Windows Startup Tips That Will Save You From Dangerous Malware

When it comes to Windows, it's always helpful to know a few tricks for when your computer starts to crash. Many people have been in the same situation recently, and have restarted their computers with this super simple trick - it could be the difference between scratching your head and getting your computer back up and running again right away.

This Windows Startup Tip Has Saved Many People

Many people's Windows 10 computers were lucky enough to run fine and without any problems. But as Windows 10 support neared its end, their computers almost knew what was coming and started having problems.

When their computer won't boot normally, many people don't panic. They know about Windows' backup boot options, and in this case, booting into Safe Mode gave them the access they needed to restore their system.

Safe Mode isn’t flashy. It strips Windows down to its bare minimum—just the essential drivers and processes it needs to run. This makes it the perfect environment for troubleshooting, uninstalling problematic programs, or running malware scans.

And if Safe Mode isn’t enough, you can go one step further: Boot from a USB recovery drive. This will completely bypass the corrupted Windows installation and allow you to reload a fresh copy of Windows or access the built-in recovery tools.

How to boot into Safe Mode

Safe Mode has been a part of Windows for decades and is still one of the best first-line defenses when your computer crashes. There are a few ways to boot into Safe Mode. Check out these articles for detailed instructions:

• How to enter Safe Mode Windows 10 on startup
• How to access Safe Mode on Windows 11

Once your computer boots into Safe Mode, you can start cleaning up any malware that may be lurking on your device. There are a number of handy free antivirus and anti-malware tools that you can use to remove malware.

How to boot from USB drive

Safe Mode is great, but sometimes your Windows installation is just too old. That's where a bootable USB drive can save the day.

Booting from a USB drive is extremely useful for a number of reasons:

• It allows you to boot Windows from a clean environment, separate from a system that may be infected or corrupted.
• You can reinstall Windows if needed, repair startup files, or access advanced recovery tools.

Some bootable USBs even allow you to scan for malware offline before Windows boots. These special rescue USBs are handy to have around, as they can be used whenever your computer starts to show signs of overload, malware, or other issues.

However, with that said, the article will detail how to use a Microsoft installation USB to restore your computer below. Having a bootable Windows USB on hand is always a great idea, as it can be used effectively on any Windows computer.

How to create USB boot

A bootable USB is a handy option, as you can create it on another computer and then use it on your own.

1. Download Microsoft's Media Creation Tool .
2. Run the tool and select Create installation media for another PC .
3. Plug in a USB drive (at least 8GB) and select it as the destination.
4. The tool will download Windows and create a bootable USB.

Once the Media Creation Tool has finished creating the USB, you can use it to boot.

1. Plug the USB into the affected computer.
2. Reboot and enter BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing F2, Del, Esc or F12 while booting).
3. Set the USB drive as the primary boot device. This process varies depending on your motherboard manufacturer, so you may have to look this information up on a separate device.
4. Save changes and reboot - your computer will load from USB.
5. Now, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Repair .

Let the process complete, then you will be able to access Windows again.

As before, after accessing Windows, run your antivirus or antimalware software and start repairing your computer.

Now, you don’t want to have to prepare a recovery USB drive when your computer is dead. Do it now, while everything is still running smoothly. This Windows startup trick will save you from disaster, and it might save you, too. The next time your computer won’t cooperate, you’ll know exactly how to fight back.