How to Use Safe Mode to Fix Computer Problems
Safe Mode is an effective way to use when there is a serious problem with your computer that interferes with the normal operation of Windows, for example, when your computer is infected with viruses or malware infiltrates it and affects Windows operating files, or when you install new drivers and programs and then suddenly your computer crashes or locks up.
The purpose of this mode is to provide an environment where it is easy for the user to troubleshoot Windows and try to determine what is causing it to not work properly, or use certain tools to make the device work normally; since in this mode the computer will run without any programs or drivers, and even Windows processes are disabled except for what is necessary, this will allow you to take the necessary actions to restart the computer.
Well, let's start with this article to see how to enter Safe Mode on your Windows 7, 8, 8.1 or 10 computer, when it's worth entering this mode and how to fix the problem afterwards. Let's get started...
When is Safe Mode necessary?
When you start Windows normally as you do every day, many programs start with boot up, all services that are set to start with the computer also start, and some drivers that you have installed are also started such as the graphics card driver, the sound driver, the Internet, etc.
But when you boot Windows in Safe Mode, you will definitely notice a lot of differences from booting in normal mode. The desktop background is replaced with black, the screen resolution is reduced and the old display driver is used, and most parts of the device will not work, such as sound or the Internet, and it will not launch any programs at boot and will only start running the necessary services.
Note that Safe Mode is not required to be accessed through Settings where Windows is running normally, but you can also access it if Windows crashes to start exploring potential problems and working on resolving them.
If your computer is infected with malware or is not performing as stable as you used to or you have installed new drivers which caused the blue screen issue . In such cases, Safe Mode can help you get rid of it and restart your computer normally where you can run your antivirus and scan for malware or use System Restore etc.
How to run Windows in Safe Mode?
In modern versions of Windows, Safe Mode is automatically entered while trying to start normally but fails every time. However, the user can boot into this mode manually by following the steps described in the article How to enter Safe Mode where all the methods that lead to Safe Mode on all versions of Windows operating system are covered.
Although entering Safe Mode is not complicated in principle, there are 3 Safe Mode options that you should know to choose the most appropriate one based on the problem you are facing.
The first option is basic safe mode in which Windows starts with the minimum possible drivers and services to start the operating system, there is no internet connection and most of the installed programs will not work.
The second option is Safe Mode with Networking, where Windows starts with a very limited number of services, but it also includes those services that are necessary for network services to run; therefore, you should choose Safe Mode with Networking if the solution to the problem requires an Internet connection.
The third option is Safe Mode with Command Prompt so that Windows starts up with the ability to execute commands via the Command Prompt tool, but the taskbar, start screen, or desktop will not appear, only the Command Prompt.
How to fix computer problems in Safe Mode?
After booting Windows in Safe Mode, you can perform most system maintenance and troubleshooting tasks. Below are some actions you should take depending on the problem you are facing.
Scan your computer for malware: In Safe Mode, you can use your antivirus to scan for and remove malware. Some malware may be impossible to remove in normal mode — because it runs in the background and interferes with your antivirus — and will therefore be removable in Safe Mode.
If you don't have an antivirus installed, you should only be able to download and install one in Safe Mode if you choose the second option (Safe Mode with Networking). Of course, if you're using Windows Defender in Windows 10, you might be better off running an offline malware scan.
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Run System Restore: If your computer was working perfectly fine in the past few days but is now unstable, you can use System Restore, a built-in tool to restore your system to a previous state before you did something that caused the deterioration in its performance. Since you can’t access the tool in normal operation due to a system crash, it may be possible to run it without a problem from Safe Mode.
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Uninstall recently installed programs: If you have recently installed a new program or updated a hardware driver and it is causing the blue screen to appear while booting your computer, you can uninstall this program from Control Panel after entering Safe Mode. Hopefully, your computer will start up normally after uninstalling this program that is interfering with Windows starting up normally.
Update your computer drivers : Assuming that your hardware drivers are causing Windows to become unstable, you may want to download or update this driver from the manufacturer's website and then install it in Safe Mode. If your computer is performing unstable, you should only do this from Safe Mode - hardware drivers won't interfere and make your computer unstable in Safe Mode.
Checking for problems by type of problem: Computer problems are divided into two types: hardware and software. We discussed in a previous topic how to determine the correct type according to the problem you are facing on the device.
But it is also easy to know what kind of problem it is after entering Safe Mode. For example, if your device is running unstable while running Windows normally, but after entering Safe Mode you notice that the device is running smoothly without noticing any problems, then it is likely that the problem is software and that there is a program that caused the computer to crash.
If the problem persists even in safe mode, this is most likely a sign of a hardware problem. However, stability in safe mode does not necessarily mean that it is a software problem; if we assume that the cause of the crash is the graphics card due to relatively heavy use, the device may be stable in safe mode because the computer is not performing any tasks that require graphic processing and therefore the rate of consumption of the graphics card is reduced.
Reinstalling Windows may be the perfect solution!
When you are experiencing software problems on your computer, it is often difficult to find the exact cause of the problem and it will take hours of your time to troubleshoot and fix the problem. For this reason, it may be much faster and easier to simply reinstall Windows and start fresh.
If you are using Windows 8, 8.1 or 10, reinstalling Windows will not cause you to lose your personal files because there is a built-in option in the system settings to reset the factory settings called Reset This PC, through which you can restore the system to the state it was in when it was installed and used for the first time while preserving your files. You can read our previous topic on how to use this option.
Have you tried everything, even reinstalling Windows from scratch and the problem still persists? This suggests...even confirms that there is a hardware problem, as one of the components of the device may have physical problems, especially the storage unit. Because reinstalling Windows should eliminate all software problems on the computer, unless there are corrupted drivers that need to be updated.