Reference number: CHSAFE

Getting into Windows Safe Mode.

About:

Getting into Windows Safe Mode.

Reason:

Users who may not be able to boot into normal mode or are not able to troubleshoot their computer properly may need to boot into Safe Mode bypassing normal windows settings and startup programs and allowing the user to fix their computer.

Solutions:

Windows 95 users
Windows 98 / ME users
Windows 2000 users
Windows XP users
Windows Vista users

How to get out of Safe Mode?
Which Safe Mode option should I choose?

Unable to get into Safe mode see document CH000750

Windows 95 users

To get into Windows 95 Safe Mode, as the computer is booting, when you either hear a beep or when you see the message "Starting Windows 95", press your F8 key on the top of your keyboard. If done properly you should get into the Windows 95 Startup menu similar to the below screen. In this menu choose option 3 by pressing the 3 key and press enter. 

Windows 98 / ME users

To get into Windows 98 / ME Safe Mode, as the computer is booting press and hold your "F8 key" on the top of your keyboard or press and hold the left or right Ctrl key as the computer is booting. If done properly you should get into the "Windows 98 / ME Startup Menu" similar to the below screen example. In this menu choose option 3 by pressing the 3 key and press enter. 

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the "F8 key", tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

Windows 2000 / XP users

Tip: If you are running Safe Mode because you cannot get into Windows you may want to first try loading the last known good configuration. Additional information about this mode can be found on document CH000626.

To get into the Windows 2000 / XP Safe mode, as the computer is booting press and hold your "F8 Key" which should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move to "Safe Mode" and press your Enter key.

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the "F8 key", tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

Trouble Getting into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe mode - If after several attempts you are unable to get into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe Mode as the computer is booting into Windows, turn off your computer. When the computer is turned on the next time Windows should notice that the computer did not successfully boot and give you the Safe Mode screen.

Microsoft Windows Vista users

Tip: If you are running Safe Mode because you cannot get into Windows you may want to first try loading the last known good configuration. Additional information about this mode can be found on document CH000626.

To get into the Windows Vista Safe mode, as the computer is booting press and hold your "F8 Key" which should bring up the "Windows Advanced Options Menu" as shown below. Use your arrow keys to move to "Safe Mode" and press your Enter key.

Note: With some computers if you press and hold a key as the computer is booting you will get a stuck key message. If this occurs, instead of pressing and holding the "F8 key", tap the "F8 key" continuously until you get the startup menu.

Trouble Getting into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe mode - If after several attempts you are unable to get into Windows 2000 or Windows XP Safe Mode as the computer is booting into Windows, turn off your computer. When the computer is turned on the next time Windows should notice that the computer did not successfully boot and give you the Safe Mode screen.

How do I get out of Safe Mode?

From Windows Safe Mode click Start / Shutdown and restart the computer. This should start the computer automatically back into Normal Mode.

Note: Many users believe that they are still in Safe Mode because the colors or video may not look correct. Unless in the corners of the screen it says "Safe Mode", you are not in Safe Mode. For information on how to setup your video card resolution, see document CH000190.

If you are rebooting the computer and it is rebooting back into Safe Mode (it does say "Safe Mode" in each of the corners), it is likely another problem exists with Windows preventing it from loading into Normal Windows. We recommend you see our basic troubleshooting section for additional ideas that may help to resolve your issue.

Which Safe Mode option should I choose?

Users who are running later versions of Windows will get several different options for different types of Safe Mode. For example, you may have options for "Safe Mode", "Safe Mode with Networking", and "Safe Mode with Command Prompt". Below is a brief description of each of these different modes.

Safe Mode

The basic Safe Mode option is usually what most users will want to choose when troubleshooting their computer. This is the most basic Safe Mode option and has no additional support.

Safe Mode with Networking

For users needing access to the Internet or the network they're connected to while in Safe Mode users may wish to choose this option. This mode is helpful for when you need to be in Safe Mode to troubleshoot but also need access to the Internet so you can get updates, drivers, or other files to help troubleshoot your issue.

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

This Safe Mode would also allow you to have access to the command line (MS-DOS prompt).

Additional information:

• See our Safe Mode definition page for a definition on this term as well as related definitions and pages.