If you can not access your system, starting Windows in Safe Mode is the best option. There are many ways to do this, depending on the circumstances, one must be chosen.
One common way to troubleshoot a Windows operating system is to boot into Safe Mode. In Safe Mode, Windows comes up with the minimum number of drivers and services required, and no standalone program loads; Therefore, this mode is used to troubleshoot Windows. If Windows starts easily in safe mode, it means that the system problem lies in the drivers, services, or plugins.
One of the easiest ways to enter Safe Mode is to use the F8 key or Ctrl + F8 keys when loading Windows; But on newer systems that have UEFI or use high-speed SSD memory, Windows loading speed is so high that you can not stop the system boot process by pressing the F8 key.
There are many ways to set up Safe Mode in Windows 10 that you can choose the best method according to your system conditions and access. In the following, we will explain each of these methods.
Launch Windows 10 in Safe Mode
Access through system configuration
Sometimes it is necessary to boot Windows several times in Safe Mode to troubleshoot a problem; It will take a lot of time and patience if we have to do this manually every time. Fortunately, the system configuration tool in Windows allows you to enable the Safe Mode option, and the system will boot in Safe Mode until you reset the settings yourself.
In the Start menu search bar, type MSConfig and then enter System Configuration at the top of the page. Instead, you can enter the MSConfig command directly in the Run window by pressing Windows + R.
In the System Configuration window, the settings are probably on one of the Normal Startup or Selective Startup options. You must select the second option, Diagnostic startup, to run only basic drivers and services. Finally, click OK and then Restart to reboot the system immediately.
Note: After activating the Diagnostic startup option, drivers and voice services, network and some other functions will not be loaded; So you can not use or test these features.
Once the system is up, see if your previous problem persists; In either case, you must follow the troubleshooting steps to identify it. Log in to System Configuration again. Click the Boot tab and then check the Safe boot option. Under Safe Boot, four other options are available:
- Minimal: Loads only the minimum number of drivers needed to run Windows; But it still keeps you in the graphical user interface (GUI) so you can use the mouse.
- Alternate shell: launches safe mode with command line; So, in this case, you need to know how to use Windows without a GUI.
- Active Directory Repair: An option for computers in an enterprise environment that connect to Microsoft Active Directory.
- Network: Downloads the required network drivers to the Windows GUI so you can access and test the network connection.
For ordinary people who are just trying to solve their problem, Minimal and Network are the best options. After selecting either of these two options, reboot Windows, then check your previous issue to see if it still exists.
Go to System Configuration and return the boot to normal to make sure the problem is fixed. If your problem continues to persist, additional options such as No GUI, the Boot log, the Base video to try and OS boot information.
Access through Windows settings
If you still have access to Windows, you can go to Settings from the Start menu and click Update & Security to launch Safe Mode.
Go to the Recovery option from the left panel. At the bottom of the Advanced startup section, click the Restart now button. This will restart Windows and run the Recovery Environment (WinRE). In this environment, you must select the Troubleshoot option. On the next screen, click Advanced Options, then Startup Settings, and finally Restart Now.
After this, the system will restart and take you to a page where you have to select 4 or f4 keys to start safe mode.
The above methods are one of the easiest ways to access Safe Mode, But if you do not have access to the settings or you are not even able to start Windows, these methods do not work. In the following, we will introduce the methods that you should choose according to the type of problem and access restrictions.
Access via a login page
On the login page, click on the Windows Power icon and then hold down the Shift key to select Restart.
On the page that opens, click Troubleshoot and then Advanced options.
From the options, select Start-up Settings and then click Restart. You can now see different options for booting your system.
Options 4, 5, and 6 are related to booting the system in safe mode, which you should choose according to the description of these options in the “System Configuration Method”. After selecting the desired option, press one of the F4, F5, or F6 keys. Finally, Windows 10 will be launched in safe mode.
You can use the same method when Windows is up; All you have to do is click on the Windows icon in the taskbar and then hold down the Shift key to select Restart. Repeat the rest of the steps as above.
Access via shutdown command
If you only have access to the command line, you can run a command that restarts the computer in the Windows Recovery (WinRE) environment so that you can enable Safe Mode. To enter the Windows recovery environment, enter the command line window and type shutdown.exe / r / o.
After that, Windows will notify you that you will be logged out in less than a minute. After you log out, the Windows Recovery Environment will be displayed. Here you need to repeat the steps described in the “Access via Windows Settings” method.
Force Windows to enter WinRE
You can force Windows into recovery mode to access Safe Mode. This method is only for critical times; Like when Windows does not start; Otherwise, Windows will be damaged.
If Windows fails to boot more than three times in a row, it automatically enters the Automatic Repair environment, from where you can boot Windows into safe mode. To do this, turn on the computer and when Windows starts downloading, hold down the power button for at least 4 seconds to force Windows to shut down; Repeat this process two more times before Windows enters Automatic Repair mode. You may be asked to select an account to continue working. You must select an account that has administrative access. If required, you will be asked to enter the account password.
Now on the Automatic Repair page, click the Advanced options button and continue the rest of the steps as mentioned in the Windows recovery environment.
Access via USB or bootable disk
If you have a Windows 10 CD or a bootable Windows 10 flash drive, you can use it to start Windows in safe mode. Only use this method if Windows is not able to boot even by forcing it to shut down.
After inserting the disk or flash drive, you must first specify your language and then click on the Repair your computer option to enter the Windows recovery environment.
Changes you make to the Windows Recovery environment apply to your original Windows; So all you have to do is find Safe Mode to get Windows to run in safe mode.
Select the Troubleshoot option. On the Advanced options page, click Command Prompt.
In the command line window, type bcdedit / set {default} safe boot minimal and press Enter. After a few seconds, you will see the phrase “The operation completed successfully” which tells you that the operation was successful. Close the command prompt window and click Continue. After the system reboots, Windows will boot in safe mode.
Note: There is a problem with this method that causes Windows 10 to enter Safe Mode automatically each time it is started. To disable this normal Windows 10 setting, run the same procedure again and type bcdedit / delete value {default} safe boot.
Windows 10 is a fast operating system with a fast boot process. Since the old Safe Mode entry method does not apply to newer Windows 10 systems, in this article we have tried to gather the best ways to set up Safe Mode for you. If you have experience using these methods or know better ways to do so, share it with Zomit users.