The Windows operating system is designed with a complex structure consisting of many processes and countless dependencies.
Just as it is possible to add and remove hardware and software, so many types of problems can occur different errors or conflicts of which, in some cases, it can be very difficult to understand the cause.
Several times in these pages I have explained how to try to understand and resolve errors, sometimes manually, sometimes with automatic tools.
I had, however, until today, forgotten the first fundamental step to take before anything else.
Beyond various procedures, diagnostic tools and problem correction and antivirus, Windows provides a fundamental tool that simplifies the search for the cause of the problem and that becomes the basis on which to work.
Whenever you try to fix an error and every time you try to remove a virus infection you have to start your computer in safe mode .
Windows Safe Mode (also called Safe Mode) is a boot option to load the operating system in safe and limited mode .
In fact, only the basic files and drivers are loaded into memory, those that are absolutely necessary, without which a computer would not even start.
The drivers of the video card are not loaded for which the safe mode will present a desktop and graphics from the 90s PC.
To start Windows in safe mode, on older computers it was enough to repeatedly press the F8 key after power on, before the screen with the Windows logo appears.
To do this you need an administrator account (who uses their own computer is always definitely an administrator, for company PCs the intervention of the technical manager may instead be necessary).
If Windows appears, it means that you have not caught the right time then, restart and try again.
Instead, it is recognized that F8 worked when a screen with advanced boot options appears .
Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select Safe Mode from the options and then press Enter.
You can choose to use safe mode with or without network support.
Starting the computer with the active network means that you can connect to the internet and use the network services which is better not to do if you think you have a virus infected PC
The problem with F8 is that some computer manufacturers disable this option and, even on PCs that still support it, booting Windows (and in particular the transfer between the normal boot process and booting Windows) happens is very faster than a few years ago, giving little time to press the button.
Fortunately, you can use different ways to start Windows in safe mode .
1) From the Windows PC turned on (in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1) you can use the troubleshooting tools screen in the recovery environment .
The recovery environment includes a number of troubleshooting options and Safe Mode is one of them.
To open this recovery screen there are two ways.
If the PC can start Windows normally, the easiest way to reach the recovery environment is by holding down the Shift key when pressing Restart (which can be done both on the initial login screen and from the Start menu).
You can also access the recovery environment through the Settings app, going to " Update and security "> Recovery and then under Advanced startup, press on Restart now .
If the PC does not start Windows normally, after two times the boot does not work the computer should automatically bring up the Recovery screen.
If your PC does not have this screen, you can try to boot your PC from a USB recovery drive, which can also be created from another computer.
When you get to the advanced troubleshooting tools, you must first hit the " Troubleshoot " button and then the " Advanced Options " button.
From here, press on the Startup Settings option and press on " Restart ".
From the advanced boot options, press the number corresponding to the boot option you want to use (key 4 is safe mode).
2) Force boot into safe mode from MSConfig (Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10)
If you need to solve problems on your PC that require booting in safe mode multiple times, it is a good idea to force this boot mode permanently (and then disable it when you no longer need it).
To do this, you can search for the word msconfig from the Start menu or from the Windows 7 Run box.
From the System Configuration window, switch to the Startup Options tab and, below, select Safe, Minimum or Network Services mode.
This essentially forces Windows to boot into safe mode every time you restart your PC.
To restart Windows normally, you will need to go back to the System Configuration tool and disable the option.
To enter safe mode when it is locked due to errors there is a small feature repair and recovery tool called SMFixer which restores Safe Mode.
By pressing the Fix button, the PC restarts and then, by pressing F8 it should enter safe mode.
In the article on How to enter safe mode on Windows 10 and 8.1, other ways to start Windows in safe mode without using the F8 key are also explained
Why and when to enter safe mode .
1) You enter Windows safe mode to find out if the problems are caused by installed software, incompatible programs, by hardware components with wrong drivers or if the fault of the errors is a system file.
If the previously encountered problems disappear as soon as you use the computer in safe mode, it can be assumed that the cause of the errors is a program or a driver installed on the pc.
