What is a “Safe Boot” and how do I use it?
Some applications start as soon as your Mac starts. On rare occasions, these may cause incompatibilities. We mostly see this issue after a system update.
If your Mac has trouble starting up, you can use Safe Boot to disable these additions and load only Apple-required extensions. This can take several minutes, so you must be patient.
Make sure your Mac is shut down and then press the power button. After you hear the startup tone, immediately hold down the Shift key until you see the note “Safe Boot” on the startup screen.
Not all functions are available in Safe Mode. To return to normal, restart without holding down any keys.
Published March 24, 2009 12:00 PM
Last modified on June 16, 2009 4:06 PM
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