Getting Into Safe Mode

Safe Mode for Windows 98

To start Windows 98 in Safe Mode follow the below steps.

Restart your computer, hold down the CTRL key until the Windows 98 Startup menu appears, and then choose Safe Mode.

Windows 98 in Safe mode bypasses the real-mode configuration and loads the minimal protected-mode drivers and vxd file configuration, disables the device drivers and uses the standard VGA display adapter. Once in Safe mode you can continue troubleshooting by using the MSCONFIG tool to narrow down the scope of the issue. Follow the link below to the Microsoft article that explains in detail how to use MSCONFIG.

How to Troubleshoot Using the Msconfig Utility with Windows 98

Safe Mode for Windows 2000

Safe mode in Windows 2000 works a little different than in Windows 98. Windows 2000 like Windows NT 4.0 uses services to run many of the devices as well as a device manager. To start up with the safe mode options, restart your computer and chose the F8 key to start in safe mode. The below options are the choices you will get when starting.

The safe mode options are:

1. Safe Mode
2. Safe Mode with Networking
3. Safe Mode with Command Prompt
4. Enable Boot Logging
5. Enable VGA Mode
6. Last Known Good Configuration
7. Directory Service Restore Mode
8. Debugging Mode

Below is a link on the detailed information on what each option entails and what you should do for each one. Additionally Windows 2000 being of the NT family can be more complicated to troubleshoot than a Windows 98 machine, so I added additional links to troubleshoot Windows 2000.

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