News4 mins ago
Safe Mode
12 Answers
How do I ensure my Win7 boots into Safe Mode (preferably from the off state).
And why do websites apparently think it hilarious to suggest F8 when they must know that just brings up a list of devices to boot from and asks nothing of the type of boot ?
Thanks.
And why do websites apparently think it hilarious to suggest F8 when they must know that just brings up a list of devices to boot from and asks nothing of the type of boot ?
Thanks.
Answers
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The "F" keys can have different meanings from different companies, and also do different things depending when they are pressed.
So an F key may do one thing BEFORE Windows loads, but another thing AFTER Windows has loaded.
F8 SHOULD take you in to safe mode, but you need to do it before Windows starts to load.
p.s. Also note some USB keyboards don't become active before Windows loads (for security reasons to STOP people going in to safe mode). Some PCs have a BIOS option to set the USB keyboard ON before Windows loads.
See if your PC has one.
So an F key may do one thing BEFORE Windows loads, but another thing AFTER Windows has loaded.
F8 SHOULD take you in to safe mode, but you need to do it before Windows starts to load.
p.s. Also note some USB keyboards don't become active before Windows loads (for security reasons to STOP people going in to safe mode). Some PCs have a BIOS option to set the USB keyboard ON before Windows loads.
See if your PC has one.
The wireless keyboard works fine which is why I get a list of devices to select from. But choose the hard drive and normal Windows starts immediately, no chance of getting Safe Mode. Going to continue with what I've done so far, see if it fixes an issue. Will try suggestions for future use later. Thanks.
The reason it's not working for you is that you are pressing it too soon. The "Boot from option" comes from the BIOS (ie before Windows has started to load).
You can restart Windows in safe mode by setting it in the boot options in msconfig.
Start Windows normally
Click Start/Run
and type msconfig
When msconfig opens, go to the boot tab, and select Safe Boot
You can restart Windows in safe mode by setting it in the boot options in msconfig.
Start Windows normally
Click Start/Run
and type msconfig
When msconfig opens, go to the boot tab, and select Safe Boot
Msconfig was what I have used but the instructions I'm following doesn't suggest going into normal mode until near the end. I was concerned normal may set/change something making what I do after invalid. But having got there when F8 failed I decided to press on with it.
If I'm pressing too soon then there is no indication when it is the right time to do so. Once Windows splash screen comes up it's too late.
If I'm pressing too soon then there is no indication when it is the right time to do so. Once Windows splash screen comes up it's too late.
Ah the larger issue is complicated. as fir this issue I tried what I wished to using the msconfig thing and have not rebooted yet to try the suggestions folk have given. I must do that although as I am away for the weekend soon probably next week unless I try it before I go.
If you are interested in the main issue I'll describe it, but I'm unsure how many streams of advice my poor brain can cope with, although a list for me to try in turn may not be such a bad idea.
A few years back I built myself my PC and typically it is almost impossible to find the boxes they came in now. Maybe I uncharacteristically slung them, unlikely though that sounds. So to find out what I have tends to mean pulling the PC out, opening it, fiddling around trying to find labels. Or even find and e-mails related to it (I seem to have lost/deleted/whatever from a particular age.
It has a Asus P6X58D-E motherboard, and A Zotac Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 graphics board.
Potted history is that I had a 21" Cornerstone CRT Monitor and one day it lost hold and had to be slung. Then I recalled upstairs in the "study" I had a couple more 21" CRT monitors, so I struggled down with the Philips and it was fine. (Note I have to use VGA/DVI converters :-( ).
A short while later I realised the board had two ports (I have since learn one can run two monitors of each but I haven't tried that) so I struggled down with the Hitachi, bought a further converter, and connected it. took a while to get it to work, wasn't sure what the issue was but after much swopping over this and that and reboots it finally worked.
So far so good. And as this issue has been going on for a while any further description is subject to my poor memory.
I *think* the issue started when I went back to a game I had bought and tried and was disappointed with as it had changed too much from the first two in the series, what with it's "jumping" and WASD movement nonsense. Dragon Age Inquisition.
After the nosey Bs at Origin has checked *MY PC* without my say so and stopped the game running until they updated it, it would no longer run full screen, which was a pain. found out I had to have it in a maximised window, which should have been a clue something was up, but with what ?
It runs maximised in the main screen, but at regular intervals it has a problem, turns the window white, and I have to use Task Manager to end the process, and then restart.
A typical visual is a mass of small bits, sometimes rectangles, sometimes 6 mini-squares, dotted like snow over both screens. And what makes me think it is not the game (besides it not being something all the game owners are up in arms about) is that on many occasions the is a warning that the driver has stopped and recovered.
Clearly not recovered as far as the game is concerned, and usually not as far as the Firefox browser is concerned either, which also tends to need ending and restarting.
