The release of Windows 8 generated a lot of controversy. Moreover, almost all generations of users participated in them, since the new operating system turned out to be very controversial. The audience was especially unhappy with the Metro environment, since many did not and do not see the point in it.
In addition, almost all those who worked with earlier versions of Windows categorically cannot understand the intricacies of some settings. The fact is that some of them are available only in the “classic” desktop mode, while others are only available from the same “Metro”. Of course, this circumstance does not add clarity and friendliness to the system interface.
Did you know, Windows 8 even in this regard provides its users with a lot of time to think. Do you still think that to enter “safe mode” you just need to press F8 while your computer is booting? Alas, you won’t achieve anything this way, because Microsoft decided not to leave easy paths. However, enough lyricism. Let's try to figure out how you can still launch this mode.
What it is?
But before that, it won’t hurt to find out what we’re talking about. In this case, safe mode means one in which only the main drivers and services are loaded. This allows you to achieve maximum OS stability, helping to identify faulty programs and modules.
In addition, the entrance to safe mode(Windows 8 is no exception) is very often used in identifying and destroying malware, since in this case they also cannot boot into RAM. Of course, we are talking about their most primitive varieties, but some of the WinLocker modifications can really be defeated this way.
And further. It often happens that due to the failure of some “hardware” component (discrete audio card, for example), the system begins to malfunction. In safe mode, you can run debugging and find out what exactly caused the glitches.
If you require maximum support for the most important computer hardware, we recommend using the download option with “Support network drivers" In addition, in most cases where more or less serious debugging is required, you will probably need the help of the command line.
How to enable all this? This will be discussed in our article.
"System Configuration" (Msconfig.exe)
As is the case with previous versions Windows OS is the easiest way. will help you system utility“System Configuration”, which is launched by the msconfig.exe file. However, this hardly means anything to novice users.
So how to log in in safe mode? Windows 8, when it comes to this method, is not too different from its predecessors. You need to press Win+R, and then enter the MSConfig command in the field that appears. Press Enter, after which a dialog box for the required utility appears in front of you.
Setting up the utility
In it you need to go to the “Boot” tab, and then check the box next to the “Safe Mode” option. Click “OK”. After this, a message will appear notifying you that a reboot is required. To confirm safe mode in Windows 8, you can agree to this proposal by clicking on the “Restart” button, or you can refuse. In the latter case, you need to click on “Exit without rebooting”.
Do not worry. Even if you do not want to restart your computer now, the next time you start it, the system will use “Safe Mode”. Important! When you eliminate the cause of the errors or perform some actions that are only possible in this mode, be sure to follow the above path again and then uncheck the box. Otherwise, the system will continue to boot in this state. How can I log in in safe mode? Windows 8 offers quite a few ways, so let's move on.
We use the combination of buttons Shift+Restart
First you need to click on and then an options panel will appear on the right side of the screen. At its bottom edge there are several buttons, among which we are interested in “Shutdown”. Click it. A menu of options will pop up, including the “Reboot” option. Hold down the SHIFT key and click on this item with the left mouse button.
And one moment. To enter Safe Mode (Windows 8, unfortunately, is not designed for touch technology), the user must use the keyboard.
The system will begin to reboot. After the standard BIOS screen, a large dialog box will appear in front of you. Windows window, in which you will need to select the options you require for the desired type of system operating mode. Among them, we are only interested in the “Diagnostics” item. Without it, starting Windows 8 Safe Mode will be impossible.
Click on this button using the left mouse button. A dialog box will appear in front of you: Extra options" In the menu, which lists all possible additional options, you must select “Download Options”. A list will appear containing the desired item “Enable Safe Mode”. Select it, then click on the “Restart” button. Three proposed options will appear on the monitor. What exactly is required to boot into Windows 8 Safe Mode?
Choose
If you just need “Safe Mode”, you should press the F4 key. In the case when you need support for network drivers, you need the F5 and F6 buttons when support for command line emulation mode is required to carry out some action. After pressing any of all the above keys, the system will be sent to reboot with the selected type of safe mode.
