Troubleshooting Windows XP - Self Help Guide
About Windows Safe Mode
The value behind Windows XP safe mode is that it loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and software. If you experience problems with a faulty driver or a running program that will not let you boot into Windows normally, safe mode may allow you to remove the problem from Windows.
What is Windows Safe Mode?
Safe Mode has been a 'built-in' part of the Windows operating system since Windows 95. The logic is to allow access to Windows without loading any unnecessary 'add-on' drivers or software.
If device drivers or auto loading software (browser hijackers for example) are causing problems with your Windows installation, the easiest way to fix things is to load a simple mode of Windows that bypasses all but the most basic drivers and will not run any additional software. Windows safe mode provides you with a basic graphics driver, access to most of your drives and windows configuration, and very little else.
So how do I access Windows Safe Mode?
When you switch on your system, look for the first screen appearing showing your memory and hardware information, then start pressing Key 'F8.' Continuously tapping the F8 key until you see the menu list show on the monitor. If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers will display a "keyboard error" message. If this happens, restart the computer and try again. The needed menu looks like this;
As you can see, there are a few safe mode options available. 'Safe Mode' is the one we are interested in here. 'Safe mode with networking' allows you to connect to other computers via a network, and also allows you Internet access if you are using an Internet sharing device connected to your network. Note that dial up connections will not work directly in safe mode. In Windows 95, 98 ME, and 2000 you will not have access to your CD drives, however, Windows XP and Vista do allow CD drive access.
Why do I need Windows Safe Mode?
Safe mode is good recovery option to try if you are experiencing problems starting your system or if certain software is causing issues with your PC. Safe mode will help you determine if the problems you are experiencing are hardware malfunctions or software issues.
Safe mode works by providing the minimal set of software needed to boot you into the Windows Graphic environment. So, if you can boot in safe mode but cannot boot properly into the normal Windows environment, you have a problem with some of the software or a device driver installed on your system. Safe mode also provides you with access to the tools you need to resolve these kinds of problems.
XP Home and Professional Safe Mode - have differences
The Windows XP Home safe mode is similar to the one in Windows XP Pro, with a couple of notable changes. In Windows XP Home, the built-in 'administrator' account is only available in safe mode and is the default account for that mode. The password for the administrator account is blank, since it is not accessible except in safe mode. It's recommended that you log in as this account to make any changes in safe mode.
The fact that the administrator password is blank by default also allows you to use XP Home's safe mode to reset the password of other user accounts on your machine in the event that you lose the original password. Of course, this also means that every user account on your system is open to someone with 'safe mode' access to the system, which is why XP Home is intended for non-business use.
Some practical uses for Safe Mode
Now we will learn some of the uses that safe mode has for the average Windows Desktop. There's a good reason why attempting to boot in safe mode is the first thing any technician will do when confronted with a PC that will not boot correctly or operate fully in Windows.
Removing Viruses, Spyware and Malware
Sometimes the only way to correctly remove some of the difficult virus and spyware trojans is to run your system in safe mode. Many forms of malicious software will protect or reinstall themselves constantly if they are allowed to start inside the normal Windows mode. These trojan programs will locate themselves in one of the many 'startup' locations in the Windows registry and file structure, so when Windows is started normally, they run as a background process (often as a hidden task).
When you start the PC in safe mode, these extra 'startup' links are not used. This can allow good virus and spyware removal programs the chance they need to correctly and completely remove malicious software.
If you suspect there are virus or spyware problems on your PC, you should always run antivirus and anti-spyware programs in safe mode to ensure that they have maximum effect. If you are following manual virus removal instructions, they will often require you to use safe mode.
Using Windows XP Restore in Safe Mode to recover
If you have system restore enabled on your system, you may still run into problems with software or bad drivers. If your Windows XP installation will not boot normally, how do you get to your restore points?
You can go to the most recent one by using the 'last known good configuration (your most recent settings that worked)' option in the Windows advanced options menu, but if that doesn't fix your problem, how do you get at earlier restore points? I think you can guess the answer.. Safe Mode!
The system restore utility can be accessed in safe mode and used to restore any previous restore point. Simply restart XP in safe mode and go to:
Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Restore
then follow the instructions to restore your system to the point of your choice.
Note that you cannot create restore points in safe mode, only load them.
