Bring Back the F8 Way to Boot into Safe Mode in Windows 8
If you try to use the old keyboard method of pressing F8 to boot into safe mode in Windows 8, you will find that it doesn’t work. The procedure is straightforward and is done by opening the command prompt with elevated privileges and then entering a single command.
Use the keyboard shortcut Winkey+X to open the Quick Access menu (shown in this previous tip)
In the Quick Access menu, select “Command Prompt (Admin)”
Say “Yes” to the UAC challenge
A command window will open
Enter this command:
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy Note that there are curly brackets around the parameter “default”, not the usual parentheses.
A message will appear “The operation completed successfully”. Now the method using the F8 key is supposed to work again.The figure below illustrates the command and the completion message. To
undo the change, enter the command:
bcdedit /set {default} bootmenupolicy standardAs is true for other versions of Windows, getting into Safe Mode with the F8 key can be tricky. You have to hit the key at just the right time. Try tapping the F8 key as soon as you see the blue Windows flag appear on the screen. Some recommend holding the key down.
Source:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/two-new-ways-boot-safe-mode-windows-8.htm
