Stuck in Safe Mode hell

[OverclockN']

I decided to update video drivers tonight and wanted to boot into safe mode from Windows 10. I used msconfig to do it. Before going into Safe Mode, it asks for a password. It's not updated with my latest password and I have no idea what password it wants. So, I can't boot.

Problem is, I have no way to tell it NOT to boot into safe mode. I've been trying for an hour to get it to boot normally so I can just enter my usual pin and get back into normal Windows.

Does anyone know how to do this? My PC is 100% down now and I'm unable to use it whatsoever.

 

[Hapatingjaky]

I decided to update video drivers tonight and wanted to boot into safe mode from Windows 10. I used msconfig to do it. Before going into Safe Mode, it asks for a password. It's not updated with my latest password and I have no idea what password it wants. So, I can't boot.

Problem is, I have no way to tell it NOT to boot into safe mode. I've been trying for an hour to get it to boot normally so I can just enter my usual pin and get back into normal Windows.

Does anyone know how to do this? My PC is 100% down now and I'm unable to use it whatsoever.

Force the recovery console. During the Windows Splash screen boot up hit reset. You may need to do this 3 or 4 times.

Otherwise create an USB install drive using another tools and the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool or boot off the DVD if that is your install method.

From there under troubleshooting you should have an option for startup. Choose normal.

Use the shift + click method for entering Safemode rather then MSCONFIG. Go to the shut down Window. Hold left shift and click restart. It will give you boot options. One is for safemode.

 

[deadite_9]

You need to use the actual password that was used when you created the account, not the PIN. Also probably worth mentioning that if you enable safe boot via msconfig, you need to go back in and uncheck it after you're done if you ever manage to get past the password prompt... otherwise it just keeps booting into Safe Mode.

Try this to disable the safeboot flag without actually logging in:

Remedy: On the Welcome screen, press Shift while clicking the Restart option available by first clicking the power button icon on the lower right of the screen. This will give you a set of choices for booting another OS, etc. Choose the option to boot to a Command prompt.

Once rebooted and at the command prompt, type:
bcdedit /enum
You will see a list of settings. Under {default}, you will see the line: Safemode minimal. This is your problem.
Now type:
bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot
The boot-into-safemode flag has been removed. Check by typing:
bcdedit /enum
...and you will see it has disappeared.

Type:
exit
... and now reboot back into normal mode.

Or this:

As you discovered, safe mode only uses your password, not PIN. There was a warning before you entered.
To get out, if you have a Microsoft account, go to https://account.microsoft.com/profile/ and reset the password. Try new password.

If not, and you can't remember your password; boot from a Windows 10 from a USB drive created on another computer and click repair in lower L corner.
Advanced Recovery Options menu appears.
Click Troubleshoot
Click Advanced options
Click Command Prompt
type: bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot
Hit Enter
Exit the command prompt then restart.

Hapa's suggestion is essentially the same and should work, too.

 

[OverclockN']

I I'llI was never actually able to get into safe mode, and was trying to use the Microsoft account password it was asking for, not the pin. I tried a number of different options with DOS commands and a bunch of different ways to try and boot using a USB loader I created a while back. None of it worked, and it also wouldnt let me roll back to a previous system restore point (kept telling me it couldn't find windows) and a bunch of other issues.

I didn't come across how to delete the safeboot flag mentioned above. In the end, I nuked windows and started over. Nothing I tried worked. Pretty sad, and a little odd I couldn't use system restore or any of the other options.

I looked through the USB boot options, trying everything, and there was never anything giving me an option for normal boot. It just simply wasn't there...

 

[deadite_9]

Ugh, that sucks. Hate that it came to that (especially over a video driver), but hopefully you didn't lose too much as a result. No surprise on system restore failing you, though-- as far as I can remember, it's never worked for me whenever I needed it.

Another option would've been to enable the built-in Administrator account (which has no password by default) and/or resetting your existing password using the old cmd/utilman exploit. It still worked on Win10 the last time that I checked, so google it if you're not familiar with that one and save it for later in case you ever need it.