Safe Mode

Safe Mode helps you to diagnose problems. If something is wrong with your computer, and it either won’t boot up or you can’t solve the problem, starting up Windows in Safe Mode can sometimes help.

If a symptom does not reappear when you start in Safe Mode, you know the problem is not being caused by the Windows default settings and minimum device drivers, i.e. the setup you started with.

If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use Safe Mode to remove the device or reverse the change.

There are circumstances where Safe Mode will not be able to help you, such as when Windows system files that are required to start the system are corrupted or damaged.

To get into Safe Mode, follow the simple instructions below:

• turn off your computer;
• turn on your computer;
• as soon as the computer is switched on, start tapping F8 (along the top of your keyboard) until a text menu appears. This menu will either be a Microsoft Windows 95/8 Startup Menu, or Windows Advanced Options Menu;
• use the arrow keys to scroll through Options until Safe Mode is selected.

Your computer will hopefully boot up now, showing a standard Windows Desktop with Safe Mode in each corner.

In Safe Mode some of your hardware won’t work, but you should be able to run anti-virus and anti-spyware software to remove any nasties from the computer. You should also be able to back up your computer if it needs reinstalling.