PC Pals Forum
Technical Help & Discussion => Windows PCs & Software: Help, News & Discussion => Topic started by: Simon on July 18, 2003, 18:53
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OK, I'm probably being thick again, but with XP, I can only boot into safe mode if I first go into MSCONFIG, and tick Safe Mode under Boot Options, then it will only boot into safe mode, until I untick the box again.
Why won't the F8 trick work? Is it me, or a thing with XP?
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Search my Simon,
being on W2K, but seeing as we are mentioning the F word. Which key do you hold down at boot up to read the boot up screen ???
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Maybe you aren't pressing it at the right time? :-\ It should be pressed before Windows starts to boot, just after the BIOS summary screen disappears.
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Tony - sorry, not sure what you mean. (https://www.pc-pals.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apax34.dsl.pipex.com%2Fsmileys%2Fredface.gif&hash=224c9010f1fa86fa74c90b7f0f0dc0ed2d5a2615)
Sean - tried that! :-\
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Are you leaving it long enough Simon?
Sometimes on mine it seems to hang at something like xxxxxx.mupp (I think it is) then eventually it gives me the options of safe mode and last good configuration etc ???
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Oh, now I know which screen Tony was referring to. ;D
I'll try it next time I boot up, but that's another thing - this damned Fujitsu modem very often won't initialise after a reboot, won't reset either, then causes a hang on shutdown, so I tend to reboot as little as possible.
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It won't help you I know Simon, but here is Microsoft's Knowledgebase Article about Safe Mode (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315222)
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Simon
Right click on My Computer, Properties, select the Advanced Tab and click on the Startup and Recovery Settings button, alter the ?Time to display recovery options when needed? to 30 seconds and the same for ?Time to display list of operating Systems?
When you reboot keep the F8 key depressed until the recovery screen appears, this screen will then show for 30 seconds select Safe Mode and press enter, select XP and press enter, that should work
Brian ::)
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Hi Brian, the Start Up and Recovery details are already as you said (see below). I've just restarted, and held the F8 key down right through, and it still didn't boot into safe mode. The recovery screen does not appear.
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Simon, try pressing F8 as rapidly as you can from the time the BIOS screen is about to disappear until the menu appears :-\
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@Simon
What kind of keyboard m8, if its USB could be your problem
Brian ;D
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DOH!
Of course ::) - he has a USB keyboard! Well done Brian. It's always the bloody obvious isn't it? :lol:
Edit: Does the USB Keyboard Legacy Mode setting in the BIOS have anything to do with this problem?
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Could that be Arthurs problem if he has a nonstandard keybouard?
I remember having my fancy Office Navigator keyboard connected at one time and the F keys dont function until windows has loaded the drivers so I had to revert back to a basic one :(
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Simon, a little bit of advice. Change to WinME. I don't have all those problems you seem to have. :P ;)
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"Does the USB Keyboard Legacy Mode setting in the BIOS have anything to do with this problem? "
Not certain if the USB drivers are installed before the recovery screen loads, Simon could boot into DOS and try all the keys on the board
Brian ;D
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Simon could boot into DOS and try all the keys on the board
It doesn't work Brian, as Sean and I found out the other week when I was trying to run FDISK, and it's also why I couldn't get your ZAP program to work.
:doh:
Is there any way round this, or does it mean swapping keyboards each time I want to do something like this? The keyboard I have is a nice solid black IBM, so I don't really want to change it.
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@Simon
There should be some sort of drivers for your keyboard that allow it to work in DOS check the IBM site and enter you keyboard type
Brian ;D
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I am probably stating the obvious, Simon, but have you tried removing the keyboard in Device Manager, rebooting and re-installing it?
Just that last week, I had a problem. Every time I switched on, the bootup screen told me I hadn't a keyboard connected. A restart found it and then the next rebbot it had gone again. I removed and re-installed it and it's been OK since.
??? ??? ???
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Mmm, don't think it's that Dave. It's a USB keyboard, it's not that there's anything actually wrong with it - it's just the way they are, apparently.
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Look I'm still ;) waiting for that key I need to press at boot up. Which enables you to freeze the system boot sequence screen, so you can actually read it. Why do I want to read it....because I just do ...got a problem with that >:( :)
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Oh, for heaven's sake!! ;D ;D
Found this Tony - it's for XP but I would think W2K is the same:
The Windows XP boot process is made up of several sections, represented by several different screens. During one of the screens, when the screen background is black, you can press the ESC key, and the boot process will pause until you press another key. During this screen, the system is waiting to see if you press F5 or F8 to choose other boot options, so pressing ESC causes it to wait indefinitely.
http://windows.about.com/library/tips/bltip650.htm
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@Tony
If its the system boot sequence you want to see press "Pause" which is the top right hand key on the keyboard (well it is on mine)and the boot screen will be displayed untill you press another key.
Brian:go:
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Cheers lads,
I tried 'Esc' first but ziltch, so I tried
'Pause' and BINGO, but then I found 'Esc' set it going again ::) so all in all a good combination for stopping and starting the boot screen. ;D
Thanks 8)