My brand new Windows 8.1 computer is dead and only shows a cursor on black screen when booting. So I need to boot into safe mode.
I thought pressing F8 would do the trick. Apparently my computer is using UEFI BIOS, and there seems to be no way of interupting the boot process with keystrokes.
So, is it possible to do anything with this computer to recover?
23 Answers
There is NO standardization between EFI-based computers regarding accessing boot-time options. It can usually be done in much the same way as with BIOS-based computers -- by hitting Esc, Del, or a function key early in the boot process. Some EFIs have removed this option, though, which can lead to the sort of problem you're seeing. Using an external medium with a third-party boot loader may provide a way out in some cases. Try the CD-R or USB flash drive of my rEFInd boot manager for this. Posting the make and model of your computer, or asking about it on a manufacturer's forum, may also provide answers.
If you can physically remove or unplug the hard disk, you should be able to force the system into the firmware setup utility, which may enable you to adjust firmware boot options. When you reconnect the disk, you might then be able to get a boot menu to select a recovery tool.
With UEFI BIOS, it seems the bootup displays no help info whatsoever. However, pressing Ctrl + F10 in a frenzy (may be other keys for your system) when the computer boots starts some kind of Windows 8 inbuilt recovery program. You may have to try several times. Safe mode seems not to be accessible at all with UEFI BIOS.
No matter what option I chose (repair/full recovery/partial recovery), the Windows recovery program simply reported that it "failed". However, after running these things the computer did boot again into Windows 8.
You can use start menu -> run -> MSCONFIG . Then, under the boot tab there is a checkbox which when checked, will reboot into safe mode on next reboot. You can also apparently hold down SHIFT when clicking on restart and that should do it as well although I have not tested the second method.
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