Although it could be anything, at least so we are sure that the basic computer is not damaged and can certainly be repaired without calling technicians or reformatting Windows.
2) Also, as I hope you learned (if you read Navigaweb.net), most malware can only be removed in safe mode .
This is because these viruses are subtle software, hidden behind false names, automatic and programmed to counter any attempt to remove them.
In safe mode, however, malware generally does not load and therefore cannot prevent it from being eliminated.
3) Whenever Windows does not load and the computer does not start, you are forced to use the safe mode which represents the last resort to try to repair the PC .
What to do in safe mode to solve problems
1) If problems occur during Windows boot, maybe there is a program or service that is having difficulty starting up .
Download the Autoruns program from another computer (check the automatic start items), copy the Autoruns.exe file to a USB stick, start the non-starting PC in safe mode, use Autoruns and disable the files or services suspected of causing the error (try it if you don't know where to start).
Alternatively, as written in another post, you can solve Windows problems with selective startup from MSConfig .
2) If crashes with serious errors and blue screen occur, problems probably occur after installing a driver for a new hardware component.
Then go to Control Panel -> Device Management (or device management) and remove the recently installed hardware.
3) As already seen, you can use system restore if Windows is not working today.
4) If the problem is caused by a virus, I refer you to the guide on how to remove malware and viruses from the infected computer.
5) Finally, before throwing everything out of the window, if the PC does not boot even in safe mode, try the boot cd or rescue disk.
In conclusion, Windows Safe Mode is a simple but effective troubleshooting tool that allows you to log in on slightly or severely damaged computers.
When using safe mode, hardware or software conflicts are avoided because most of the components are not loaded and the effects of programs that stop running automatically and the effects of viruses or malware are avoided.
With this emergency mode, you can operate on Windows settings, access the Control Panel, remove drivers, uninstall programs, configure the start menu and use automatic scan programs.
Safe mode is the first thing to do when, suddenly, there are errors and problems on Windows, when a system is slow, when the PC goes haywire and freezes, after random crashes or startup problems.
Just as it is possible to add and remove hardware and software, so many types of problems can occur different errors or conflicts of which, in some cases, it can be very difficult to understand the cause.
Several times in these pages I have explained how to try to understand and resolve errors, sometimes manually, sometimes with automatic tools.
I had, however, until today, forgotten the first fundamental step to take before anything else.
Beyond various procedures, diagnostic tools and problem correction and antivirus, Windows provides a fundamental tool that simplifies the search for the cause of the problem and that becomes the basis on which to work.
Whenever you try to fix an error and every time you try to remove a virus infection you have to start your computer in safe mode .
Windows Safe Mode (also called Safe Mode) is a boot option to load the operating system in safe and limited mode .
In fact, only the basic files and drivers are loaded into memory, those that are absolutely necessary, without which a computer would not even start.
The drivers of the video card are not loaded for which the safe mode will present a desktop and graphics from the 90s PC.
To start Windows in safe mode, on older computers it was enough to repeatedly press the F8 key after power on, before the screen with the Windows logo appears.
To do this you need an administrator account (who uses their own computer is always definitely an administrator, for company PCs the intervention of the technical manager may instead be necessary).
If Windows appears, it means that you have not caught the right time then, restart and try again.
Instead, it is recognized that F8 worked when a screen with advanced boot options appears .
Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to select Safe Mode from the options and then press Enter.
You can choose to use safe mode with or without network support.
Starting the computer with the active network means that you can connect to the internet and use the network services which is better not to do if you think you have a virus infected PC
The problem with F8 is that some computer manufacturers disable this option and, even on PCs that still support it, booting Windows (and in particular the transfer between the normal boot process and booting Windows) happens is very faster than a few years ago, giving little time to press the button.
Fortunately, you can use different ways to start Windows in safe mode .
1) From the Windows PC turned on (in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1) you can use the troubleshooting tools screen in the recovery environment .
The recovery environment includes a number of troubleshooting options and Safe Mode is one of them.
