Raymond.CC Blog

Safe mode is a diagnostic mode used by certain computer operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, as well as other complex electronic devices. While an operating system is in safe mode, it will have reduced functionality, but it is easier to isolate problems because many non-core components are disabled. An installation that will only boot into its safe mode typically has a major problem, such as disk corruption or the installation of poorly configured software that prevents the operating system from successfully booting into its normal operating mode.

Whenever I am required to service a computer that’s behaving very slowly, the first thing I’ll do is try to boot in Safe Mode. Or if I get a call from a friend saying that his computer is acting weird, I’ll also ask him to try boot in to Safe Mode first and see if the problem will occur there. Problem is, for people who have never heard of Safe Mode, I am going to have a tough time teaching them how to boot in to Safe Mode.

Here’s a solution on how to boot in to Windows Safe Mode for dummies :P


The original way to boot in to Safe mode in Windows is by repeatedly pressing the “F8” key as the operating system boots (Microsoft’s official website for Windows XP simply advises users to press “F8” once, but in practice the exact moment at which to press the key can vary from computer to computer, so it is better to repeatedly press the key at one second intervals).

For people who have never boot in to Safe Mode, most of the time they’ll miss a few times before they get lucky in bringing up the Windows Advanced Options Menu that you can select to boot in to Safe Mode. A lot of time will be wasted in waiting for the computer to reboot over and over again hoping that the user is able to get the menu.

Easier way is simply use BootSafe.

BootSafe takes the hassle out of rebooting in Safe Mode or back to Normal mode. Just send BootSafe to the user or ask him to download from the official website. Run BootSafe and select which Safe Mode you wish to boot – Minimal, Networking (typical), or Repair and click the Reboot button. Once you have booted into Safe Mode, you can perform any actions needed, such as scanning for viruses, spyware, adware, malware or repairing a system component. When you have completed your tasks, simply run BootSafe again and select the Normal Restart option and click the Reboot button and your computer will reboot in Normal Mode.

BootSafe is only 46.5KB in size. It’s FREE, no installation required and works on Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 and XP. A very useful small utility which can simplify my job and save my time.

[ Download BootSafe ]