Clean Boot in XP

Performing A Clean Boot In Windows XP:

Clean boot is the process of disabling and removing some programs and drivers from the Windows startup process. This is done to identify and troubleshoot issues occurring with Windows XP.

NOTE: Following these steps may result in loss of some functionality temporarily. Restoring the settings may return the original error message or problem.

To perform a clean boot in Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Log in as an Administrator or a member of the Administrators group.
2. Click Start, select Run, and type MSConfig.exe in the command line.
3. Click OK.
4. Select the General tab and click Selective Startup.
5. Deselect all the checkboxes except Use Original Boot.ini.

NOTE: You can re-enable any program by selecting the checkbox for that program.

6. Click OK and restart the computer.

Now, try using the system.

If the error message still appears or if the system continues behaving abnormally, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, select Run, and type MSConfig.exe in the command line.
2. On the General tab, select the Process SYSTEM.INI File checkbox.
3. Click OK and restart the computer. If the problem continues, the issue is with an entry in the System.ini file.
4. If the problem does not occur again, select the Process WIN.INI File, Load Startup Items, and Load System Services (if appropriate)checkboxes until the issue occurs again.
5. If the issue reappears for any of the selected entries, you have to edit the particular file.

For example, if the problem reappears after selecting the Win.ini file,click the Win.ini tab in System Configuration Utility.

CAUTION: You should not use the System Configuration Utility to modify the boot.ini file as it would make the computer unusable.

Restoring Computer From Clean Boot:

To restore the computer from clean boot, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, select Run, and type MSConfig in the command line.
2. Click OK and select the General tab from the System Configuration Utility.
3. Select Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services.
4. Click OK and restart the computer when you are prompted.

This should restore all the programs.