Windows 10 Restoring Safe Mode Access in Windows 10: Quick Guide to Legacy Boot Menu

davehc

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Maybe this will be of use to some.
Worth adding here, perhaps.
Users have read, or experienced, a faster boot time in Windows 10. In a way, this has been a bit of a cheat by Microsoft. What they have done is eliminated a window/facility during the boot process. This has, itself, caused the now added complaint regarding the tortuous way of being able to access safe mode.

If you are willing to sacrifice that faster boot, you can easily put this function back again.

Open a Command prompt, with Admin privileges.
Type, or paste in

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

On boot up, you will now see the "Other" options at the bottom of the boot screen.
If you are not happy, and want to return to fastboot, you can remove the option again with

bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard
 
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Nice one, Trouble. Sorry, I am spending all my time in the 10 sites these days, didn't spot that one. Have you tested it for Windows 10?
 
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Yes I have tested it on Windows 10 and it seems to work pretty much as it has previously and as you have described.
Your observation regarding how it impacts boot times or how boot times (fast boot) impacts booting into safe mode, I find extremely interesting.
 
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Tested this. Does a nice job of availing (old) F8 function & simplifies entering Safe Mode. Boot w/ 9860 has been slower than the previous Build, (for me on my VM, @ least) but, found no discernable impact or slow down of boot w/ this employed, @ least not under my circumstances.

Cheers,
Drew
 
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Drew said:
(for me on my VM, @ least) but, found no discernable impact or slow down of boot w/ this employed, @ least not under my circumstances.
Click to expand...
I might suspect, to evaluate this properly, one might have to truly use some actual real, modern and robust hardware with all of the rich features that support and facilitate a "fast boot" API call.
I would guess that chipset manufacturers (Intel and AMD) if not already, will soon be including something like this in much the same way that they supported the TPM with "Secure Boot", with their "Fast Boot" feature(s).

I know to some extent this so called fast boot is sometimes just smoke and mirrors as it may not even enter into the picture as it involves various power saving features (sleep / hybrid sleep) as well as C-States (BIOS) considerations, and is not always a function that is involved with a pure power off cold boot environment.

For the most part, those of us who are not running the Tech Preview in a VM, have relegated the install to some older hardware we keep around as test bed platforms for just such purposes and as such, in the case of a clean, pristine install with no third party background processes or services starting up, are enjoying what is apparently a very fast new Operating System. Which I don't suspect after being fully loaded with all of our stuff, will actually function nor boot, much better or faster than Windows 8.1, as that doesn't seem to be really much of microsoft's focus for this release (at least so far).
 
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This may be true but, do let's keep in mind that that the boot mechanism in Windows 10 is different than the past & allegedly makes Win 10 boot particularly fast(er). Overall, even as a VM and aside from boot and after boot, this OS does seem to be very fast & snappy; and that is w/ it 'loaded up' to fairly similar as (my) 8.1

Cheers,
Drew
 
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Trouble said:
OK.....
If you say so.
Click to expand...

Oh, geeesh. I give up... just, too much 'attitude', sarcasm, being scoffed @ or whatever, for me. Thanks, anyway. @ my age, just not interested. Only interested in 'nice' discussion not confrontation. Nice don't see this everywhere.

Oh & don't treat this as a reason to kick me out as I'm not being rude or offensive, merely speaking for just myself & how tiring it is the way a couple of people here treat me. But, I'm a big boy, I'll cope.

Cheers,
Drew
 
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Trouble. I think it would be in order if you reprinted your method again, in this thread. My way, of course, requires you to have already got as far as the desktop. Yours can be invoked without that. Maybe readers should have that brought to their attention?

Problem is, so many posts I read of previous OSs, Users seem to have "lost" (??) their costly original and expensive installation and/or recovery media..

By the way. I hope there are comments from other members here. For different reasons, domestically I only have a Dells. Laptops and a desktop. Using this method (either) does not, for me, bring back the F8 Facility on boot up from cold
 
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If you are talking A Dell & Windows 8 it requires both Shift & F8 but, you probably, already, know this. (So) Pretend I said nothing to you.

Sure worked nicely to avail F8 w/ Windows 10. Actually didn't try it w/ Windows 8.1 but, likely there, also.

Safest, should probably just stay out of conversations you 2 are having. Silly old me. Speaking of safe mode, LOL
 
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" Shift & F8"
Unfortunately not. F8 is notoriously unreliable on a Dell. Shift F8 can sometimes be evoked, but takes you into the Dell recovery mode. This is dependent on the Dell recovery partition being present. In my case, I use images for my recovery and remove the 3 Dell "secret" partitions as soon as able. Renewing the Image has, therefore, always been my standard way of recovering from a potential disaster.
FWIW. Trouble and I have no "special" relationship. You are welcome to offer sensible comments,
 
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"You are welcome to offer sensible comments" "FWIW" Not worth much, @ all.

