In Windows 2000 or XP, how can I boot in Safe Mode?

Safe Mode is a special diagnostic version of Windows that bypasses
some Windows startup files.  If you have a problem
with your hardware configuration or your computer's display drivers
that prevents Windows from loading normally, you may be able to
resolve the problem by booting into Safe Mode and changing the
relevant settings.  To enter Safe Mode, follow the steps below:

1. Turn on or restart your computer. In Windows, to restart your
   computer, press Ctrl-Alt-Del, select Shut Down,
   and then from the drop-down list select Restart. Click
   
   OK.
   
   
   
   
   
2. After the memory test, the words "Starting Windows" will appear on
   a black background. When this happens, press and hold the
   F8 key. This will present a screen with the following
   options to choose from.  The exact moment that F8 is
   pressed will determine the contents of the list and the list may vary
   from computer to computer. For example, your computer may not do a
   memory test or it may have a SCSI BIOS to load in addition to the
   motherboard's BIOS.  If you have trouble getting the list below to
   appear, restart the computer and then press F8
   
   repeatedly while the computer is starting.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Safe Mode: Boots Windows with only the basic
     drivers needed to load the operating system. Uses basic drivers for
     mouse, keyboard, display (VGA), mass storage, and default system
     services and drivers, with no network components. In Windows 2000, a
     log file will be created to track the progress of the system boot,
     which is located in the Windows 2000 folder.
     
   • Safe Mode With Networking: Loads the Safe Mode
     configuration, but also enables network devices and services. In
     Windows 2000, a log file will be created to track the progress of the
     system boot, which is located in the Windows 2000 folder.
     
   • Safe Mode With Command Prompt: Loads Windows in
     Safe Mode, and, after logging on, opens a command prompt instead of
     the normal desktop. In Windows 2000, a log file will be created to
     track the progress of the system boot, which is located in the
     
     Windows 2000 folder.
     
     Note: You should try booting to the command prompt
     only if you feel comfortable operating within the DOS environment.
     
   • Enable Boot Logging: Boots Windows with all
     of the normal files and drivers, but writes their status to a log file
     at each step. In Windows 2000, this log file is located in the Windows
2000 folder and is named ntbtlog.txt.
     
     
   • Enable VGA Mode: Boots Windows using a plain
     VGA 16-color 640x480 display driver for the highest level of
     compatibility with video cards.
     
   • Last Known Good Configuration: Boots Windows
     using the last registry configuration that is known to
     work. This is a way of undoing problems created by installing
     incorrect drivers or possibly by registry corruption. It will not,
     however, fix problems caused by corrupted or missing files.
     
   • Debugging Mode: Boots Windows while sending
     debug information through a serial port to another computer. It's
     useful in the case of a persistent "blue screen" or "stop" error.

About this post

Posted: 2005-11-1
By: FortyPoundHead
Viewed: 1,675 times

Categories

Windows

Attachments

No attachments for this post

Comments

No comments have been added for this post.

You must be logged in to make a comment.