Given the driver reference I have been in contact with Nvidia's Support. First port of call. Been trying to uninstall and then reinstall the drivers and associated software. but despite seeming to have helped immediately after, it always goes wrong again.
Driving me nuts.
I think Nvidia is of the opinion it can't be the drivers after all and is presently asking me to contact the motherboard manufacturers to inquire about CMOS updates (and the form on the Asus website just to pose a question, it looks as if it wants me to extract the motherboard to read off the serial numbers and the like !) Very very offputting. And I only want to ask a simple question.
And as I have no second PC (well there's a defunct Win 95 one sat in the garage I think) to try the graphics board in I should take my home brew PC go a shop to test. I'm unconvinced. I could only take the PC itself, and who is to say that other things connected, not least of all the exact monitors) are not part of the issue ? Anyway we all have personal stuff all over our PCs so I'm ...
If you are interested in the main issue I'll describe it, but I'm unsure how many streams of advice my poor brain can cope with, although a list for me to try in turn may not be such a bad idea.
A few years back I built myself my PC and typically it is almost impossible to find the boxes they came in now. Maybe I uncharacteristically slung them, unlikely though that sounds. So to find out what I have tends to mean pulling the PC out, opening it, fiddling around trying to find labels. Or even find and e-mails related to it (I seem to have lost/deleted/whatever from a particular age.
It has a Asus P6X58D-E motherboard, and A Zotac Nvidia GeForce GTX 470 graphics board.
Potted history is that I had a 21" Cornerstone CRT Monitor and one day it lost hold and had to be slung. Then I recalled upstairs in the "study" I had a couple more 21" CRT monitors, so I struggled down with the Philips and it was fine. (Note I have to use VGA/DVI converters :-( ).
A short while later I realised the board had two ports (I have since learn one can run two monitors of each but I haven't tried that) so I struggled down with the Hitachi, bought a further converter, and connected it. took a while to get it to work, wasn't sure what the issue was but after much swopping over this and that and reboots it finally worked.
So far so good. And as this issue has been going on for a while any further description is subject to my poor memory.
I *think* the issue started when I went back to a game I had bought and tried and was disappointed with as it had changed too much from the first two in the series, what with it's "jumping" and WASD movement nonsense. Dragon Age Inquisition.
After the nosey Bs at Origin has checked *MY PC* without my say so and stopped the game running until they updated it, it would no longer run full screen, which was a pain. found out I had to have it in a maximised window, which should have been a clue something was up, but with what ?
It runs maximised in the main screen, but at regular intervals it has a problem, turns the window white, and I have to use Task Manager to end the process, and then restart.
A typical visual is a mass of small bits, sometimes rectangles, sometimes 6 mini-squares, dotted like snow over both screens. And what makes me think it is not the game (besides it not being something all the game owners are up in arms about) is that on many occasions the is a warning that the driver has stopped and recovered.
Clearly not recovered as far as the game is concerned, and usually not as far as the Firefox browser is concerned either, which also tends to need ending and restarting.
Given the driver reference I have been in contact with Nvidia's Support. First port of call. Been trying to uninstall and then reinstall the drivers and associated software. but despite seeming to have helped immediately after, it always goes wrong again.
Driving me nuts.
I think Nvidia is of the opinion it can't be the drivers after all and is presently asking me to contact the motherboard manufacturers to inquire about CMOS updates (and the form on the Asus website just to pose a question, it looks as if it wants me to extract the motherboard to read off the serial numbers and the like !) Very very offputting. And I only want to ask a simple question.
And as I have no second PC (well there's a defunct Win 95 one sat in the garage I think) to try the graphics board in I should take my home brew PC go a shop to test. I'm unconvinced. I could only take the PC itself, and who is to say that other things connected, not least of all the exact monitors) are not part of the issue ? Anyway we all have personal stuff all over our PCs so I'm ...
... not keen on having my private data nosed at. Anyway it works ok normally as far as I can tell, it seems this game is just finding a limit that ought not be there.
So I think that's about it. Is it the drivers, the game, the graphics board, the CMOS, Windows, the other hardware ? Or maybe something else ?
Presently it hits some very awkward situations. One can not save the game whilst in combat, and it seems to love to crash near the end of a tough battle, and on a couple of occasions I was sure I'd never get past that point, but continually trying makes it eventually. But it takes a lot of the entertainment factor out of it.
So I think that's about it. Is it the drivers, the game, the graphics board, the CMOS, Windows, the other hardware ? Or maybe something else ?
Presently it hits some very awkward situations. One can not save the game whilst in combat, and it seems to love to crash near the end of a tough battle, and on a couple of occasions I was sure I'd never get past that point, but continually trying makes it eventually. But it takes a lot of the entertainment factor out of it.
1 to 12 of 12
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