Windows 8 Safe Mode conundrum & tutorial

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by Mrkvonic, May 27, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

    Joined:
    May 9, 2005
    Posts:
    10,215
    Mr. Personal Sacrifice for You Readers gives you an article about the changes in the invocation of the Safe Mode in Windows 8, including when and how to use the Safe Mode, F8 key, msconfig, Drivers Verifier tool, Startup and Recovery options, recovery console options - refresh/reset, troubleshooting and advanced features like system restore, system image, command prompt, automatic diagnosis and repair, and startup behavior, Safe Mode use cases like malware, programs uninstallation and buggy drivers, bootable and unbootable machine scenarios, alternative software and methods, and more. Enjoy. Not. Or something.

    http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-8-safe-mode.html


    Cheers,
    Mrk
     
  2. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    An excellent article.

    Unfortunately I'm trying to fix a Windows 8 computer that which boots to a black screen, and won't start in Safe Mode - it was a hassle just trying to get to the get to the Startup Settings under Advanced Options - the only way I was able to do that was by powering the laptop off during startup which caused Windows to show the Recovery menu when I started the laptop again.
     
  3. cruelsister

    cruelsister Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2007
    Posts:
    1,649
    Location:
    Paris
    One slight correction regarding the F8 key in Windows 8. Actually MSFT has changed it to Shift-F8, which as you noted is pretty hard to do prior to Windows load.

    To restore the functionality of the F8 key, open an elevated command prompt (to get to C:\Windows\System32>) and type:

    bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

    Hit enter and you are good to go. Safe mode every time.
     
  4. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    Shift F8 didn't work for me. But, in any case I'm doing a refresh of Windows 8 right now, as the client told me there were no programs installed that needed to be kept. The refresh is progressing very slowly, but I've never done a refresh of Windows 8 before, so have nothing to base it on.
     
  5. cruelsister

    cruelsister Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2007
    Posts:
    1,649
    Location:
    Paris
    When I initially installed Windows I tried the new Shift-F8 combo and was successful 1 time out of 10. Really absurd. Fortunately the legacy way works every time, but you need to throw in that setting before you need it, and I wonder how many people actually do. If one is a member of Microsoft Technet DART 8 will allow one to burn a CD that will give the Startup options.

    Roger- as you haven't used Refresh before, please note that most (all?) of your 3rd party apps may be toast. On reboot after Refresh you will (hopefully) find an Internet Explorer link called Removed Apps waiting on your desktop. Click it, and your web browser displays a page with links to any programs and apps that you’ll need to reinstall.

    Bonne Chance!
     
  6. xxJackxx

    xxJackxx Registered Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2008
    Posts:
    8,625
    Location:
    USA
    Thanks! I was not aware of this option.
     
  7. cruelsister

    cruelsister Registered Member

    Joined:
    Nov 6, 2007
    Posts:
    1,649
    Location:
    Paris
    You are welcome! And just in case you want to set it back to the silly default method, at the elevated command prompt type:

    bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard

    I really think that whoever came up with the Shift-F8 change must have been off his/hers/its meds for quite some time.
     
  8. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    Yes I was well aware of that before I opted to do a refresh. Personally trying to diagnose and fix the problem at hand is always my first choice. However, since I was told there was there were no programs, I opted to do a refresh as I had already spent a few hours trying to get Windows succesfully booting with no luck and new it could take a lot of time to fix the problem.

    Thanks for the information. I did the refresh last night and this morning before I left to work I logged in to Windows and let the computer running to finish setting up Windows.
     
  9. roger_m

    roger_m Registered Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2009
    Posts:
    8,627
    I did the refresh, and Remove Apps page on the desktop showed that the only 3rd party app which had been installed was Skype. However after doing the refresh, while Windows would successfully boot now, it was having some major issues. I was not able to run anything as administrator, so could do a sfc/scanow (note the miss space before the forward slash - you don't need to put a space before a forward slash). I side effect of this was that I could not access the root directory of C: as Windows needed admin access to do that.

    I ended running Sony's recovery tool which I access from the boot menu, to return the laptop to the factory install of Windows 8. In this instance there was no user data on the laptop, so nothing had to be backed up first.

    After that the laptop worked fine, and I went ahead and installed all the Windows, Sony software updates, driver updates, a BIOS update and antivirus software, and the laptop was still running as it should.
     
  10. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2006
    Posts:
    23,936
    Location:
    UK
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.