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Windows Startup Modes for Troubleshooting
By Stephen Bucaro
Troubleshooting a Windows problem is a bit difficult when the system freezes up or
the display becomes unintelligible. You need a way to get Windows to bypass some of
its complexity and bloat so the system can start, allowing you to perform troubleshooting.
Windows provides several alternate startup modes just for that purpose.
To access these alternate startup modes, you need to press the [F8] key while the
computer is starting up, immediately after the BIOS startup messages, and before
the Windows logo appears. It's a mater of timming, (I actually just keep tapping the
[F8] key while the computer is starting until the Advanced Boot Options
screen appears).
The Advanced Boot Options menu will display as shown above. Use the
up or down arrow keys to highlight the selection of your choice, and then press the
[Enter] key.
Start Windows Normally allows you to get out of the startup menu and resume
starting Windows normally in case you pressed the [F8] key accidentally.
Safe Mode bypasses most startup configuration files, including most
of the registry. It starts windows without most of the drivers. It loads only generic
mouse and keyboard drivers and the default VGA driver (Vga.sys) which uses 640 x 480
resolution in 16 colors.
Safe mode lets you work with "bare bones" Windows. You have access to your drives,
so you can copy or delete files. You can use System Restore to take your
computer back to a restore point where it worked. You can use the Registry Editor
to inspect or edit the Registry. Or you can use Device Manager to roll back a
device driver that may be causing the problem.
Safe Mode with Networking is the same as Safe Mode, except it loads drivers
that allow you to access the local network or Internet to get help or download files.
Safe Mode with Command Prompt can be used when the other Safe modes don't
work. It provides a DOS prompt where you can, for example, type C:\Windows\System32\rstrui.exe
to start System Restore from a command prompt window.
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