Fig 1.0 A Typical SAFE MODE menu/screen
| SAFE MODE |
Safe Mode is a feature built-in to Windows Vista that allows your computer to start in a Limited State, amongst other things. The limited state, which is meant to help you troubleshoot/diagnose problems, only allows basic files and necessary drivers to run. So if you find an existing problem does not reappear when you start your computer in safe mode, you can eliminate the default settings and basic device drivers as possible causes. And if you do not know the cause of the problem you can use Process Of Elimination to help you find the problem. For example. You could begin by executing (running/launching) all of your commonly used programs, one by one, to see if any of them could be the cause of the problem.
Safe Mode is typically used when Windows Vista and/or your Computer's Hardware/Software is not working properly, due to a virus infection and/or corrupt Windows Vista files for example. Diagnostic software and Anti-Virus software usually work better when in Safe Mode, hence why you might come across Run the software in Safe Mode when reading an article in a magazine or on a help forum. And the Safe Mode menu might also have diagnostic and/or repair options on it from your computer's manufacturer.
To enter Safe Mode first make sure your computer has been switched off for at least five minutes, to clear the memory of data completely. After that switch the computer on. From this immediate point (of switching your computer on) frequently, if not rapidly, press the F8 keyboard key to bring up the Safe Mode menu/screen. This is because there is a certain time limit to activate/enter Safe Mode, which can be frustrating at the best of times! Especially when you miss that time limit and have to start the whole F8 process again....and again! In some cases you might need to press the F8 keyboard key once, from this immediate point, and then keep it pressed down until the Safe Mode menu/screen appears. It depends on the computer. And even then you might not be guaranteed the Safe Mode menu/screen. A corrupt Windows Vista file can prevent the Safe Mode menu/screen from appearing for example.
If pressing the F8 keyboard key frequently or rapidly (or even held down) works you should see a,
typical, Safe Mode menu/screen as above. The above Safe Mode menu/screen is not modern but it is
typical. A modern Safe Mode menu/screen might have one or more extra Disable menu-items on it
(i.e. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement) and have a Repair Your Computer menu-item on it as well.
If the SAFE MODE menu-item is not selected, perhaps because REPAIR YOUR COMPUTER is selected instead,
use the Up/Down cursor keyboard keys to select the SAFE MODE menu-item. From there, click on the
ENTER keyboard key to continue.
After pressing the ENTER keyboard key, with SAFE MODE selected, Windows Vista begins loading the Basic Drivers and Default Settings needed to make SAFE MODE work. This may be denoted by a junk screen (a screen that fills up with text meaningless to you! - Fig 1.1 above) depending on your computer. Modern computers tend not to display the junk screen. After loading the basic drivers and default settings, but just before the Safe Mode desktop, you may see a message requester stating something like "You are about to enter Safe Mode.....Do you wish to proceed?". In that case just answer YES/OK to the message requester in order to continue. Again, this requester might not be shown on a modern computer. Either way though, you will know when you are in SAFE MODE because the words "Safe Mode" appear in the corners of the desktop.
Safe Mode, as said above, puts your computer into a Limited State. This means certain hardware might
have been purposely disabled, by Windows Vista, whilst in Safe Mode only. This is helpful if you
suspect a newly installed piece of hardware, for example, is causing problems. For example. Imagine
you have just installed a WebCam and now Windows Live Messenger is not working properly, whereas
without the WebCam it was working properly.
By using Safe Mode the WebCam would be disabled therefore
allowing you to run Windows Live Messenger without a WebCam. This in turn allows you to run Windows
Live Messenger and diagnose whether the WebCam or the WebCam's installation software is to blame for
the problems. If Windows Live Messenger now works without problems again you would say the WebCam is
definitely to blame. However. If Windows Live Messenger does not work, or works but with problems,
you would say the WebCam's installation software is to blame. Perhaps it is not compatible with
Windows Vista and/or with Windows Live Messenger.
Anti-Virus software is also a reason for using Safe Mode, as some anti-virus software can work
better at cleaning a virus in safe mode's limited state. This could be due to the fact that the
virus itself cannot run (execute/launch) in Safe Mode, therefore the anti-virus software can kill
the virus or at least disable (quarantine) it.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
