Tips for Using Windows XP, Booting in Safe Mode

Tips for Using Windows® XP

This section provides various tips that should help you get the most of your Windows® XP operating system.

Note

If you are familiar with previous versions of Microsoft® Windows®, we advise you to check out the new features specific to Windows® XP operating system. To do so, click on Start, click on Help and Support, and pick the What's new in Windows® XP topic.

Booting in Safe Mode

Safe mode helps you diagnose problems. If a symptom does not reappear when you start in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and minimum device drivers as possible causes. If a newly added device or a changed driver is causing problems, you can use safe mode to remove the device or reverse the change.

In safe mode, you have access to only basic files and drivers (mouse, monitor, keyboard, mass storage, base video, default system services, and no network connections).

There are circumstances where safe mode will not be able to help you, such as when the system files that are required to start the notebook are corrupted or damaged. If your notebook does not start successfully using the safe mode, you might need to use either the Windows® Recovery Console feature (click on Start, Help and Support for more information), or to restore your notebook using the Recovery Program (refer to the Quick Reference delivered with your notebook).

Restarting in Safe Mode

1.Click on Start, Turn Off Computer, and then click on Restart.

2.When you see the message “Please select the operating system to start”, press F8.

3.Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate safe mode option, and then press Enter.

•Safe Mode - starts using only the basic files and drivers (see above). Use this mode to run the system tools, such as the Disk Defragmenter.

•Safe Mode with Networking - starts using only the basic files and drivers (see above), and network connections.

•Safe Mode with Command Prompt - starts using only the basic files and drivers (see above). After logging on, the command prompt is displayed instead of the graphical user interface. You will be asked to choose a user, or to log on as administrator. Depending on what you choose, the default directory of the command prompt will be different.

•Enable Boot Logging - the notebook creates a log file (Ntbtlog.txt) that records the loading of each service and device. The boot log is useful in determining the exact cause of notebook start-up problems.

•Enable VGA Mode - starts Windows® using the basic VGA driver.

•Last Known Good Configuration - starts your notebook using the registry information and drivers that was saved at the last shutdown. Any changes made since the last successful start-up will be lost.

Note

The Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows® domain controllers only) and Debugging Mode are not relevant for notebooks.