If you start Windows XP in Safe Mode, the full system will not be running, but you can adjust the configuration, uninstall programs and troubleshoot the system. This allows Safe Mode to deal with conflicts that are the cause of problems experienced by systems.

For example, if you loaded a video driver that is not allowing your monitor to function, the Safe Mode will load only the standard video drivers and will ignore the one you loaded. You can then uninstall the new drivers and install the standard ones again.

You can start Windows XP in Safe Mode by holding down the F8 key or pressing it repeatedly at one second intervals, while your computer boots. Widows XP will display the boot menu and ask you to select the operating system.

Pressing the F8 key will also take you to the Advanced Options Menu, which is the full version of Windows XP’s Startup menu. An abridged version of the Startup menu will appear, if Windows XP does not boot properly.

In Safe Mode, you have many tools at your disposal that you can use to get your computer back in action. The Safe Mode with Networking option allows you to download updated drivers that may enable your computer to work properly. You can also search the Web for solutions.

The System Information utility can help you to find out about the technical details of your computer and about device conflicts. To access this, open the Start menu and then click Programs, Accessories and System Tools.

To get more information about the computer configuration and about device conflicts, expand the Hardware Resources menu on the left side of the System Information window and click on Conflicts/Sharing.

The Safe Mode can also be used to access the System Restore utility in Windows XP and Windows ME. To find System Restore utility, open the Start Menu and click Programs, Accessories and then System Utilities. You can use the Wizard to restore your computer to a previous date.

You can access the System Configuration Utility in the Safe Mode by clicking on Start and Run, type sysedit in the Open field and then press Enter. This will provide you with access to the four configuration files Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, Win.ini and System.ini, in a small text editor. You can modify the system, program and driver settings, if you know how to work with these files.

If all these measures fail, you need to use the Device Manager in Safe Mode to work directly with your hardware. You can try locating a device that you suspect to be the cause of the problem and disable it to see if the computer starts working. If your computer still does not work, the probable causes may be a hardware conflict or a Registry problem.

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