STARTING YOUR COMPUTER IN SAFE MODE
If your computer is giving you
trouble, and you need to restart it and
run some diagnostics programs, you
might try starting your computer in
Safe Mode in order to minimize any
potential hardware or driver
conflicts. When you start your
computer in Safe Mode, Windows loads
only the bare minimum of drivers and
hardware devices, so that you can
examine and isolate problems with
greater accuracy.
To start in Safe Mode, shut down and
restart your computer. Then, hold
down the Ctrl key as Windows loads.
(With some computers, you can hold
down the F8 key instead.) You'll be
prompted to choose a new startup
mode. Select 3 to start in Safe Mode.
Safe Mode displays your screen
in 640 x 480 resolution, and you'll
notice that Windows loads much
faster without all those extra
drivers.
(Note: If you receive a "stuck
key" error message, you've probably
pressed the Ctrl key too early in the
boot process. Try again with
slightly more delay.)