Windows 10: INTERMITTENT Failure to Boot Except in Safe Mode

Hello all,


I have Windows 10 on a Dell XPS 11 that came with Windows 8.

I took advantage of the free Windows 10 offer when it came out.


My computer failed to boot last week--the UEFI firmware successfully handed control over to the Windows bootloader; I saw the windows logo, the polite request to wait a moment...then nothing. Just a black screen. I turned it off and on again, several times, with no change.

I booted into Recovery Mode and attempted Startup Repair; it said it was unable to repair it.

I was able to boot into Safe Mode, and was unable to find any problem. I tried to reboot normally, and it failed. (Black screen again.)

I looked at different recovery/restore options, including returning to the previous version of Windows, but it said it was unable to do that, too.

Then I rebooted...and Windows started normally. It worked fine from then on.


Same thing happened this morning. Dead computer, fails to boot with a blank, black screen. No recovery. (I don't have restore points, btw.) No restore. Safe Mode works. Unable to regress to the prior version of Windows.

Ran firmware's built-in diagnostics. No problems found.


...And then it booted successfully again with no explanation why it failed, nor why it now succeeds.

When it booted, it automatically opened up this web page. (It didn't do that last week.)

My best guess is that some update broke it, and something the machine does--when it checks to try to revert to a prior version of Windows--fixes it. But that's a complete shot in the dark.


So, ...help? How can I prevent this in the future? How can I ensure that it is fixed permanently?

:)

 

Can't boot into Normal/Safe Mode with Networking, only safe mode...


Good Evening,
I could do with some pointers on resolving an issue. I can only boot into windows in safe mode in Windows 10. Normal mode and safe mode with networking doesn't work. The problem occurred after a windows update. I have removed the latest updates that were installed and cleared any pending ones but it still won't boot properly. I have also run the troubleshooter and tried to recovery to an earlier date which also doesn't work.
The laptop is a HP ENVY 17 notebook. At boot it just gets to the HP logo with the circular loading icon and no further and can only boot it into safe mode. Can anyone recommend the next steps? I have also tried the following;

• stopping startup items
• uninstalling hardware drivers
• removing recent software
• running troubleshooters at boot
• sfc scan
• diagnostic/selective startups with minimal services running

Would the fact that I cant boot into Safe Mode with Networking imply its a network driver related issue?
Bit of a dead end really, any help would be much appreciated
Kind regards
Trevor

 

Boot into Safe Mode on Windows 10  


I am stuck in Safe Mode in spite of following all the suggested steps to go back to Normal Startup - Like opening file location of msconfig.exe & running as Administrator. The computer I am trying to get out of safe mode has just been updated from Windows 7.

 

Password not accepted in Safe mode

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

I understand the inconvenience caused to you. I will be glad to assist you with your issue.

Follow the below steps and check if it helps.　

If you see the black screen or have a flickering screen:

Step 1: Try connecting to different video outputs on the PC. Sometimes a change in driver can cause the video to be sent:

• • To a different Adapter: from integrated graphics to a discrete card or vice versa.
    
  • To a different output: from HDMI to DVI, Display Port to VGA, or any other combination.
    

Step 2: Try to boot into Safe Mode with Networking
or Enable low-resolution video.

• • Advanced boot options, Safe Mode with Networking, or Low Resolution Video
  • Check Device Manager and look for Display Adapters
    
    • If you see 2 items under Display Adapters, disable to integrated video card (e.g. Intel HD 4000 or AMD Radeon HD 4200) and restart. (try vice versa if it does not work).
    • If you see 1 item under Display Adapters, rollback the driver or uninstall the display adapter in Device Manager, and enable the option to delete driver software.
      

How to boot into Safe mode.

Run your computer in Safe mode and see if you still get that error message. If you are not getting that error message in safe mode then perform clean boot on your computer using the steps provided below. If you
don't get that error message in safe mode then it means that some third party application is causing the problem.

To use a Safe Boot option, follow these steps:

• Restart your computer and start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured for booting to multiple operating systems, you can press the
  F8 key when the Boot Menu appears.
• Select an option Safe mode with Networking using the arrow keys on the keyboard when the
  Windows Advanced Options menu appears, select Safe mode with Networking and then press
  ENTER.

I would suggest you to force shutdown your system and then try to restart it again and check if you are able to login to safe boot.

Check the PC or display adapter manufacturer’s site for an updated driver.

Let us know the status of the issue. We will be glad to assist you.

Thank You.