Safe mode
Safe mode is a diagnostic mode of a computer operating system (OS). It can also refer to a mode of operation by application software. Safe mode is intended to help fix most, if not all, problems within an operating system. It is also widely used for removing rogue security software.
Background
In safe mode, an operating system has reduced functionality, but the task of isolating problems is easier since many non-core components are disabled, such as sound. An installation that will only boot into safe mode typically has a major problem, such as disk corruption or the installation of poorly-configured software that prevents the operating system from successfully booting into its normal operating mode.
Though it varies by operating system, safe mode typically loads only essential executable modules and disables
Safe mode typically provides access to utility and diagnostic programs so a user can
Operating systems
Windows
Microsoft Windows' safe mode (for
Unix
An equivalently minimal setting in
macOS
In macOS holding the shift key after powering up activates Safe Boot that has background maintenance features (Besides the mode selection, it runs a file system repair, and in Mac OS 10.4, it disables all fonts other than those in /System/Library/Fonts, moves to the Trash all font caches normally stored in /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS/(uid)/, where (uid) is a user ID number such as 501, and disables all startup items and any Login Items). Unlike in Windows where safe mode with
On the Classic Mac OS versions 6, 7, 8, and 9, a similar mode to the Unix root is achieved by holding down the shift key while booting, which starts the system without extensions.
iOS
iOS does not have a safe mode, however some jailbreaks add a safe mode where all tweaks are disabled, the wallpaper is black and a notification will tell you that you are in safe mode. In that mode, some apps may not launch.
Android
The way that safe mode in Android can be activated differs per vendor.[6] Safe mode can be disabled by rebooting the device.[7]
When you reboot into safe mode in Android, downloaded apps and widgets are automatically disabled, but built-in apps remain available. A watermark in the bottom-left corner also appears if you're booted to either normal or safe mode.
Some devices also turn their radios off automatically upon booting into safe mode.
Application software safe mode
Application software sometimes offers a safe mode as well. In the PHP interpreter, prior to version 5.4, safe mode offers stricter security measures.[8] The
See also
- BOOT.INI
- Bcdedit
- MSConfig
References
- ^ "start-computer-safe-mode=windows-7". windows.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ "kb315222". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ A description of the Safe Mode Boot options in Windows XP
- ^ "How to Boot Into Safe Mode on Windows 8 or 10 (The Easy Way)". Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ^ How To Recover root password under linux with single user mode Archived 2010-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "android apps: Android users, Google has this fix to find a buggy app on your phone - Times of India". The Times of India. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ "How to turn off Safe Mode on your Android phone or tablet in 2 ways". Business Insider. 2019-12-11. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ "PHP: Safe Mode - Manual". uk.php.net. Retrieved 2017-12-21.