything have an effect on keys? trap key combinations setup stay residence key shortcuts?

Thanks -Mr Happy-

Well, I doubt that anything has an effect on keys. I did again restored the previous backup image and tried:

1. %SystemRoot%\System32\Cmd.exe /c reagentc /boottore&shutdown /r /t 00
2. SHIFT + Restart
3. shutdown.exe /r /o /f /t 00
4. settings->update & security->Recovery->advanced startup->restart now

All the above methods worked perfectly and reboot into Recovery.

Restored back to my working Windows with apps. Only #1 worked so that eliminates the Keys being trapped.

Oh BTW, dism & sfc reported no error or integrity violation.

Ah ok yes you saying the settings way did not work in the previous post shows its not the keys.

So just a vague rambling perhaps, but whatever programming calls the start button, shutdown.exe or settings use are being interpreted by something else. That something does not understand ‘restart into recovery’ (a newer feature) so it is ignored. So what installed software would have any interest \ do anything at shutdown time?

Ah ok yes you saying the settings way did not work in the previous post shows its not the keys.

So just a vague rambling perhaps, but whatever programming calls the start button, shutdown.exe or settings use are being interpreted by something else. That something does not understand ‘restart into recovery’ (a newer feature) so it is ignored. So what installed software would have any interest \ do anything at shutdown time?

I would asume that when you use: SHIFT+Restart, shutdown, restart into recovery. BCD would be modified for a one time boot into Recovery