And you are welcome to not be offensive. But, I have a hunch you will keep pushing.

And, oh, gee, thanks. Not sure who the hell you think you are to grant me such permission or latitude but, not to burst your bubble, I don't need or want your 'blessing'. Nor do crave or appreciate you thinking you have some god-given right or ability to judge whether someone's comments are "sensible" in your santimonious view. Spare me your insults or persuming anyone's input would not be sensible enough to suit you.

Well, you both share a special relationship in the sense that you both seem to enjoy being irritating & nasty to me. You want to act like this do it to someone else, since you seem to think its acecptable behavior. Me, I'm too old to be interested in such stuff.

And, OMG this from someone who may soon be a fellow MVP to me. Geesh. On the bright side, I do have some other Danes who are wonderful, nice friends.

As I said, putting remarks in a thread w/ you two is a bad idea, thanks to you two. I will have to do better at avoiding it. Fortunately, there are plenty of other people w/ whom one can have better discussions about IT w/out enduring your personal digs.

Probably thought you guys could say or do whatever you like to me & I'd never stand up for myself. A man can only take so much before it becomes too much.
 
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I don't think a help forum is a venue to involve in a personal argument but, unfortunately, you have made some rather slanderous comments in your post.
Could you point out any of my posts, where I have been "offensive", as opposed to making an objective criticism
I was not "granting you permission", or my blessing. Merely correcting your wrong impression.
By the way and this is a friendly comment. perhaps you are unaware. Microsoft have requested that MVP status be displayed whenever possible as they see it as favourable to them. Mike will voluntarily check your status and accordingly, place it in your Avatar.if you wish.
. .
 
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I am not interested in talking w/ you further or having comments of yours directed @ me. I said nothing slanderous, only factual due to YOUR behavior. Don't try putting the cart before the horse. I was only reacting to stuff from you, initiated by you. So just drop it & don't say more to me. As I said you would just keep pushing.

And I am well aware of that. Once it's official soon, I will so inform Mike w/out needing or wanting any direction, involvement, suggestion or input from you. I have had more than enough of you as it is. And don't try to think you know what impression I had or have about anything or whether you judge it right or wrong. You think it's ok for you to pass judgement on others, it's not. Go try it on someone else. But, stop w/ me.

I hate "personal stuff" and want it nowhere. which is why I, to no avail, finally said something about it & stood up to you. Quit YOUR behavior & attitude or, @ least, quit dishing it out to me. I want no part of it!! Start trouble elsewhere or w/ someone else if you must.

Now, go bother someone else if you must. You want to start out of place stuff... I want to stop it. So carry on @ someone else. I won't be party to it.

I'm happily going back to discussing IT w/ other people. In all fairness, please, leave me alone. Try to respect. I will not be drawn in to any desire to argue. I will not let you get me into trouble!

And stop distracting from the subject of IT & helping people; which THE reason we are supposed to be here, I remind YOU.

If you had not been nasty & offensive it never would have been said. End of story & discussion. And if you don't stop (don't expect you will) don't expect any response. I won't be fuel to you.

And, yes, thanks, I am quite aware of what to say to Mike & when. I was one of the very 1st Members of Mike's Forums many years, ago, as he mentions in his kind endorsement of me in Linkedin. So, by now, I know the drill; you don't bother thinking YOU have to make me aware of anything.
 
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Trouble said:
OK.....
If you say so.
Click to expand...
And that's all I said, and you seem to have gone off the edge.
Drew said:
Well, you both share a special relationship in the sense that you both seem to enjoy being irritating & nasty to me.
Click to expand...
Irritating is subjective so I suppose anyone can be irritated, by anything. "Nasty" however is not and I'm not sure at all, what you find "nasty" about those three words.
You keep commenting about "at my age", I'm pretty sure that both Dave and myself have you beat by a year or two and it seems that growing old doesn't always mean growing up.
Now maybe that was a bit irritating and perhaps nasty, but hey..... you're way too easy
 
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No more comments from me!!!!!!!!

Back to the drawing board. I was getting frustrated with this Safe mode thingy. In the end, believe me, I went right through the whole thing again. Installed the first build from my ISO, Installed the second build from my ISO, after formatting. B***y F8 still doesn't work. My son is a Dell road engineer and told me to live with it. Apparently, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. It is something connected with Dells built in Fast boot.
So I'll skip it for now.
 
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davehc,
I am using my 6 yrs. old Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop, presently running build 9860.
F8 key works for me in conjunction with the method you posted.
 
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I don't know for sure, but maybe if it is that old it doesn't have the bios fastboot option??
 
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Solution
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