Safe Mode is exactly what its name indicates: a safe means of starting your WinXP system. In this context, the word "safe" means predictability and certainty. You won't see your full system up and running while in Safe Mode, but what you do have access to will work. From Safe Mode, you can troubleshoot your system, adjust your configuration, uninstall programs, and even (when you select the networking option, if available) access online help over the Internet.

Safe Mode: Windows' Greatest Troubleshooter

Safe Mode launches your OS with only the files, settings, and drivers necessary for it to operate. Specifically, it loads the basic Windows files, along with standard drivers for your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and drives. It dispenses with third-party drivers and inessential drivers you might have installed after initially setting up the OS. It doesn't load any of the programs in the Startup menu. Plus, it bypasses many of the settings stored in the Windows Registry. Instead, it loads a minimal version of Windows, using technologies proven to function across virtually all PC hardware types.

Safe Mode does all of this because the conflict usually lies beneath the surface of difficulty that the system is experiencing. If you installed a new video driver, for example, and your monitors don't function after launching Windows normally, entering Safe Mode tells Windows to load the OS using only standard video drivers, ignoring the ones you just installed. With Safe Mode running, you can uninstall those drivers and then install earlier versions when you restart your computer (or let Windows choose drivers for itself).

To start in Safe Mode, you'll need to access Windows' Advanced Boot Options menu. You can do this by holding down the F8 key (or pressing it repeatedly in one-second intervals) as your computer boots. Safe Mode differs a little between Windows XP and Vista, so we provide instructions for both.

In WinXP. Once it detects your keystroke, WinXP displays the boot menu, asking you to select the OS you wish to launch (even on WinXP-only systems). At the bottom of this menu, you'll find the instruction: "For troubleshooting and advanced startup options for Windows, press F8." Pressing the F8 key yields the Windows Advanced Options Menu, the full version of WinXP's Startup Menu.

In Vista. Vista has a straightforward Safe Mode layout. Once you press the F8 key, the Advanced Boot Options menu will appear.

Both WinXP and Vista display the same Safe Mode options at this point:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

A truncated version of the Startup Menu appears if Windows proceeds partway through its boot process but fails. In this case the next time you try to launch the OS, you'll encounter the Startup Recovery Menu, complete with a statement apologizing for the inconvenience. Your Safe Mode options here are the same:

Safe Mode

Safe Mode with Networking

Safe Mode with Command Prompt

You will get the most from Safe Mode by choosing the Safe Mode With Networking option. This option loads Windows with the same minimal configuration as standard Safe Mode, except that it includes the networking subsystems, including the networking protocols (TCP/IP [Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol]), that let you connect to the Internet. This mode is especially useful for downloading updated drivers to help you get your system working properly, and it can also be a godsend if WinXP isn't working properly but you desperately need to check your email or to log on to your company network.

Once in Safe Mode, you have numerous tools at your disposal to help you fix your system. First, if you've chosen the Safe Mode With Networking option, you can search the Web for answers. Second, you can use the System Information utility (accessible by opening the Start menu and clicking Programs [All Programs in Vista], Accessories, and System Tools), to help you determine device conflicts and find out more about the technical details of your PC's configuration. Expand the Hardware Resources menu in the left pane of the System Information window and click the Conflicts/Sharing item. Here, you'll see a list of shared resources and a notification if the sharing is causing a system conflict.

You also can use Safe Mode to access the System Restore utility. You'll find System Restore by opening the Start menu and clicking Programs, Accessories, and System Utilities. Launch it and follow the wizard to return your system to the configuration of a previous date.

From within Safe Mode, you also can access the System Configuration Utility. In WinXP, click Start and Run, type sysedit in the Open field, and press ENTER. In Vista, click Start and then type sysedit into the Start Search bar. Press ENTER or click sysedit.exe when it appears in the Programs menu.

This tool opens the four configuration files (Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, System.ini, and Win.ini) in a small text editor. If you have experience with these files, you'll be able to alter system, program, and driver settings from within them. If these files are new to you, the trick to using them is to locate items that reference programs or drivers you know are causing problems, deleting the offending items, and saving the file. But before you change anything, make a copy of the originals for later retrieval if necessary.

If all of these procedures fail to solve your problems, it's time to work directly with your hardware via the Device Manager while in Safe Mode. In WinMe and Win98, right-click My Computer, select Properties, and choose the Device Manager tab. In WinXP open the Start menu, click Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance, click System, choose the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button. In Vista, click Start, Control Panel, Device Manager.

From the Device Manager, locate one device you suspect might be causing trouble, such as a device you recently installed, and right-click it and select Properties. Disable the device using the Device Usage drop-down menu or deselecting the appropriate checkbox from the Device Usage area and restart your computer into Normal mode. If your system now works properly, you've discovered the problem. You can shut down your system, remove the hardware from your computer, and call the manufacturer to report the problem.

If your computer still won't start (or won't start properly), the two probable causes are a hardware conflict or a Registry problem. Before trying to correct a suspected hardware conflict, you can check your Registry for problems it might be encountering.

Restart your system, enter the Startup Menu, and choose Command Prompt Only (or Safe Mode With Command Prompt in WinXP/Vista). You can accomplish this in WinMe, which has no such menu item, by launching from your Windows startup disk. Then, at the command prompt, type scanreg and press ENTER. The Windows Registry Checker tool will appear on-screen and try to locate and repair invalid entries. It draws its information from backups of system files and the Registry settings it creates once per day when your computer starts normally.

by Neil Randall