Using safe mode when booting from CD/DVD
In Windows 8 (but not Windows 8.1, please note) you have the option to create a system repair disc yourself. If you have it, boot from it. How to log into safe mode (Windows 8.1 also allows this option) from optical media?
To do this, you will first need to set the “Boot from CD/DVD” option in the BIOS menu. It is impossible to specifically describe this method, since currently there are dozens of BIOS modifications, and therefore you will have to independently search for the appropriate instructions on the manufacturer’s website.
Immediately after booting from the optical media, you will be prompted to select the desired keyboard layout. Immediately select the one that is necessary for further actions. After this, a dialog box with options will appear, which we already discussed in the previous paragraph. Accordingly, all your further actions will be identical to those we talked about above.
Using a USB system recovery disk
Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1 as well) has a feature that allows you to create a USB drive for possible system recovery. In addition, with its help you can also boot Windows in safe mode. How to do it? In the previous paragraph, we talked about booting from an optical disc. Go to the manufacturer's website again, and then find out how you can boot from a flash drive using your BIOS model. All subsequent steps are similar to those described above.
How to create a recovery flash drive?
In the Metro window, type the word “Recovery” and select “Settings” to open the corresponding dialog box. In it you need to left-click on the “Create recovery disk” item, after which a special “Wizard” will be launched.
In the window, select the option “Copy recovery partition from PC to recovery disk”, since in this case it will include all the special tools that are available on your computer. If the checkbox cannot be checked (it is inactive), then you have this section on system disk No. Important! If you want to perform the steps mentioned, you need a flash drive of at least 16 GB. If you can do without this, then even 256 MB will be enough.
Please note that even if removable disk there is enough free space, all data on it will be destroyed. Follow the wizard's prompts, and then click on the "Finish" button. We wait a few minutes... That's it! Now you will be able to start in safe mode. Windows 8 can be cleaned of malware in it.
And F8 (Shift + F8) sometimes works!
At the very beginning of the article we wrote that in earlier versions To boot Windows into safe mode, all you had to do was press the F8 key immediately after the BIOS logo appeared on the display. We also said that this method does not work in the new OS. However, not everything is so simple.
In other cases, the Shift+F8 key combination may work, which launches the window for selecting boot options. Important! It often happens that it is impossible to “catch” the moment when a given combination will work. If you are using a computer whose system is installed on an SSD drive, this is almost impossible to do. What is the reason for this OS behavior?
Cause
The official Microsoft blog reports that this is due to a very fast system boot process. Steve Sinofsky said the same thing, long before the error itself appeared. The problem is the enormous boot speed of the system, especially when it comes to hard drives. In this case, the program simply does not have time to “see” the pressing of the mentioned keys. So Windows 8, unfortunately, leaves no choice to the user... If you use a laptop or computer with a UEFI BIOS and SSD in your daily work, then pressing keys will not boot the system into safe mode. Of course, if you don’t have a lightning-fast reaction. As for old computers with regular hard drives, in some cases this happens.
So we talked about how to log in in safe mode. Windows 8 is a wonderful system if you know all the intricacies of its use. Remember that in case of serious failures, this download option may not help you. Most likely, you will need to use all the capabilities of the recovery flash drive or disk, which we have already discussed above.
Good luck troubleshooting!
Most computer problems can be resolved using Safe Mode. You can even often hear the first thing recommended when a system crashes or if the computer slows down for unknown reasons, to go in and check it. Most users are well aware that to boot into safe mode, you need to repeatedly press F8 or Shift+F8 when starting the computer. True, with the release of Windows 8 (8.1), everything changed; Windows does not respond to their clicks and boots as if nothing had happened. But why don’t the buttons work and how can I start it then?
I'll tell you about three ways to start your computer in safe mode:
- Booting using the shutdown menu
- Launch using the msconfig utility
- Booting into safe mode using the recovery disk.
How to start Windows 8 in safe mode using the Shutdown menu
This method is the simplest and fastest, at the same time it is the standard that replaced “F8”. The advantage of this option is that it can be used without going into the user profile. By calling the side menu where we go to “ Options» –> « Shutdowns"Move the mouse over the item "" while holding down the " button Shift"Left-click on "".
