Getting into Windows Safe Mode
Microsoft Windows 10 users
- Press the Windows key, type Change advanced startup options, and then press Enter.
- Under the Recovery tab, select the Restart now option under Advanced startup.
- After a moment, you’ll see a menu with three options, select Troubleshoot.
- Select Advanced options, Startup Settings, and then the Restart button.
- You should see a screen just like the one pictured to the right. Select your appropriate Safe Mode option by pressing the corresponding number on your keyboard.
Microsoft Windows 8 users
- Press the Windows key, type Change advanced startup options, and then press Enter.
- Under the Recovery tab, select the Restart now option under Advanced startup.
- After a moment, you’ll see a menu with three options, select Troubleshoot.
- Select Advanced options, Startup Settings, and then the Restart button.
- You should see a screen just like the one pictured to the right. Select your appropriate Safe Mode option by pressing the corresponding number on your keyboard.
Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Vista users
Tip: If you are running Safe Mode because you cannot get into Windows, you may want to first try loading the last known good configuration.
To get into the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Safe Mode, as the computer is booting, press and hold your F8 Key, which should bring up the Choose Advanced Options screen as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move highlight Safe Mode and press your Enter key.
Note: On some computers, if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting, you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, continuously tap F8 upon startup rather than holding it.
Windows XP and Windows 2000 users
Tip: If you are running Safe Mode because you cannot get into Windows, you may want to first try loading the last known good configuration.
To get into the Windows 2000 and XP Safe mode, as the computer is booting, press and hold your F8 Key, which should bring up the Windows Advanced Options Menu screen as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move to highlight the Safe Mode option and press your Enter key.
Note: On some computers, if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting, you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, continuously tap F8 upon startup, rather than holding it.
Windows 98 and Windows ME users
To get into Windows 98 and ME Safe Mode, press and hold either the F8 or Ctrl key as the computer is booting up. If done properly, you should see the “Windows 98 Startup Menu” or “Windows ME Startup Menu” screen, similar to the example below. In this menu, choose option 3 by pressing the 3 key and then pressing Enter.
Windows 95 users
To get into Windows 95 Safe Mode, as the computer is booting, when you either hear a beep or when you see the message “Starting Windows 95.” Press your F8 key on the top of your keyboard. If done properly, you should see the “Windows 95 Startup Menu” screen, similar to the example below. In this menu, choose option 3 by pressing the 3 key, and then pressing Enter.
How to get out of Safe Mode
From Windows Safe Mode, click Start, Shutdown, and restart the computer to boot back into Normal Mode.
Which Safe Mode option should I choose?
Users who are running later versions of Windows will get different options for different versions of Safe Mode. For example, you may have options for “Safe Mode”, “Safe Mode with Networking”, and “Safe Mode with Command Prompt.” Below is a brief description of each of these different modes.
Safe Mode
The basic Safe Mode option is usually what most users will want to choose when troubleshooting their computer. This is the most basic Safe Mode option and has no additional support.
Safe Mode with Networking
Users who need access to the Internet or the network they’re connected to while in Safe Mode should select this option. This mode is helpful for when you need to be in Safe Mode to troubleshoot, but also need access to the Internet so you can get updates, drivers, or other files to help troubleshoot your issue.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt
This Safe Mode allows you to have access to the command line (MS-DOS prompt).
Source: computerhope.com
