Windows: Better Safe (Mode) Than Sorry
By: Gabriel Goldberg Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2005-04-08 00:00:00-04:00
Though the Windows operating system isn't usually dangerous, it includes a special "Safe Mode". This is a handy way to boot a PC to investigate and fix problems. You may have read advice about when to use this, and even how to run it. But scarce and fragmented Safe Mode information can make it sound more exotic than it is.
Windows XP books' indexes provided surprisingly few entries for "Safe Mode". I found the best coverage in two O'Reilly books, "Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual" and "Windows XP Home Edition: The Missing Manual". Naturally, Google found a gazillion hits. But they're mostly "just the facts" write-ups targeting people who already know "what" and "why" and just need "how" information. So this article provides background for this built-in Windows facility.
Over the years, as it became more powerful and reliable, Windows grew significantly from its slender 1992-era Version 3.1 self. There's no free lunch; learning new tricks required more software. But that complexity gets in the way when problems occur. Just as doctors rarely diagnose patients through heavy winter coats, Windows needs to shed layers to expose problems' causes.
Safe Mode slims Windows down, only loading and running specific pieces needed for basic operation. So your video display looks strange in Safe Mode because Windows doesn't load the monitor's specific driver program. This lets you recover from problems caused by buggy drivers you may have just installed. There are other restrictions: you likely can't get online and may not be able to print. But Safe Mode lets you perform tests, fix problems, and install/uninstall programs.
If you think your PC may have a virus or spyware, it's worth installing the antidote in Safe Mode, since some malware prevents installing anti-virus software. If installed anti-virus software can't remove a virus, Safe Mode may let it succeed. (Some experts recommend always running virus/spyware scans under Windows in Safe Mode.) If defragmenting your hard drive never finishes, Safe Mode may remove programs that keep interrupting it. And it lets you erase files that Windows normally says are in use (though only do this when you're sure what you're doing).
Windows XP defines two kinds of user accounts: "administrator" and "limited". An administrator can install/remove software, change settings, etc., while a limited user can only run programs and use facilities. Even if only one account is defined, a secret companion called Administrator is available. Booting in Safe Mode lets you access this account, handy when normal accounts won't work — for example, uninstalling software that doesn't want to leave.
Enter Safe Mode by repeatedly pressing F8 as your PC boots, just after BIOS information displays; then select Safe Mode from the options list. Leaving Safe Mode is simple — just reboot via the Start button and your usual procedure; Windows will return looking normal again, not holding a grudge for being run in a diagnostic mode.
Here's an important point: It's worth practicing booting into Safe Mode when you're relaxed and your PC is working properly. Consider running a PC in Safe Mode to be like starting your car's engine with the hood up at a service station. It's routine; there's nothing alarming about it. But just as you wouldn't want to open the hood for the first time (Where *is* that latch release?) when something is wrong with your car, you shouldn't first use Safe Mode when you're already worried about a PC problem.
And a PS: It's sometimes hard picking between a dozen competing books on a topic. A helpful technique for evaluating choices is searching for a few topics — like Safe Mode — in the books' indexes and judging them on coverage.
AARP does not recommend or endorse any of these products or web sites. Please be advised that there are other similar products and web sites available which were not reviewed and are not listed here.
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