Solved Unable to get into Safe Mode

[Layback Bear]

I have Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel mother board and CPU. I'm unable to get into safe mode using keyboard (F8 or F5). I have tried with F-lock on and off, no help. When I power off at the surge protector and turn power back on, (reboot) I get the option of safe mode. What in the heck I'm doing wrong.

 

[karlsnooks]

Layback,
I do not know what you are doing wrong, but--

Power on you computer and start tapping the SPACEBAR.

let me know the results.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello LB.





First you're going to brick the OS with all the disruptive shutdowns.


As soon as you start/re-start the PC do you start to continually tap the F11 key?

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Layback,
I do not know what you are doing wrong, but--

Power on you computer and start tapping the SPACEBAR.

let me know the results.

Hey Karl, that's a good one, I'll remember that one.

click to enlarge

​

 

[karlsnooks]

Barefooting it,

Lots easier to find the spacebar key.

How did you make the snapshot? I need software to make a snapshot at an early stage of the startup/bootup procedure.

 

[chev65]

To use the System Configuration Utility method

• Close all open programs.
• Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG in the box and click OK
• The System Configuration Utility appears, On the BOOT.INI tab, Check the "/SAFEBOOT" option, and then click OK and Restart your computer when prompted.
• The computer restarts in Safe mode.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Barefooting it,

Lots easier to find the spacebar key.

How did you make the snapshot? I need software to make a snapshot at an early stage of the startup/bootup procedure.

Howdy.


I took that with my camera as I tried that with my main system and made a snip of the pic so it wouldn't be so big to upload; but when I need to get snips of stuff like that for tutorials or something I do it in VirtualBox, like the snip below.

​

 

[karlsnooks]

thanks.

Guess I'm going to have to break down and install/use Virtual Box.

 

[Jacee]

To use the System Configuration Utility method

• Close all open programs.
• Click Start, Run and type MSCONFIG in the box and click OK
• The System Configuration Utility appears, On the BOOT.INI tab, Check the "/SAFEBOOT" option, and then click OK and Restart your computer when prompted.
• The computer restarts in Safe mode.

Repeat the process and uncheck the box when you're through with Safe Mode.
One caveat: Don't experiment with the other settings on this tab. You could wind up unable to get back into MSConfig to undo your changes.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

thanks.

Guess I'm going to have to break down and install/use Virtual Box.

I keep taking this OT, sorry.

@Karl, it looks like you have Ultimate, have a look at this.


Windows Virtual PC - Create Virtual Machine

 

[karlsnooks]

Bare Foot,

I've used the Virtual PC before but was hoping that VirtualBox had a smaller footprint. What's your experience in this regard?

 

[Layback Bear]

A little update. The space bar and the F11 doesn't work. There has got to be a way to do this with a keyboard. It's been this way with two M/S keyboards.

 

[karlsnooks]

Layback,

Shutdown your computer.

Power on your computer and IMMEDIATELY start hitting, repeatedly, at least once a second, the Spacebar key.

Do NOT hit any other key during this process.

You should get the very screen that Barefoot Kid posted.

If you do not, then I suspect your keyboard is bad or the port the keyboard is connected to is bad. If it's a USB keyboard, then disconnect everything from any and all USB ports and only connect the keyboard to another usb port.

 

[Layback Bear]

Okay I did what chev65 posted. Never again. I like to never got it back to normal boot.

 

[Layback Bear]

I have just tried two different wireless M/S keyboards on different usb ports and the space bar, no help. Plugged in a psp keyboard and tried the space bar and then the f8 key. Still no help.Is there some way something isn't set properly in the operating system?

 

[Jacee]

Try holding down the F8 key ... don't tap it.

 

[Jacee]

Edit ... not good information

 

[Layback Bear]

I don't get many goofy things on my computer but when I do it's a whopper. All I want to do is run some security scans in safe mode. I thank you folks for all you post.

 

[chev65]

Okay I did what chev65 posted. Never again. I like to never got it back to normal boot.

It should be as simple as typing msconfig into the command prompt and unchecking the safemode then clicking to restart. I just tried it, ran a scan in safemode and rebooted right into the normal window again in the last five minutes.

Since when is this an unsafe pratice? Thats a new one on me....:sarc:

That always worked for me, so unless your system is already messed up and I mean royally messed up you should have no problem just going to msconfig from safemode and unchecking it. I would have mentioned this in my first post but I thought it would be fairly obvious how to go back into normal mode.

There are some virus's out there which will keep you from running scanning programs such as Malware bytes unless you are in safemode so I figured it might help to run the scan in safemode.

As for the keyboard issues, I havn't a clue why your keyboard won't allow you to get into safemode, but you asked to get into safemode in order to run a scan and I tried to help.

 

[Jacee]

If there is malware on the computer, then it's unsafe to boot into safe mode that way.