Tip on Safe Mode in Windows 10 with MS Account

[taisingera]

I really screwed up today. I wanted to uninstall Avast, and was going to use the Avast Uninstall Tool and you need to run it in Safe Mode. So first I try the Windows 10 (thru Recovery option) way and choose Safe Mode (no networking), put my password in and it isn't recognized. I'm like 'what's going on?'. I try a few more times, and nothing, so I restart the PC. In normal Win10, I use the System Config and click Safe Mode option, and restart into Safe Mode, and still the password won't take. Then I reboot, but it just keeps going into Safe Mode now. Then I realize, I use an online MS account to login, so if I have no networking, there is no way I'm going to boot this machine anymore.

I found one last option to try, a command line to shut off Safe Mode, but I tried it from a Win10 boot USB drive and I wasn't logged into the real Win10 installation. Oh well, I had to blow it away and reinstall Win10 fresh. Didn't lose any data, and just a bit of reinstalling of apps. Win10 picked up all the drivers on my desktop (very simple i3 system with integrated audio, video, LAN, BT).

I guess the tip is to have networking enabled in safe mode if using a MS account login. And be careful with that SysConfig option.

 

[PliotronX]

Reloading was not necessary; booting to offline NT reset can clear passwords even of the built in administrator account and still works with 10. Disabling secure boot may be required if its in use. Good PSA on being careful with the boot config though!