Unable to boot into Safe Mode

Let's see - I have tried tried  the F1, F2, F5, F6, F7, F8 and F12 keys; the CTRL key, DEL key, ALT key, RIGHT SHIFT key and LEFT SHIFT key during the boot process and not once have I ever been able to get into Safe Mode. Not once.

Yes, I know that I can get into Safe Mode after I have logged onto my desktop, click on START > RUN > msconfig and choose the boot.ini /SAFEBOOT option. That is not what I am looking for. I need to be able to get into Safe Mode when I reboot. Period. Like every other computer I have owned or used for the past 10 years.

Oh, and I don't have a floppy drive installed. Dell, in it's infinite wisdom decided not to include one in their systems anymore. It certainly would have been nice to know that before it was purchased. And no, I didn't purchase it - my father did, as a gift for me. He certainly wouldn't know to ask for a floppy drive to begin with.

Any suggestions?