Having worked with Microsoft Windows since its introduction many years ago, I have had many opportunities to restart a computer in Safe Mode. (Read: It was absolutely necessary to resolve a critical problem.)

Safe Mode is a Windows mode that uses only the most basic drivers and programs that are required to start Windows and will not launch any programs that are set to start automatically when Windows starts. This makes Safe Mode very useful for diagnosing hardware driver problems and computer infections in Windows. It can also be useful when you want to uninstall a program or delete a file that you are unable to remove when Windows is started normally. Microsoft always left a keystroke backdoor to allow you to start your computer in Safe Mode at will during the start-up process (F8) – but they took this away starting in Windows 8!

Here is a simple way to restore the F8 keystroke to enter Safe Mode at Windows startup. You’ll need to open a CMD window in administrative mode by right-clicking on the start button and selecting “Command Prompt ( Admin)”.

At the command prompt, type the following – “bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy“ and hit enter. When the operation completes successfully, restart the system and – Voila! – the F8 key works again! (If ever you want to revert back, do the same and type “bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standard” at the command prompt.)

May you never have to restart your Windows 10 computer in Safe Mode, but if you do this will help you be prepared. Needless to say, you have to do this at a time when your computer is up and running properly. Happy computing!