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Safe Mode with Command Prompt (All Versions) When you start Windows in this mode, rather than loading the GUI desktop, it loads the command prompt (CMD.EXE) as the shell to the operating system after you log on, as shown in Figure 17-58. This is a handy option to remember if the desktop does not display at all, which, after you have eliminated video drivers, can be caused by corruption of the EXPLORER.EXE program. From the command prompt, you can delete the corrupted version of EXPLORER.EXE and copy in an undamaged version. This requires knowing the command-line commands for navigating the directory structure, as well as knowing the location of the file you are replacing. Although Explorer is not loaded, you can load other GUI tools that don’t depend on Explorer. All you have to do is enter the correct command. For instance, to load Event Viewer, type eventvwr.msc at the command line and press ENTER.

Figure 17-58 Safe Mode with command prompt

Enable Boot Logging (All Versions) This option starts Windows normally and creates a log file of the drivers as they load into memory. The file is named Ntbtlog.txt and is saved in the %SystemRoot% folder. If the startup failed because of a bad driver, the last entry in this file may be the driver the OS was initializing when it failed.

Reboot and go into the Recovery Console. Use the Recovery Console tools to read the boot log (type ntbtlog.txt) and disable or enable problematic devices or services.

Enable VGA Mode (2000/XP)/Enable Low-Resolution Mode (Vista) Enable VGA Mode/Enable Low-resolution Mode starts Windows normally but only loads a default VGA driver. If this mode works, it may mean you have a bad driver, or it may mean you are using the correct video driver but it is configured incorrectly (perhaps with the wrong refresh rate and/or resolution). Whereas Safe Mode loads a generic VGA driver, this mode loads the driver Windows is configured to use but starts it up in standard VGA mode rather than using the settings for which it is configured. After successfully starting in this mode, open the Display Properties and change the settings.

Last Known Good Configuration (All Versions) When Windows’ startup fails immediately after installing a new driver but before you have logged on again, you may want to try the Last Known Good Configuration option. This can be a rather fickle and limited tool, but it never hurts to try it.

Directory Services Restore Mode (All Versions) The title says it all here; this option only applies to Active Directory domain controllers, and only Windows Server versions can be domain controllers. I have no idea why Microsoft includes this option. If you choose it, you simply boot into Safe Mode.

Debugging Mode (All Versions) If you select this choice, Windows starts in kernel debug mode. It’s a super-techie thing to do, and I doubt that even über techs do debug mode anymore. To do this, you have to connect the computer you are debugging to another computer via a serial connection, and as Windows starts up, a debug of the kernel is sent to the second computer, which must also be running a debugger program. I remember running debug for an early version of Windows 2000. My coworkers and I did it back then simply because we were studying for the MCSE exams and expected to be tested on it! We all decided it was an experience that we didn’t need to repeat.

Disable Automatic Restart on System Failure (All Versions) Sometimes a BSoD will appear at startup, causing your computer to spontaneously reboot. That’s all well and good, but if it happens too quickly, you might not be able to read the BSoD to see what caused the problem. Selecting Disable automatic restart on system failure from the Advanced Startup Options menu stops the computer from rebooting on Stop errors. This gives you the opportunity to write down the error and hopefully find a fix.

Disable Driver Signature Enforcement (Vista) Windows Vista (and 7) requires that all very low-level drivers (kernel drivers) must have a Microsoft driver signature. If you are using an