Gigabyte MB - How to Boot In Safe Mode?

[Mantrid-Drone]

I have a slightly unusual set up on my desktop: Win7 was installed as the prime OS on a SSD. Once installed I disconnected the SSD and installed WinXP (which I need for legacy software/hardware) on a HDD. When it was done I could boot in Win7 normally but by going into the BIOS and changing a couple of settings I could reboot into XP.

Stupidly I decided to mess with driver updates to see if I could get the XP OS HDD to boot in AHCI mode. Of course I put in a Restore Point first.

In device manger I appeared to have installed compatible SATA Controllers OK as it was showing two Intel Series 8 C220 Chipset SATA Controller drivers in place and "working". Yet I couldn't get XP to boot in in AHCI mode, only IDE.

So I fiddled again and at some point disabled or unistalled the generic MS Primary and Secondary IDE mode boot drivers, the ones it must have still been using.

No problem I thought, use System Restore.

Trouble is that I can't get it to boot in Safe mode.

The Gigabyte MB's BIOS menus use F8 and most of the other F keys are used for entering specific BIOS menu screens. There's nothing in the manual about this so I'm a bit lost as to what to do next. Whatever the case I still need to know how to enter Windows Safe mode during boot.

Does anyone know? Is it just a timing thing and will it actually work if the HDD with XP isn't being seen because of the missing drivers?

I can't use a Win7 restore point because I'd specifically turned off System Restore for the WinXP HDD prior to making both OS partitions invisible to each other.

I think I'm probably going to have to disconnect all the Win7 stuff again and use the Windows XP install disc but if there is another solution then I'd be pleased to hear it.

 

[sn8ke]

It's been a few years, but I do believe booting with an XP CD will give an option to load into safe mode. Or even via usb using one of the tools on www.bootdisk.com

An easier quick method to try is keep hitting F8, F11, or F12 as your computer POSTs for a boot menu. Safe Mode should be in the list. F8 is the usual, but if that's your BIOS key, then F11 or F12 could be used for the boot menu. I've also seen F5 used before.

You can also do it from within Windows XP or 7 using msconfig. (hit Win+R and type msconfig.)
In the Boot menu will be a safe mode option.

 

[Iron Woode]

why not just go back into the BIOS and change the XP drive to IDE?

unless you have the specific ahci drivers for xp, IDE is all you are going to have.

 

[Mantrid-Drone]

Thanks for the responses.

I did put it back to IDE but I think I deleted or disabled the IDE drivers that is the problem.

My assumption was that the two Intel Series 8 C220 Chipset SATA Controllers were the drivers being used, they were shown as working. But in disabling the other generic IDE drivers it won't now boot in IDE mode either.

I did as suggested and experimented with the F8 key and by tapping it at just the right point after the BIOS load point has past but before before the OS starts loading I was able to get into the familiar alternative XP boot options screen.

Problem is that Safe mode started but then failed. I left it at that as I was getting annoyed and frustrated but I'm going to try again and, hopefully, using the last known good boot option will work. But I am going to have to do that after disconnecting the SSD with Win7 (and all other storage devices) or it'll try to use that instead.

If not then it looks like a repair install using the original WinXP disc is what I'm going to have to do. All just to replace the missing IDE driver(s) - that'll teach me to fiddle.

EDIT

Yay! Thank the IT gods and my diligence in putting in restore points before doing anything. In short XP's last known good configuration option worked and the primary IDE drivers restored and the other enabled again.

All working as it was before. Now all that's left to do is to stop XP deleting Win7 restore points and after that I'm leaving the set up well alone from now on. Switching OS on tis PC is not as elegant as I'd hoped but it works and that's the important thing.