Troubleshooting software problems
Have you ever installed new software and found that your PC now refuses to even boot? It's certainly happened to us. With the range of possible hardware and software configurations for PC's, it's practically impossible for software makers to fully test their applications in all circumstances. Faulty drivers or software can cause a whole world of problems on a Windows XP system. Constant crashing or failures to boot are two of the most common symptoms.
Windows XP comes with an 'built-in' System Restore utility, which, by design, creates a 'restore point' This action occurs every time you install new drivers or software. If new software or drivers cause a problem on your system, you can roll it back to the pre-installation state. Of course, it's quite possible to disable system restore, and it doesn't always work quite the way it's supposed to. Where does this leave you?
Again fortunately, Windows safe mode gives you a chance to put things right by disabling or removing the offending software.
Identifying the cause of the problem
If you're Computer will not boot normally into Windows XP but will boot in safe mode, you have a software problem. The cause could be either a driver used by one of your hardware devices or a program or service you have installed (or one that has been installed unknown to you) that is running on Windows start-up.
To determine which item it is, examine the way your system fails to boot. If it crashes during the loading process before the Windows interface appears, or gives you a BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death), it's likely you have a driver issue.
If the Windows interface appears and then XP crashes or slows to an unusable crawl, it's likely that your problem is with software that Windows is attempting to load on startup.
Once you have determined the likely cause of your booting problems, read and follow the appropriate sections on the next few pages.
Stopping programs that are causing crashes and boot failure
If you've used a Windows-based PC for any length of time, it's likely this scenario has happened to you. Windows will load to a certain point, then crash, or will load completely then either freeze or slow down so much that it is effectively unusable. The problem in either circumstance is likely to be with a program that has been set to run automatically upon Windows startup.
As stated previously, booting your Windows XP system into safe mode will not load add-on programs automatically, so if you can successfully load safe mode, you know that a program or a software device driver is causing your problem. If the freezing or crashing occurs after the Windows GUI has loaded, it is reasonable to assume that a program that has been set to run automatically is causing the problem.
Booting into safe mode will allow you to selectively disable autorun programs, allowing you to troubleshoot the cause of your computer issues.
Use this free tool
'AutoRuns' for Windows to see behind the scene (Safe Mode):
Download the
free 'autoruns' program and copy the executable file onto
your system. It will easily fit onto a floppy disk, so you can
download it on another system and use it on other computer
systems. The autoruns program is an excellent little utility
that will show you the location of all software and services
that are starting each time you boot windows and allow you to
disable them as you see fit.
Start XP in safe mode as described above.
Start autoruns by double clicking the saved executable file.
If you think you know the program that is causing your problem, locate and disable it by unchecking the box beside it. Reboot Windows XP in normal mode and see if your problems are resolved. If you are not sure, experiment by selectively disabling items from the list and rebooting in normal mode.
Stopping Autorun Programs
Once you have found the culprit and prevented it from running at startup, you should be able to boot into normal mode and uninstall the offending software properly.
If for some reason you can't get a copy of autoruns, you can use the MSCONFIG utility included with Windows XP. This doesn't find auto-running programs as thoroughly as autoruns does, but it should still do the trick.
If you are using MSCONFIG, go to 'start\run' and type 'msconfig' to open the program. Select the 'startup' tab.
Any of the checked items are software that will run on startup. To start troubleshooting, uncheck most or all of the items, exit MSCONFIG and reboot your system in normal mode. If the problem disappears, run MSCONFIG and re-enable the previously checked items, starting with necessary software like firewall and anti-virus programs and rebooting periodically to test the settings. When the problem manifests itself again, you've found the culprit.
Fixing driver problems
If you have installed a new driver for your graphics card or other peripheral, and your PC has gone haywire as a consequence, safe mode can help you reverse the damage. The most common signs of driver malfunction are blue screens and other crashes during the Windows XP loading process.
By booting into safe mode, you can generally bypass the faulty drivers (since safe mode uses its own set of default drivers and ignores non-essential peripherals like sound) and get to the operating system where you can remove them.
Locating the problem driver
If you are not sure which (or even if) drivers are the cause of your Windows issues, you can use the built-in SIGVERIF program to locate all non-Windows certified drivers on your system. If you do have a driver issue, it's likely to be because that particular driver has not been properly tested with XP. SIGVERIF can tell us the various possible culprits.
To run SIGVERIF, boot into safe mode, go to 'start\run' and type 'sigverif.'
