Solved After ‘restore win11’ safe mode makes trouble

Hi,

preparing 2 MSI Cubi’s for 2 friends of mine.

Restored one MSI Cubi 5 to factory settings from within Windows 11. Restore went well, but rebooting produces a loop. I get a box saying ‘cannot continue updating in safe mode, please reboot’ or something like that. Rebooting however produces this result time and again.

I see two ways:

A
-can I configure a setting in Win 11 using (for instance) Hiren’s bootdisk (or any other). Put otherwise: can I change a setting from outside of Windows 11 that stops Windows 11 booting into ‘safe mode’ and reverts to normal? Or is this only possible from within Windows 11 itself? I do have access to the registry of the problematic OS.


B
-I happen to have a Macrium image from the second, qua hardware 100% identical MSI Cubi 5 I own. This Cubi is working normal. I could restore this image to the Cubi that has problems.

However, this OS is configured to be used with a different online Windows-account (1) and it has a Microsoft Office tied to that account (2).

My question: could I put back this image from machine 2 to machine 1, then change the Microsoft account and then change the Office key (I own 2 different licences/keys). I foresee trouble and would rather use A.

Kind regards and thanks in advance, Kan

"Restored one MSI Cubi 5 to factory settings from within Windows 11"
Did you do a Reset option 1?
Reset Windows 11 PC

A) On the tutorial it says that a Reset can't be done in safe mode. On the reboot it says that it is in safe mode and updating.
So why it is in safe mode and also updating. Very strange.
Yes, you can modify the register offline.

B) It seems to me that the option to load an image is a good option. You will loose all the previous data on the laptop.
Instead of using your image, did you look at MSI forum to see if they don't have a link to download the factory image?

From Google AI

Steps to Access Offline Registry:

1. 1. Boot into a recovery environment:
   You'll need to boot your computer from a Windows PE environment, either from a USB drive or a recovery partition.
   

• 2. Open Registry Editor:
  Once in the recovery environment, launch the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
  
  
• • Select either HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE or HKEY_USERS in the Registry Editor.
    
• Go to File > Load Hive.
  
  
• Navigate to the location of the offline registry hive file (e.g., \Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM for the SYSTEM hive).
  
  
• Enter a temporary name for the loaded hive (e.g., "OfflineSystem").
  
• 4. Access and Modify:
  You can now browse and modify the registry settings within the loaded hive, just like in a regular online session.
  
  
• 5. Unload the Hive:
  After making your changes, select the temporary hive key and choose File > Unload Hive to remove it.
  

Important Considerations:

• Location of Hive Files:
  The main registry hives are typically located in the \Windows\System32\config folder on the target system's drive.
  

• Security Considerations:
  Be extremely cautious when modifying the registry offline, as incorrect changes can render the system unbootable. Always back up your registry before making changes.
  
  
• Offline Registry Viewers:
  Tools like OfflineRegistryView from NirSoft can be used to view registry hives without loading them into the Registry Editor.
  

By following these steps, you can effectively access and modify the Windows registry even when the system is not fully booted or connected to the network.

Hi Megaherz,

thanks a lot for your kind replies.

To clarify: yes I wrote the machine back to factory settings using the onboard image (not my own). The first time I did this from what I call ‘inside Windows’. Then I ran into the problem described.

Second time I used the MSI restore tool I downloaded and installed to a USB. That wrote back the factory image also (so: second time). Guess what: same problem occurs. Weird eh?



Thanks also for showing how to load and change the offline registry.

The reason I asked for that is that I was wondering if it would be a way to break the hold of the safe mode. Question: is the setting that Win should start in safe mode to be found in the registry? Or is it determined somewhere else?

Thanks again!


ps: I realize now that restoring a Macrium image of Cubi 2 to Cubi 1 is problematic in the sense described above (Office and Microsoft account), but also to the very Windows key the two Cubi’s are sharing! They will be identical, but on two machines at once.

Kan Lang said:

Hi Megaherz,

thanks a lot for your kind replies.

To clarify: yes I wrote the machine back to factory settings using the onboard image (not my own). The first time I did this from what I call ‘inside Windows’. Then I ran into the problem described.

Second time I used the MSI restore tool I downloaded and installed to a USB. That wrote back the factory image also (so: second time). Guess what: same problem occurs. Weird eh?

Click to expand...

Very strange that the MSI restore tool also gave you same problem.
Did you download a drive image or only an application to restore what is already on the computer (that is already corrupted) to factory status.
You must download and apply an image (many G Bytes)
Try again not connected to the internet. Apply the MSI image on a clean drive (delete all partitions first.)

Kan Lang said:

Thanks also for showing how to load and change the offline registry.

The reason I asked for that is that I was wondering if it would be a way to break the hold of the safe mode. Question: is the setting that Win should start in safe mode to be found in the registry? Or is it determined somewhere else?

Thanks again!


ps: I realize now that restoring a Macrium image of Cubi 2 to Cubi 1 is problematic in the sense described above (Office and Microsoft account), but also to the very Windows key the two Cubi’s are sharing! They will be identical, but on two machines at once.

Click to expand...

You can apply your Macrium image to the other computer. You won't have activation issues as both has a OEM key engraved on BIOS.
- Create a Local account with administrator status. Reboot and log in on the new account.
- Delete the original account (your account) with all data. Reboot and check on C:\Users if your account was deleted entirely.
- Change Office key
- Remember that all programs you installed will be available.

Thanks a lot Megahertz! I’m going to move in that direction. Will post update here. Kind regards, Kan

Hi all, problem solved. I restored a Macrium image of functioning Cubi 1 to malfunctioning Cubi 2. Worked like a charm. Then I created a new admin account on nr. 2, deleted the one that belongs to Cubi 1. Applied a new key to Office.

Thanks for the support! Kind regards, Kan

Glad to know it is solved.