How to boot Windows 10 into a command window

Should you ever need it...

The F8 upon reboot may not work with Windows 10. Here is what you may have to do.

Start from within Windows. Right click on the power button to get options other than shutting down. Hold it, think, read to the end of this paragraph before proceeding. Now click on the restart option, while holding down the shift key (at the same time, scratch behind your right ear with your left pinkie toe while chanting Buddhist exorcism prayers - just kidding but it might help). Do NOT let go of that shift key, until the blue screen of life appears.

Click on the Troubleshoot tile. On the next blue screen, click on "Startup Settings". The next step is to click Restart, but don't do that just yet. First read to the end of this post to see what's coming. There are time critical steps.

Your computer will reboot, give you the friendly Dell logo, then may swing you into 2 seconds of terrifying despair by going blank. Then a new blue Startup Settings screen will appear. Now don't dawdle, otherwise Windows 10 will restart itself normally and as usual, ignore what you wanted. Then you get to do the whole restart dance all over again.

You have a few seconds to read down the menu and find "Enable Safe Mode with Command Prompt". Then press the number key corresponding to that option.

It will look like all is lost, as the regular Windows 10 login screen will appear. Do not let Windows 10 beat you into submission. Log in and have heart. If all goes well you will have one large command window on your screen.

If you don't know what to do with that command window, get rid of it by typing "exit" then hitting [Enter]. You will be back into familiar Windows. Windows will be happy too.