The release of Windows 8 has generated a lot of controversy. Moreover, almost all generations of users participated in them, since the new operating system turned out to be very ambiguous. The Metro environment was not particularly happy with the audience, as many did not see and do not see the point in it.
In addition, almost all those who worked with earlier versions of Windows, categorically can not 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.
Do you know how to log in in safe mode? Windows 8 even in this regard gives its users a lot of time to think. Do you still think that to enter the "safe mode" it is enough to press on F8 while the computer is loading? Alas, you won’t achieve anything, because Microsoft decided not to leave the easy way. However, quite the lyrics. Let's try to figure out how you can still run this mode.
What it is?
But before that, it does not hurt to find out what is at stake. In this case, safe mode is understood as such a system configuration in which only the main drivers and services are loaded. This allows you to achieve maximum stability of the OS, helping to identify failed programs and modules.
In addition, entering in safe mode (Windows 8 is no exception) is very often used to identify and destroy malicious programs, since in this case they also cannot be loaded into RAM. Of course, we are talking about their most primitive varieties, but some of the WinLocker modifications can really be defeated.
And further. It often happens that due to the failure of some “iron” component (discrete audio card, for example), the system starts to fail. In safe mode, you can run debugging and find out what exactly caused the glitches.
If you need exactly the maximum support for the most important computer hardware, we recommend using the boot option with “Support for network drivers”. In addition, in most cases where more or less serious debugging is required, you will probably need command line help.
How to include all this? This will be discussed in our article.
System Configuration (Msconfig.exe)
As with previous versions of Windows, this is the easiest way. The system utility “System Configuration”, which is launched by the msconfig.exe file, will help you. However, this is unlikely to mean anything to novice users.
So how to log in in safe mode? Windows 8, speaking of this method, is not too different from its predecessors. It is necessary to press the key combination Win + R, and then enter the MSConfig command in the field that appears. Press Enter, after which a dialog box of the desired utility appears in front of you.
Utility Setup
In it, you need to go to the “Download” tab, and then put a checkmark in front of the “Safe Mode” option. Click "OK." After that, a
dialog box will appear informing you of the need to reboot. To confirm the safe mode in Windows 8, you can agree with this offer by clicking on the “Reboot” button, or you can refuse. In the latter case, click on “Exit without rebooting”.
Do not worry. Even if you do not want to restart your computer now, at the time of the next start-up, the system will use "Safe Mode". Important! When you eliminate the cause of errors or perform some actions that are possible only in this mode, be sure to go to the above path again, and then uncheck the box. Otherwise, the system will continue to boot in this state. And how to enter in safe mode? Windows 8 offers many ways, so move on.
Use the keyboard shortcut Shift + Restart
First you need to press the Win + I keys on the keyboard, after which a parameter panel will appear on the right side of the screen. In its lower edge there are several buttons, among which we are interested in "Shutdown". Click her. A menu of options pops up, among which there is the "Reboot" option. Holding down the SHIFT key, click on this item with the left mouse button.
And one moment. To enter in safe mode (Windows 8, unfortunately, is not intended for touch technology), the user must use the keyboard.
The system will restart. After the standard BIOS screen, you will see a large Windows dialog box in which you will need to select the options you need for the type of system mode you need. Among them, we are only interested in the item “Diagnostics”. Without it, Windows 8 Safe Mode will not be possible to launch.
Click on this button with the left mouse button. The Advanced Options dialog box appears. In the menu, where all possible additional options are listed, you must select the "Boot Parameters" item. A list appears in which the desired item “Enable safe mode” is found. Select it, and then click on the "Reload" button. The monitor will immediately display three proposed options. What kind of boot is required in safe mode Windows 8?
Choose
If you just need “Safe Mode”, press the F4 key. In the case when you need support for network drivers, you need the F5 and F6 buttons, when you need to support command line emulation mode to perform some action. After pressing any of the above keys, the system will be sent to reboot with the selected type of safe mode.
Use safe mode when booting from CD / DVD
In Windows 8 (but not in Windows 8.1, pay attention) you have the opportunity to create a system recovery disk yourself. If you have one, boot from it. How to enter in safe mode (Windows 8.1 also allows this possibility) from optical media?
To do this, you first need to set the option “Boot from CD / DVD” in the BIOS menu. It is impossible to specifically describe this method, since at present there are more than a dozen modifications of BIOS, and therefore you will have to search for the appropriate instructions on the manufacturer’s website yourself.
Immediately after booting from optical media, you will be prompted to select the desired keyboard layout. Immediately select the one that is necessary for further action. After that, a dialog box with options will appear, which we already talked about in the previous paragraph. Accordingly, all your further actions will be identical to those about which we spoke above.
Using a USB system recovery disk
Windows 8 (and Windows 8.1 as well) has a function with which you can create a USB drive for possible system recovery. In addition, with his help, you can also download Windows in safe mode. How to do it? In the previous paragraph, we talked about booting from an optical disk. Go to the manufacturer’s website again, and then find out how you can boot from the 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 item “Create recovery disk”, 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 do not have this section on the system disk. Important! If you want to perform the above steps, you need a flash drive with a minimum of 16 GB. If you can do without it, then even 256 MB is enough.
Please note that even if there is enough free space on the removable disk, all data on it will be destroyed. Follow the prompts of the wizard, and then click on the “Finish” button. We are waiting for a few minutes ... That's it! Now you will have access to start in safe mode. Windows 8 in it can be cleaned of malware.
And F8 (Shift + F8) sometimes works!
At the very beginning of the article, we wrote that in early versions of Windows, to boot into safe mode, it was enough to just press the F8 key immediately after the BIOS logo appeared on the display. We also talked about the fact 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, with the help of which the window for selecting boot options starts. Important! It often happens that it’s impossible to “catch” the moment when this combination works. 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 blog of Microsoft said that this is due to the very fast process of loading the system. Steve Sinofsky said the same thing, and long before the error itself. The problem is the huge system boot speed, especially when it comes to hard drives. In this case, the program simply does not have time to “see” the keystrokes. So how to start the computer in safe mode? Windows 8, unfortunately, leaves no choice for the user ... If you use a laptop or computer with UEFI BIOS and SSD in your daily work, then you will not boot the system into safe mode by pressing the keys. Of course, if you do not have a lightning reaction. As for old computers with ordinary hard drives, in some cases this happens.
So we talked about how to enter in safe mode. Windows 8 is an excellent system if you know all the intricacies of its use. Remember that in the event of a serious failure, this download option may not help you. Most likely, you will need to use all the features of a recovery flash drive or disk, which we mentioned above.
Success in troubleshooting!