Safe Mode is used when the computer stalls, slows down, does not work right, improper video, intermittent errors, or new hardware/software installation causes problems. Safe Mode is used to start XP with minimum device drivers and services. Software that automatically loads during startup is disabled in Safe Mode and user profiles are not loaded. When the computer boots in Safe Mode, the mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM, and VGA video device drivers are all that are loaded. Safe Mode allows you to access configuratio'n files and make necessary changes, troubleshoot installed software and hardware, disable software and services, and adjust hardware and software settings that may be causing XP from starting correctly. The bottom line is that Safe Mode puts the computer in a "bare bones" mode so you can troubleshoot problems.

Another option similar to this is Safe Mode with Networking that operates the same as Safe Mode except that it allows network drivers and services to load. Safe Mode with Command Prompt is used to start the system with the minimum files and drivers and a command prompt where you must use commands instead of a graphic interface. Access Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key during the boot process and selecting Safe Mode from the Windows Advanced Options menu.

The Windows Advanced Options menu contains other options used to troubleshoot Windows XP which are Enable Boot Logging, Enable VGA Mode, Directory Services Restore Mode, and Debugging Mode. Enable Boot Logging is used to create a log file, NTBTLOG.TXT, that records drivers and services loaded during the boot process. This text file is located in the folder that contains the operating system, which is normally C: \ WINNT or C: \ WINDOWS. The file can be used to identify problems that occurred during the boot process and that relates to a driver or service.

Each loaded driver or service file is marked as loaded or not loaded and this information can be used to narrow suspect problems. Boot logging is enabled for every Windows Advanced Options menu selection except for Last Known Good Configuration. Enable VGA Mode is used to start XP with a standard VGA video driver instead of the one currently installed. This option is used when the current video driver will not load or loads in such a way that it is hard to reconfigure XP. With this option enabled, XP loads and the desktop can be seen and used to load a newer driver or adjust the current video settings. All Windows Advanced Options menu selections except for Last Known Good Configuration load the standard VGA driver.

Directory Services Restore Mode is for server operating systems and is used to restore the SYSVOL directory and Active Directory service on a network domain controller. The Debugging Mode option is used by programmers and engineers to send debugging information through a serial cable to another computer. Other options may be available on the Windows Advanced Options menu if you are using or have installed and have used the remote installation service.