Starting Windows 10 in Safe Mode by Restarting

[Former Member]

If the laptop doesn't boot to Windows due to a problem, the only option to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode seems to be through multiple restarts (c.f. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode - the third option).

However, that third option doesn't work.

Is it because the solid state drive is encrypted?  We use McAfee Drive Encryption.

[mlajoie · Accepted solution]

Yes. MDE will prevent the machine from booting into Safe Mode. Use the DE Tech tool to remove EE and then you should be able to boot into Safe Mode.

[jsubbura · Accepted solution]

Hi @Former Member ,

Yes if the drive is encrypted you will not be able to use the third option.

And you can decrypt the decrypt using the DeTech tool or you can use WinPE tool to recover the data without decryption.

However, additional information: we advise our customers to disable the Windows automatic repair

https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB76649

Thank you.

[Former Member]

"However, additional information: we advise our customers to disable the Windows automatic repair"

This comment is very helpful.  Thank you so much.

As you may have noticed from my other post about the digital-signature-related BSOD, my main goal is to troubleshoot its cause.

I am pretty sure that we DO have Automatic Repair enabled, so I'm thinking that there can be a possible connection between Automatic Repair and this BSOD.  If the destroyed encrypted operating system files are somehow related to verifying the digital signatures of the installed apps, disabling Automatic Repair may resolve our issue.  It may be possible that some other boot problem (or some other defect) activate Automatic Repair, which ultimately brings this BSOD.

Would you know which encrypted operating system files are inadvertently destroyed by Automatic Repair (https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB76649)?