Old Method for Safe Mode "F8" on Windows 10 Anniversary Version 1607

Discussion in 'Windows 10' started by armadillotuff, Sep 4, 2016.

  1. armadillotuff

    armadillotuff MDL Member

    Feb 2, 2013
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    [h=2]Old Method for Safe Mode "F8" on Windows 10[/h]
    THIS WAS A POST I DID AWHILE AGO. WITH THE NEW ANNIVERSARY WINDOWS 10 1607 UPDATE, THIS METHOD WIPES OUT THE "REGEDIT" VERSION OF F8 SAFE MODE. I JUST RE-ENTERED THE BELOW DOCUMENTATION AND NOW THE NEW WINDOWS 10 1607 SAFE MODE WORKS AGAIN. HOPE THIS HELPS...

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I don't know if this issue came up or was addressed, so I'll add it again. Windows 10 took away the old "F8" safe mode boot key.
    To re-install it go to Windows 10 Start, All Aps, scroll down to Windows System, right click on Command Prompt, and run as administrator.

    You should see C:\WINDOWS\system32\
    Type Regedit it will open a windows for you.

    Go to the following: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager
    You should see a "BackupCount" as a DWORD.

    If there is no BackupCount, right click on Configuration Manager, then click on New DWORD(32-bit) call it "BackupCount", and set its value to 2.
    Now go back to Configuration Manager and right click and go to New KEY and type "LastKnownGood" this will create the key.
    Now Right click on "LastGoodKnown" then click on New DWORD(32-bit) and type "Enabled". Set the value to 1.
    Now exit out of regedit and stay in C:\WINDOWS\system32\
    Type "BCDEdit /SET {Current} BootMenuPolicy Legacy" and hit the enter key. You should see successful.
    Now power down your Windows 10 system and Restart it, lightly tapping the "F8" key like you use to for windows XP,7,or 8.
    Now you should be able to have all the controls like in the old operating system days.

    I hope this will help you as it has saved me numerous times with Windows 10​
     
  2. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
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    #2 T-S, Sep 4, 2016
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2016

    As I said many times BCDEdit /SET {Current} BootMenuPolicy Legacy is the first operation, that an user should do on any windows since W8.

    The metro bootloader is a ticking bomb that will explode sooner or later.

    Restoring the good old NT4 style last known configuration is a good measure as well.

    it just works, while the automated recovery is able to fix just some bootloader misconfigurations and nothing else.
     
  3. EFA11

    EFA11 Avatar Guru

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    #3 EFA11, Sep 4, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    works on Server 2016 (of course) as well.
    Code:
    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager]
    "BackupCount"=dword:00000002
    
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Configuration Manager\LastKnownGood]
    "Enabled"=dword:00000001
     
  4. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

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    #4 kaljukass, Sep 5, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2019
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  5. Needy

    Needy MDL Junior Member

    Sep 15, 2011
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    Very Interesting!
    One Question: As Asus uses the F8 key as the boot menu key, will this work on as Asus Motherboard?
    -Thanks.
     
  6. darkodar

    darkodar MDL Addicted

    Feb 12, 2013
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    This not work on GPT UEFI?
     
  7. ofernandofilo

    ofernandofilo MDL Member

    Sep 26, 2015
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    You need to work on time. It may be easier to do it in two parts. First you enter the boot menu, you choose the unit, and then back to press F8 to enter the Windows menu.

    cheers
     
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  8. EFA11

    EFA11 Avatar Guru

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    of course it does, yes.
     
  9. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

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  10. EFA11

    EFA11 Avatar Guru

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    the F8 for asus is pressed long before you use f8 for windows. Right after Bios post (when its too late to use f8 for bios), just before windows begins is when you want to be tapping your f8. Not during initial boot of the hardware.

    Basically, catching windows before it loads, or tries too.
     
  11. Needy

    Needy MDL Junior Member

    Sep 15, 2011
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    Just tried that and it did not work, but my bios does a double post, ever since I put in an M2 SSD. so I may have needed to do it between posts or something, after 2nd post windows screen appeared for a very short time. I tried hitting F8 then but may have been too late.

    I will have to play around with this and see if I can get it to work. I would like to do that now, but I'm packing and headed to Bangkok for surgery early tomorrow, and just don't have the time now.

    Thanks for all the info. Hope to get this working when I return :cheers:
     
  12. Katzenfreund

    Katzenfreund MDL Expert

    Jul 15, 2016
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    Just to emphasize a couple of points.

    Firstly, just enabling F8 is not enough, because Windows 10 starts very quickly and you can't catch the right instant for pressing F8 just after boot and before Windows loads. Thus, you have to introduce a delay before Windows starts to give you time to press F8i. The downside is that you'll have to live with this delay every time you start Windows for years, and maybe never actually use the facility. You'll have to decide if it's worth it.

    Secondly, Safe Mode isn't always the best option for restoring operation. Recently with XP, after disabling a couple of what seemed useless services, my PC wouldn't start at all, not even in safe mode. Acronis wouldn't load either. What saved me from reinstalling Windows was the Last Known good Configuration, which fortunately did work.

    Thus, together with Safe Mode thru F8, and probably even more important, you should also enable accessing the above Last Known Configuration.
     
  13. Ainatar

    Ainatar MDL Novice

    Sep 5, 2015
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    One question: it should not be "bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy" instead of "bcdedit /set {current} bootmenupolicy legacy" ?
     
  14. EFA11

    EFA11 Avatar Guru

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    #14 EFA11, Sep 5, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    I use
    Code:
    BCDEdit /SET {Current} BootMenuPolicy Legacy
    and works. As the first post in this thread states.
     
  15. Ainatar

    Ainatar MDL Novice

    Sep 5, 2015
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    #15 Ainatar, Sep 5, 2016
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2017
    I ask because i have always used "default" instead of "current", and it works fine in 8.1 and 10. I don't know what are the differences between both, if any.
     
  16. T-S

    T-S MDL Guru

    Dec 14, 2012
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    Obviously default is the preselected OS on the initial menu, current is the OS you're currently using.

    For average Joes, with just one OS installed, it's the same thing.