On occasion, Windows might not be able to start. When this occurs, one of the options available is to start Windows in Safe Mode. Safe Mode allows you to start Windows with only the necessary device drivers and services. This includes the mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM, standard VGA video, Event log, and disk controllers. This can help you determine why the computer will not start by allowing you to start Windows with the minimum devices so you can fix the problem. Once you have started in Safe Mode, you can try to isolate the problem by disabling or deleting services, device drivers, or applications that are started automatically.
Safe Mode is useful in several situations. You should start Windows in Safe Mode if it stalls or does not work correctly, if your video doesn't work correctly, or if your system all of a sudden becomes very slow.
To start Windows in Safe Mode, press f8 at the Boot menu while the computer is booting up. This will bring up the Windows Advanced Options menu. There are several flavors of Safe Mode from which to choose: normal Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, and Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Safe Mode with Networking is the same as normal Safe Mode, except networking services and devices needed to provide network support are also loaded. Safe Mode with Command Prompt is similar to normal Safe Mode, except it only starts with the command prompt.
