Does going into safe mode delete everything?

No, absolutely not! Rest assured that entering safe mode does not delete any of your personal data, installed software or games. It is purely a diagnostic environment.

As a passionate gamer and gaming guide creator myself, I often get this common question – can safe mode erase my game progress or delete my carefully built RPG characters? The unambiguous answer is NO.

Let me explain in detail what safe mode does and why it can in fact save your gaming device.

So What Exactly Happens in Safe Mode?

When you boot your gaming rig into safe mode, here is precisely what goes on under the hood:

• Only essential drivers and services are started that are needed to boot the OS
• Startup programs and non-essential background services are disabled
• Most importantly, all third-party applications are stopped from loading

So in summary, safe mode provides a "clean slate" minimal environment to troubleshoot issues.

Think of it as switching your gaming beast from a heavy modded Skyrim playthrough to simple old Solitaire! Nothing drastic happens behind the scenes.

Your game data, Steam library, saves, config files all remain untouched in safe mode. The only change is third-party programs do not load.

Here is a quick comparison:

So safe mode strips down your system to identify and fix instability causing crashes, without tampering your precious gaming stash!

When Should Gamers Use Safe Mode?

As an avid gamer involved in testing upcoming titles and guiding new players, I often recommend using safe mode when you see these symptoms:

Frequent Game Crashes

You load up anticipated titles like Read Dead Redemption 2 or Cyberpunk 2077 only to have them crash unexpectedly in a few minutes. Rebooting in safe mode can identify if bad driver installs or mod conflicts are culprits without losing any data.

Severe Lag and Sluggish Performance

You boot up your elite gaming rig expecting buttery smooth 200+ fps ready for COD Warzone tournaments. But gameplay crawls at unplayable speeds. Safe mode helps pinpoint rogue apps choking your resources.

Corrupted Graphics Drivers

You excitedly install a shiny new Nvidia RTX 4080 Ti GPU, but start seeing visual artifacts and distortions in-game. Safe mode lets you cleanly reinstall GPU drivers without deleteing your steam library orformatting hard drives.

Unpredictable Blue Screen Crashes

Your Windows randomly blue screens while playing PUBG or GTA Online losing unsaved progress. Safe mode indicates if buggy software drivers are suspects before you smash controllers in frustration!

Suspicious Activity e.g. Malware

You notice 100+ mystery processes in task manager hogging resources, slowing games. Or worrying signs of crypto mining malware overworking your beloved GPU. Safe mode rescues your system from shady processes.

Tutorial: How to Enter Safe Mode

Let us walk through simple steps to enter safe mode on Windows 10 specifically useful for investigating gaming issues:

Method 1: Through Settings Menu

1. Open Windows Settings using Win key + I
2. Click on Update & Security
3. Click Recovery option in left sidebar
4. Under Advanced startup section, click Restart now button
5. Your PC will reboot to choose safe mode option

Method 2: Through Login Screen

As your Windows 10 boots to login screen:

1. Hold down Shift Key
2. Click Power button > Restart
3. Now PC restarts to Choose an Option menu
4. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings
5. Click Restart
6. You will get a list of startup settings from which choose "Enable Safe Mode"

Once you are done with troubleshooting, simply restart to exit safe mode and boot normally!

Through my years of extreme gaming, modding and advising gamers, I hope this detailed guide clears your doubts around the safe gaming utility called "safe mode"! Stay safe and keep gaming!

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