Also, there is a launch option with the participation of CMD. Having registered in command line following shutdown /r /o /t 0. But, no matter which option you choose, in any case, the recovery menu will open in front of you, in which we click “ Diagnostics».
In additional parameters it is possible to fix many problems different ways, but we need to boot into safe mode and therefore go to “ Boot Options" Next, you can get acquainted with what parameters the system can boot after you click “ Reboot».
Select the option for further download. Moving down to the fourth point, we see the usual three launch options:
- Enable Safe Mode
- Enable Safe Mode with Command Line Support
- Enable safe mode with network drivers loading
To select, you can use numbers (4-6) or F4-F6, as is more convenient for you.
The result is obvious after reboot Windows 8, booted into safe mode.
How to start Windows 8 in safe mode using msconfig utility
The second option is also quite simple, but has one drawback. This option can only be used if you are logged into your user profile. If there is such an opportunity, then we move on. We will log into BR using the utility msconfig . We can launch configuration settings in two ways.
1.In the “Run” window, enter the command msconfig.
2. Going to the search, we also enter msconfig and launch the utility.
Having entered the system configuration, you just need to check the “Safe Mode” box and select the startup type.
- Minimum - Standard Safe Mode
- Another shell – with command line support
- Recovery Active Directory– for the domain controller
Having decided, mark the necessary items and save the “Apply” parameters. After the reboot, our system will start in safe mode.
After finishing work, do not forget to change everything back, otherwise the operating system will constantly boot in safe mode. To set the standard boot, go to the configuration settings, just uncheck the box that you checked earlier and reboot.
How to Enter Windows 8 Safe Mode Using a Recovery Disk
The latest option is more suitable for users whose OS cannot fully start due to a system failure. For this option, we will need a bootable recovery disk, you can find out how to make one here. Having a recovery disk, it can be either a USB drive or an optical media, just insert it, having previously changed it, and reboot. The same recovery menu will appear in front of you, although in the additional parameters there is no such item as “Boot options”.
To get out of this situation, we will use the command line, which, as you understand, you need to select. Having launched the console, we will draw the following command: bcdedit /set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true
Having received a message about a successful operation, close the command line and click “Continue”. If a window with boot parameters appears in front of you, then you have done everything correctly. By selecting an option and pressing the corresponding key, you will enter Windows 8 safe mode.
When you subsequently restart the computer, a settings window will appear. In order for everything to be as before, you need to enter the following on the command line: bcdedit /deletevalue (globalsettings) advancedoptions, which will restore all boot settings back.
In general, there are many ways to boot into Windows 8 safe mode, but which one to use is up to you, dear readers.
There are several methods to start safe mode on operating systems. Windows systems eighth generation. And the very first one is to press the F8 button while the computer is turning on. But this point is easy to miss, since the software loads very quickly thanks to modern technologies. How to enter Windows 8 safe mode at such speeds? Thanks to the developers, there are several ways to do this, and now the screen resolution with this operating option is 1024 by 768 pixels.
system configuration
On many operating systems, you can use the System Configuration program, which among experienced computer users is called msconfig.exe. Need to run this program, go to the Safe Mode tab and click on the OK button.
It should be remembered that safe start After these steps, it turns on only after a reboot.
Keyboard shortcut
You can press the dedicated power button when logging into Windows. There is also an option to click on it in the Options panel. Long-press the Shift button and select context menu Reboot.
- Select Diagnostics and wait for the next window.
- The second step is the Additional options button.
- The next button will be Download Options.
- Finally, the last window will come out with the option Enable Safe Mode, you should click Restart.
- After rebooting, several secure login options will appear.
Here, if you press F4, you can enter simple safe mode, F5 - to enable secure boot with connection of network drivers, F6 - with the command line. Once the choice is made, the operating system will rush to enter the required functionality of the work.
Recovery disk
And there is a situation when it is impossible to enter anywhere at all, but you need to continue working to correct errors. In this case, a specially created physical recovery disk helps. To create it, you need to search for the recdisc application. A special menu will appear in which you should select an optical drive. After loading from the disk, the same menu will appear as described above.
