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Resolved Question

win 7 when trying to boot into safe mode, starts normally

Jan 12, 2012 2:01AM PST

I access the safe mode boot menu by pressing f8 during start up. Once there I choose boot in safe mode, hit enter and then windows lists the drivers it is booting with. The boot continues, however once done, the computer is not in safe mode, but is in normal operating mode (i.e. there are no "safe mode" indications at the perimeter of the screen, and all apps are up and running as usual).

I am not trying to fix any problem, I just wanted to be sure safe mode was there in case I needed it. A couple of days ago I actually had a piece of malware that disabled my Avast anti-virus and was preventing me from accessing the internet, and at that time I tried to boot into safe mode and had the same problem. I restored the computer with an image I had taken when the machine was new, which resolved the malware problem, but not the safe boot problem.

Incidentally, I have looked at the registry and the safe boot entries are intact:
(HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot is there along with it's subkeys Mininal and Network).

I am using Avast anti virus (paid version), Libre Office, Skype, Firefox and have a HP office jet 4500 printer. The machine is an ASUS U43F with an I5 processor.

Discussion is locked

sandpiper999 has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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My first guess is that is Selective Startup and not Safe Mod
Jan 12, 2012 2:13AM PST
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follow up on "selective startup" suggestion
Jan 12, 2012 5:23AM PST

Hi Bob,
Here is what I have done to pursue your suggestion that the system is starting in Selective Startup mode. I went to control panel -- Admin tools -- System Configuration and checked the setting on the General tab. The radio button for "Normal Startup" was selected. Then I clicked on the boot tab just to check the settings there and nothing was selected amongst the "boot options" in the lower part of the pane (there are buttons to select "safe mode", etc.). Without clicking on anything at all in that pane, I simple clicked back to the General tab, and wouldn't you know the radio button had now moved from "Normal Startup" to, you guessed it, Selective Startup. I changed it back to "normal Startup" and clicked apply, and OK and the setting held. I rebooted and went back to System Config and the "normal startup" was still selected. I rebooted and hit f8 and chose safe mode but the computer still booted in normal mode. I repeated this exercise a number of times, and every time I would click on the boot tab and go back to the general tab, the radio button had moved from Normal Startup to Selective startup.

I then thought I would see if I could cause the computer to start in safe mode by selecting safe mode from the boot tab in System Configuration, and rebooting. This did result in a safe mode boot. However, as soon I I returned the settings to normal (i.e. unchecking safe mode under the boot tab, and selecting "normal mode" under the general tab), the machine will not boot into safe mode from the f8 screen.

Finally, I decide to update my OS, installing service pack 1. After doing that I am able to boot in safe mode from the f8 menu. However, In System Configuration, there is still the persistent problem that simply clicking on the boot tab (without clicking on anything else in that pane) and then clicking on the general tab causes the radio button to move from "normal startup" to "selective startup". Each time I return to the general tab I have to reselect "normal startup" and hit apply and OK.

Any thoughts on this anomaly would be appreciated

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Yes it's odd here too.
Jan 12, 2012 5:33AM PST

I tinkered with the System Configuration and it does odd things like that here. It's probably one of those areas that MSFT cut corners on.
Bob

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thanks - shall we close the thread on that note?
Jan 12, 2012 2:11PM PST

Appreciate you trying it out at your end - as you say, it could well be a shortcoming in the software.
As this is the first question I have asked in a cnet forum, I am unaware of the procedure to declare the item closed (and couldn't find reference to the accepted practice for this in the FAQ). Please advise.
Best Regards.

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You did great.
Jan 13, 2012 1:44AM PST

Thanks and hope the discussion helped.

There is no accepted procedure about ending such. Some forums have a points system so it matters to some there but we have no points and only close/lock posts for a very short list of reasons.
Bob

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Selective Startup
Jan 12, 2012 8:21PM PST

Same here. In MSCONFIG, (the System Configuration Editor), my General tab also shows "Selective Startup".

I know why in my case. In the Startup tab of that editor I have disabled various unwanted software from loading on bootup. In the general tab I see that "Load Startup Items" just has a block in it and not a tick. That signifies that only some of the Startup items have been selected.

Is that the same with your config editor?

I don't know why your system failed to boot into Safe Mode properly but it seems installing SP1 has fixed the problem, and so good work on that.

Mark

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replicated your set-up and safe mode boot still works
Jan 13, 2012 5:49AM PST

In my case, as I had not disabled any of the startup items under the startup tab, there was no reason for the radio button on the general tab to autonomously shift from Normal Startup to Selective Startup (which as I described above, it was doing - to generate this change, all that was required was to click on the boot tab and then subsequently click on the general tab). This instability, as Bob suggested, may have been impeding the safe mode boot from the f8 menu.

After reading your comment I thought I would replicate your situation and see if the computer would start in safe mode or not. I disabled a couple of apps that I didn't need in the startup menu anyway (a good exercise once in a while!), and as you mentioned this automatically changes the selection on the general tab from Normal startup to Selective startup. (the "load startup items" has a block in it just as yours does). I rebooted the computer configured in this way, and when I tried to boot in safe mode from the f8 menu it was successful.

I guess this is one more piece of data that suggests that the underlying problem was fixed via the SP1 update.

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Yes I defer to Bob here
Jan 13, 2012 8:52PM PST

(as I do so often, Happy ), although I never had this problem with my Windows 7 before SP1 was released and installed, but that said, I am wondering if I installed SP1 immediately after I installed the OS.

I think it's just one of those things, and good to see you are sorted now.

Mark