To open this recovery screen there are two ways.
If the PC can start Windows normally, the easiest way to reach the recovery environment is by holding down the Shift key when pressing Restart (which can be done both on the initial login screen and from the Start menu).
You can also access the recovery environment through the Settings app, going to " Update and security "> Recovery and then under Advanced startup, press on Restart now .
If the PC does not start Windows normally, after two times the boot does not work the computer should automatically bring up the Recovery screen.
If your PC does not have this screen, you can try to boot your PC from a USB recovery drive, which can also be created from another computer.
When you get to the advanced troubleshooting tools, you must first hit the " Troubleshoot " button and then the " Advanced Options " button.
From here, press on the Startup Settings option and press on " Restart ".
From the advanced boot options, press the number corresponding to the boot option you want to use (key 4 is safe mode).
2) Force boot into safe mode from MSConfig (Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10)
If you need to solve problems on your PC that require booting in safe mode multiple times, it is a good idea to force this boot mode permanently (and then disable it when you no longer need it).
To do this, you can search for the word msconfig from the Start menu or from the Windows 7 Run box.
From the System Configuration window, switch to the Startup Options tab and, below, select Safe, Minimum or Network Services mode.
This essentially forces Windows to boot into safe mode every time you restart your PC.
To restart Windows normally, you will need to go back to the System Configuration tool and disable the option.
To enter safe mode when it is locked due to errors there is a small feature repair and recovery tool called SMFixer which restores Safe Mode.
By pressing the Fix button, the PC restarts and then, by pressing F8 it should enter safe mode.
In the article on How to enter safe mode on Windows 10 and 8.1, other ways to start Windows in safe mode without using the F8 key are also explained
Why and when to enter safe mode .
1) You enter Windows safe mode to find out if the problems are caused by installed software, incompatible programs, by hardware components with wrong drivers or if the fault of the errors is a system file.
If the previously encountered problems disappear as soon as you use the computer in safe mode, it can be assumed that the cause of the errors is a program or a driver installed on the pc.
Although it could be anything, at least so we are sure that the basic computer is not damaged and can certainly be repaired without calling technicians or reformatting Windows.
2) Also, as I hope you learned (if you read Navigaweb.net), most malware can only be removed in safe mode .
This is because these viruses are subtle software, hidden behind false names, automatic and programmed to counter any attempt to remove them.
In safe mode, however, malware generally does not load and therefore cannot prevent it from being eliminated.
3) Whenever Windows does not load and the computer does not start, you are forced to use the safe mode which represents the last resort to try to repair the PC .
What to do in safe mode to solve problems
1) If problems occur during Windows boot, maybe there is a program or service that is having difficulty starting up .
Download the Autoruns program from another computer (check the automatic start items), copy the Autoruns.exe file to a USB stick, start the non-starting PC in safe mode, use Autoruns and disable the files or services suspected of causing the error (try it if you don't know where to start).
Alternatively, as written in another post, you can solve Windows problems with selective startup from MSConfig .
2) If crashes with serious errors and blue screen occur, problems probably occur after installing a driver for a new hardware component.
Then go to Control Panel -> Device Management (or device management) and remove the recently installed hardware.
3) As already seen, you can use system restore if Windows is not working today.
4) If the problem is caused by a virus, I refer you to the guide on how to remove malware and viruses from the infected computer.
5) Finally, before throwing everything out of the window, if the PC does not boot even in safe mode, try the boot cd or rescue disk.
In conclusion, Windows Safe Mode is a simple but effective troubleshooting tool that allows you to log in on slightly or severely damaged computers.
When using safe mode, hardware or software conflicts are avoided because most of the components are not loaded and the effects of programs that stop running automatically and the effects of viruses or malware are avoided.
With this emergency mode, you can operate on Windows settings, access the Control Panel, remove drivers, uninstall programs, configure the start menu and use automatic scan programs.
Safe mode is the first thing to do when, suddenly, there are errors and problems on Windows, when a system is slow, when the PC goes haywire and freezes, after random crashes or startup problems.
