Can't boot into safe mode

If I hit the f8 key while booting, my motherboard (Asus M4a78-EM) brings up a boot device menu. In msconfig all the safe mode boot options are not available and there is no OS listed in the box. I'm on Win7 Home premium. I haven't activated it yet, if that makes a difference. Any ideas?

Brink said:

Hello Cmate, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You should be able to check the Safe Boot option in your screenshot above to be able to boot into Safe Mode afterwards.

Thanks for the quick replies, guys!

Hitting f8 on my mother board brings up a bios boot device menu.
Tried many times (before-after beep etc).


Nothing in the boot tab of msconfig is available i.e. "clickable" tried running from an elevated command prompt-no go.

I'm stumped!

richc46 said:

Read what Brink posted,about safe boot, then look at your screen shot, its there. Read the tutorial, also.

Check safe boot.

Clicking it does nothing. Everything in the box is "greyed out"

"Nothing in the boot tab of msconfig is available i.e. "clickable" tried running from an elevated command prompt-no go."

What are the listings on the Boot Device Menu accessed by tapping F8 at Startup?

gregrocker said:

What are the listings on the Boot Device Menu accessed by tapping F8 at Startup?

optical drive
HDD
HDD
Usb device

It is a bios screen to change boot device priority. System then tries to boot to the device you choose.

Hmmm. Try booting the WIn7 HDD from the menu and then tapping F8 to see if you get Advanced Boot Options.

THe mobo should not be able to eliminate Advanced boot options accessibility by tapping F8 at bootup since its a Windows function, so try tapping F8 after you actually boot the HD on that menu.

Cmate said:

If I hit the f8 key while booting, my motherboard (Asus M4a78-EM) brings up a boot device menu. In msconfig all the safe mode boot options are not available and there is no OS listed in the box. I'm on Win7 Home premium. I haven't activated it yet, if that makes a difference. Any ideas?

With my Asus P6T Deluxe, the same thing happens.

However, I can get into safe mode from there. Select the boot device you want (the normal boot drive will be the default), press the return key, and immediately press F8 again.

If it works for me, it doesn't require superhuman reflexes.