You can start security mode after this by simply inserting a physical disk into the drive.
USB
The previous method is very similar to this one, only here instead of a physical disk it is used USB card. All you need to do is create a recovery card. To do this, you need to go to the Create a recovery disk menu (you can find it Windows search), will boot from it, and the standard menu will appear.
Let's follow simple instructions, and Windows will automatically create the required USB tool. Then we insert it into a special port, select BIOS loading from the memory card, and this helps us start the security mode. Naturally, it’s a good idea to do all this before problems arise.
You need to use security mode in cases where the system does not boot or boots with defects. The point of such a procedure is to turn on the computer in at least some way so that it is possible to correct any errors that have arisen. If the download fails even in this case, you need to delve into the computer components. Perhaps something burned out and gave up life.
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Disclaimer: this article was published on our website two years ago. However, the methods described in it then partially stopped working. On this moment The article has been updated and relevant, everything written below has been tested on Windows 8.1 Updated.
I'll tell you about three ways How to boot into safe mode:
- Using the system shutdown menu - works when the system boots at least to the user selection screen;
- Through the msconfig utility - it works only if it is possible to run it;
- Using a system recovery disk is a more labor-intensive method and will help those whose G8 does not boot.
1. Boot into safe mode by shutting down the system
This is the easiest and fastest option. It works regardless of whether the user is logged in account or not. Hover your mouse over the system shutdown menu, and while holding the Shift key, select “Reboot.”
After a short wait, the system recovery menu will open. An alternative way to launch this menu is to type the following command on the command line:
Here we are interested in the “Diagnostics” section. We go along the path “Diagnostics” - “Advanced options” - “Boot options”.
At the exit we will be greeted by a boot parameters window with detailed description what we get after restarting Windows.
Click “Restart” and select the key corresponding to the desired one from the proposed parameters:
- F4 - to start safe mode;
- F5 - to start safe mode with loading network drivers;
- F6 - similar, only with command line support.
As a result, Windows 8.1 will boot into safe mode.
To return to normal mode Windows operation, just reboot the system.
2. Entering safe mode through the system configuration utility
You can get into safe mode in another way, which requires logging into your account. Windows entry 8. To launch configuration settings, open search, enter and run the utility.
Switch to the “Boot” tab and check the box next to Safe Mode.
You can also select the type of safe mode:
- Minimal is normal safe mode;
- The other shell is safe mode with command line support;
- Network is a safe mode that loads network drivers.
After selecting the desired download option, click Ok and restart your computer. As a result, it will automatically boot into Safe Mode.
If you restart your computer again, it will go into safe mode again, and it will stay that way forever. To return to normal system boot, open msconfig and uncheck the box, click Ok, and reboot the system.
3. Using a recovery disk
The two methods shown above allow you to start safe mode while the system is running. But what to do if Windows 8 does not load at all and the Shift+F8 key combination does not work? In this case, you will need a recovery disk, which you, as a prepared user, created in advance. No? Then you need to create it and act according to the scheme described below.
Disk is being created Windows recovery 8 is very simple - the standard package of the 8 includes a creation utility. We launch it and act as directed by the program, everything is very simple and intuitive (the process of creating bootable flash drive can be seen in the video at the end of the article). The only requirement for the disk/flash drive is that the media must hold at least 256 MB of data.
So you have a recovery disk. You need to boot from it and select one of the proposed keyboard layouts. After this, follow the path “Diagnostics” - “Advanced options” - “Command Line” (you will not see a direct link to boot the system in safe mode).
Select the command line and enter:
bcdedit /set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true
After receiving a message about a successful operation, close the command line and select “Continue”.
The long-awaited menu appears before us.
We select what we need and load.
There is one point: after the steps described above, Windows 8 will always offer this menu when booting. In order to return to normal boot mode, enter the following command on the command line:
bcdedit /deletevalue (globalsettings) advancedoptions
We looked at three ways to launch the command line under Windows 8.1. I hope that they will help you bring a crashed system back to life or troubleshoot problems that have arisen.
