Safe Mode lets you access the Microsoft® Windows® interface without loading any unnecessary drivers or software. This means you can bypass any device drivers or auto loading software that are causing issues with your Windows installation.

Windows XP Safe Mode provides you with a basic graphics driver (enough to display the user interface), access to your drives and Windows configuration, and very little else.

1. Uninstall or reinstall a driver that is causing issues.
2. Uninstall a program or application that you previously installed which is causing an issue. 
3. Use the XP System Restore feature to restore the computer to an earlier working state. 

See below for information on how to perform these tasks. 

1. Switch on or restart your computer.
2. Watch your display carefully. As soon as you see a blank black display with a small horizontal cursor at the top left, press the <F5> key (the key above the 6 and 7 keys) once. Note: the <F8> key can also be used to display the menu options.
3. This will take you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu:
   
   Safe Mode
   Safe Mode with Networking
   Safe Mode with Command Prompt
   
   Enable Boot Logging
   Enable VGA Mode
   Last Known Good Configuration
   Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows Domain Controllers Only)
   Debugging Mode
   
   Start Windows Normally
   Reboot
   Return to OS Choices Menu
   
4. To start the computer in Safe Mode select the first option (Safe Mode) and press Enter.
5. You may be prompted to select the Operating System that you wish to boot; normally there will only be one option. Press Enter to select the Operating System.
6. When the computer starts in Safe Mode a dialog box will appear. 
7. Select Yes if you wish to run Windows in Safe Mode.
8. Select No if you would like to run a System Restore to restore the system to an earlier known working configuration.

Note: If you are using an RM Window Box™ or a computer running RM ClassMate™ 5 the system may automatically log on as Pupil. Log off Pupil and log on as Manager to change the computers configuration or run a System Restore.

The usual reason for accessing Safe Mode for a driver issue is that you may have installed an incompatible video driver. Other drivers however may also cause issues and you may need to access Safe Mode to solve the issue.

1. Go to the Start menu.
2. Right-click My Computer, and click Properties.
3. Select the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager.
4. Go to the device which appears to be causing the issue.
5. Right-click this device, and click Properties
6. Select the Driver tab, and click Rollback Driver.
7. Follow through and restart the computer when prompted.
8. The computer should restart to normal Windows.

Some programs may affect Windows XP startup in such a way that you cannot access Windows, or you are unable to uninstall them from Windows. Try Safe Mode.

1. Go to the Start Menu, and click Control Panel.
2. Double-click 'Add or Remove Programs'.
3. Select the program that appears to be causing the issue, and uninstall it.

Check with the program vendor for issues with compatibility. It may be that you need a different or updated version of the program, or a patch or a hotfix to enable it to work correctly.

XP System Restore will restore the system files of your computer to a previous date. This can be used in the examples above, and may also work if the solutions above do not.

For more information about XP System Restore, see the article in the Other Useful Articles section below.

• Safe Mode (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal):
  This option uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows.
• Safe Mode with Networking (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Network):
  This option uses a minimal set of device drivers and services to start Windows, plus the drivers that are necessary to load networking.
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal(AlternateShell)):
  This option is the same as Safe mode, except that Cmd.exe starts instead of Windows Explorer.
• Enable VGA Mode:
  This option starts Windows in 640 x 480 mode, using the current video driver (not Vga.sys). This mode is useful if the display is configured for a setting that the monitor cannot display.
  Note that Safe mode and Safe mode with Networking load the Vga.sys driver instead.
  Last Known Good Configuration:
  This option starts Windows by using a previous good configuration.
• Directory Service Restore Mode:
  This mode is valid only for Windows-based domain controllers. This mode performs a directory service repair.
• Debugging Mode:
  This option enables debug mode in Windows.  Debugging information can be sent across a serial cable to another computer that is running a debugger. This mode is configured to use COM2.
• Enable Boot Logging:
  This option enables logging when the computer is started with any of the Safe Boot options except Last Known Good Configuration. The Boot Logging text is recorded in the Ntbtlog.txt file in the %SystemRoot% folder.
• Starts Windows Normally:
  This option starts Windows in its normal mode.
• Reboot:
  This option reboots the computer.
• Return to OS Choices Menu:
  On a computer that is configured for booting to more than one operating system, this option returns to the Boot menu.

The default Microsoft® VGA driver is used for display, at 640 x 480 resolution and in 16 colours.

You must log on in all modes, either by a domain or by the local Security Accounts Manager, depending on which Safe Boot mode you choose. The Administrator Logon will be presented and you will need to know the Administrator password.