With the Windows Startup Settings screen (which used to be called "Advanced boot options") you can start Windows in different advanced troubleshooting modes to help you find and fix problems on your PC.
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)
Under PC settings, tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.
Under Advanced startup, tap or click Restart now.
Once your PC restarts, on the Choose an option screen, tap or click Troubleshoot.
If you don't see the Startup Settings option, tap or click Advanced options.
Tap or click Startup Settings.
Tap or click Restart.
On the Startup Settings screen, choose the startup setting you want.
Sign in to your PC with a user account that has administrator rights.
Some options, such as safe mode, start Windows in a limited state where only essential programs are started. Other options start Windows with advanced features (typically used by system admins and IT professionals). For more info, go to the Microsoft website for IT professionals.
If you're using BitLocker, you'll need to suspend it before you can get to Windows Startup Settings. If you're using Windows RT 8.1, you might be asked to enter your Device Encryption recovery key to get to the Startup settings.
Starts Windows in an advanced troubleshooting mode intended for IT professionals and system administrators.
Creates a file, ntbtlog.txt, that lists all the drivers that are installed during startup and that might be useful for advanced troubleshooting.
Starts Windows using your current video driver and using low resolution and refresh rate settings. You can use this mode to reset your display settings.
If you have a problem with your PC, you can troubleshoot by starting it in safe mode. Safe mode starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services. If the problem doesn't reappear when you start your PC in safe mode, then your default settings and basic device drivers and services aren't the likely cause. There are three different safe mode options.
Safe Mode. Starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services.
Safe Mode with Networking. Starts Windows in safe mode and includes the network drivers and services needed to access the Internet or other PCs on your network.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Starts Windows in safe mode with a Command Prompt window instead of the usual Windows interface. This option is intended for IT professionals and administrators.
If the problem doesn't occur when you restart your PC in safe mode, you can be confident that the basic settings, files, and drivers in Windows aren't causing the problem. Then, use the process of elimination to help you find the cause of the problem. Try starting all of the apps on your desktop that you commonly use one by one (including the apps in your Startup folder) to see if a specific app might be causing the problem. If so, uninstall the app or contact the software publisher. If the problem appears while in safe mode, or you still can't find the problem, you can try refreshing or resetting your PC. For more info, see How to refresh or reset your PC.
Allows drivers containing improper signatures to be installed.
Prevents the early launch antimalware driver from starting, allowing drivers that might contain malware to be installed.
Prevents Windows from automatically restarting if an error causes Windows to fail. Choose this option only if Windows is stuck in a loop where Windows fails, tries to restart, and fails again repeatedly.
Starts Windows domain controller running Active Directory so that the directory service can be restored. This option is intended for IT pros and system admins.