Startup Modes
Windows can boot in one of many different modes. Pressing the F8 key during the boot process opens the Windows Advanced Startup Options menu, as shown in the figure. This allows users to select how to boot Windows. The following startup options are commonly used:
- Safe Mode - Starts Windows but only loads drivers for basic components, such as the keyboard and display.
- Safe Mode with Networking - Starts Windows as for Safe Mode, but also loads the drivers for network components.
- Safe Mode with Command Prompt - Starts Windows and loads the command prompt instead of the GUI.
- Last Known Good Configuration - Loads the configuration settings that were used the last time that Windows started successfully. It does this by accessing a copy of the registry that is created for this purpose.
NOTE: Last Known Good Configuration is not useful unless it is applied immediately after a failure occurs. If the machine is restarted and manages to open Windows, the registry is updated with the faulty information.