Rescue disk won't work cannot get to safe mode WIN 8.1

Hi :wave my dell 660 won't start goes to the Dell logo, black screen 1 min, blue screen says: critical failure died" gathering info will restart for you! But then it just keeps looping back. I have tried every key sequence I know of eg: F12, F 2, F8? No joy I tried the Dell Rescue disk but the computer won't run it! So I cannot get to Safe Mode so I am locked out. It did download 35 MS updates the day before and something happened so I tried a system restore point then it crashed? Please can someone help if I can get to safe mode I would be ok Cheers Dasha

 

Reboot the computer and when the POST screen shows Press F2 to enter setup, do so. Go to boot sequence and set the CD/DVD drive ahead of the internal hard drive. Save the changes and exit out of setup with the rescue disk in the optical drive. It should boot to the rescue disk and, hopefully, you can go from there.

 

Thanks mdonah, Thanks for responding to my plea. As you will see In my post I cannot get past the critical error blue screen and I just tried again and it's the same loop: Dell logo,blue screen critical error, then back to Dell logo?
I have to get to the screen you are referring to before I can do anything, all the F2, F8, F12, does nothing at anytime during the reboot. If it matters if I hold down the Windows Key during the Dell logo sequence, "Boot F12" appears in the right top of the screen but, again pushing F12 doe nothing

 

Try this:

http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/laptop/f/3518/p/19483232/20263485.aspx

 

Thanks I tried f2 with restart with dell repair disc in drive 4 times no good. Also tried f8 f12 still no joy any ideas just playin ? Talk soon ihope Dasha

 

If you can't even Press F2 to enter BIOS Setup from the POST screen (Dell Logo, white bar goes across screen, F2 and F12 choices show briefly in upper right corner of screen), you may have gotten malware that affects BIOS and, unfortunately, I, personally, don't know of any other option than replacing the mother board. Sorry to be the bearer of such bad news.

 

Try Shift+F8 instead of just F8.

 

Re: Rescue disk won't work cannot get to safe mode WIN 8.1 Solved read this

Thanks every one:-D After plastic post I rang Dell?? Long story short, I had always been told to push Start and THEN Push F12, F2, (F8 does not apply anymore on a Dell)
Dell got me to push F12 & Hold it down THEN Push Start and that got me to the Bios setup!
However the MS Updates I installed the day before had done some damage? I still had to reinstall Windows but my stuff was backed up. You may want to sticky this somewhere, it may save Someone else a lot of Grief :cool
Thanks and regards to you all Dasha :wave