Click 'start' to begin the scanning process. SIGVERIF will examine the Windows system files for drivers that have not been WHQL certified to work with Windows XP. The list is saved as a text file in c:\windows.
Create a directory on your C:\ drive called 'driverbackup' or something similar. Locate any unsigned drivers you wish to test in the 'c:\windows\system32\drivers' directory and cut and paste them to the 'driverbackup directory you just created.
Locating Bad Drivers
It is not advised to perform this step with video card drivers. We'll give you another method for fixing faulty video drivers in the next section.
Once you have moved the unsigned drivers into the new directory, restart in normal mode. You will get errors noting that 'at least one driver or service failed to start.' but you are looking to see if the problems you were experiencing previously have now gone away. If so, you can reboot in safe mode and move the unsigned drivers back to c:\windows\system32\drivers one at a time, restarting between copies, until the behavior manifests itself again and you have found the problem driver.
Correcting Video Card Driver Issues in Safe Mode
Let's look at the process of fixing a faulty graphics driver, one of the most common driver issues you may run into. The methods described below can be used for any other piece of hardware in your system too.
Rolling back video card drivers (or other device drivers)
If you have installed a new version of your standard graphics driver and suddenly experience problems with booting into windows, the best thing to do is to roll back the driver in question. To do this:
Load Windows XP in safe mode.
Right click on 'my computer' and select 'properties.'
Choose the 'hardware' tab and click 'device manager.'
Now expand the 'display adaptors' category and highlight your video card's name. Right click on it and select 'properties.' Go to the 'driver' tab.
From here, you have several choices for fixing your driver issue. Your main options should be to roll back or update the driver. Rolling back the device driver will revert your system to the previous (hopefully stable) drivers, while the 'update driver' button will allow you to install new drivers.
The 'roll back drivers' option should be the first one you try, as it will revert your video card back to the set of drivers it was using before you installed the faulty ones. Select this option and restart in normal mode to test.
Disabling devices in safe mode
If you have newly installed a hardware device such as a modem, sound card or other peripheral and lost your ability to boot into Windows XP, you will often need to disable the device in order to restore your system to functional order.
To disable a device: Boot in safe mode. Right click on 'my computer' and select the 'hardware' tab, then 'device manager.'
Find and highlight the device in question, right click it and select 'disable' from the menu. This will cause Windows to effectively ignore the device's existence until you re-enable it, and should fix your booting problems. Once you are back into Windows you can search for alternate drivers for the disabled device, then install them before re-enabling it.
Note that this procedure should not be used on video devices for fairly obvious reasons.
Fixing Display Resolution and Refresh Rate Problems in VGA Mode
A common problem that occurs when users employ new video cards with old monitors is the issue of refresh rate and resolution compatibility.
Older displays, especially 15" screens, generally have a very low refresh rate. A standard 15" monitor may be able to display an 800x600 screen comfortably at 60Hz, for instance, but will become an unreadable mess at 75Hz refresh rate. If you exceed the resolution or refresh rate capabilities of your screen, you will end up with either a blank screen or a blurred, distorted mess when booting into Windows normally.
Reboot the computer, pressing F8 to access the windows advanced options menu. Choose 'enable VGA mode' from the menu.
VGA mode starts Windows normally with a single exception. Your video refresh rate and resolution are both reset to 640x480 and 60Hz respectively. This should display correctly on any VGA monitor, allowing you to change the display settings to something more compatible with your hardware.
To do this, go to 'start\control panel\display' and choose the 'settings' tab, then 'advanced.'
Select the 'adaptor' tab and choose 'list all modes.' Select a resolution that works with your current monitor setup, then click 'ok' to test. If everything looks fine, reboot the computer into normal mode.
Use the System Restore Utility From 'Safe Mode Command Prompt'
The Windows XP system restore utility is extremely useful for rescuing your system from various software disasters that might befall it, but it does have some limitations. The most major of these is the fact that it cannot be invoked from the repair console, and can only restore the most recent save point when chosen from the XP boot menu. This means that if your system will not boot fully into Windows or into safe mode you are out of luck. Well not quite.
It's possible to start the system restore utility from the 'safe mode command prompt' boot option of Windows XP. This gives you one more option for rescuing your system, since this safe mode may load where other Windows XP boot options do not.
To invoke the system restore utility from the safe mode command prompt, type;
c:\windows\system32\restore\rstrui.exe