Finally, a video that shows everything that is written in this article, only more briefly.
Subscribe to our channel on Youtube. See you!
Despite the fact that Windows operating systems are developing at a rapid pace, increasing reliability and stability, sometimes situations may arise when the computer cannot boot normally.
However, you can try to start the system in a minimal environment mode, when only the most necessary services and a limited set of device drivers are functioning, sufficient to diagnose and eliminate possible malfunctions.
This mode is called "Safe".
For example, here is a screenshot of the task manager in safe mode.
It can be seen that only 19 processes are running, opening 4482 descriptors (pointers to different files).
And here is a screenshot of the normal operation of the same system immediately after a restart.
Already 33 processes and more than 12 thousand descriptors. It is obvious that in case of probable failures software, booting the system in safe mode will be much easier.
How to Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 8
There are various ways to boot your system into Safe Mode.
Method one.
1. When finishing work, hold down the key Shift and select “” without releasing Shift;
Or you can right-click on the “Windows” icon and select “ Shutdown -> »
2. In the menu that appears, select “ Diagnostics»;
3. In the section " Diagnostics" choose " Extra options»;
4. In the additional parameters section, enter “ Boot Options»;
5. Select the item “ Reboot»;
6. After the reboot, we see a menu with various boot options, which can be selected by pressing the F1-F9 keys, respectively.
Here we are interested in items with safe mode. This is normal safe mode, starting the system in a minimal environment; – safe mode with loading network drivers. At the same time, we will have access to network adapter (standard driver) and you can diagnose the network, access files and even access the Internet - safe mode with command line support. When we select this mode, a command line window will open in which we can perform diagnostics and administration using control commands.
(For example, the command " chkdsk C: /f» will start checking file system on drive C: with error correction).
Method two.
1. With the system running, press the key combination
2. In the launched program, go to the “” tab and select the download options “ Safe mode" In addition to the boot parameter, you can specify the mode option (see. previous method, here “Other shell” means “...with command line support...”, “Network” means “...with loading network drivers...”).
3. Reboot. The system will boot in the specified mode. This setting is disabled through the same utility (the “Safe Mode” checkbox is unchecked);
Method three.
If we are not able to login. In this case, we will need a system recovery disk, which must be made in advance (if you have free time and USB flash drive, then spend it now on creating such a disk, in the future it will help save data).
1. In order to create a recovery disk, you need to use special utility(you can find it by searching for the phrase “Creation...”);
To the warning that the data will be destroyed, respond in the affirmative by clicking the “Create” button. First make sure that there is no important data on the flash drive; it will be erased.
2. Boot the computer from USB storage created in the previous step. Download from USB devices must be enabled in the BIOS in the Boot section (may look different: Boot options/Boot order/Boot priority, names may differ in BIOSes from different manufacturers).
3. In the automatic recovery window that appears after clicking on the “Advanced options” button, we will see the already familiar menu (from the first method). Further actions do not differ from those described previously.
Method four.
If suddenly we did not create a recovery disk in advance, then there is another opportunity to start the computer in safe mode - use the installation Windows disk 8.
1. Install the Windows 8 boot disk into the CD drive and reboot (you may need to set boot priority from the CD/DVD device in the BIOS).
2. The system will prompt you to press any key to continue booting from the disk, press any key (for example, spacebar);
3. We will see the menu boot disk, appearance which depends on the author of the assembly that compiled the disk. Select “Recovery Environment 8.1”
6. On the command line itself, we can run the following command:
> bcdedit /set (globalsettings) advancedoptions true
7. Now close the command line and restart the computer. The system will prompt us with boot options whenever we boot.
You can disable this system behavior with the following command on the command line:
> bcdedit /deletevalue (globalsettings) advancedoptions
So, we have as many as four ways to load safe mode into operating system Which one to choose depends on the situation and the available equipment. In any case, remember that getting into safe mode is not a problem. The most important thing is to take comprehensive measures aimed at eliminating the malfunction. But this topic is beyond the scope of the article.
