PERFORM CLEAN BOOT

Use this procedure only to troubleshoot error messages or behaviors when you have been unable to determine the cause of the problem. Following these steps results in a temporary loss of some functionality. Restoring the settings restores the functionality, but may result in the return of the original error message or behavior.

To Perform a Clean Boot in Windows Me Click Start, click Run, and then in the Open: box, type MSCONFIG. Click OK. In the System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) window, click to select the Selective Startup button. Click to clear the check marks from all of the choices below Selective Startup. Click the Startup folder tab so that it is in front, and click to select *StateMgr. Click OK to close the MSConfig window. Click Yes when you are asked to restart your computer in order to enable the changes.

When the computer restarts, none of the startup selections will run. To isolate the problem, if the original issue does not reoccur following the clean boot, add one check mark at a time to the entries under Selective Startup in MSConfig, and then restart each time to see if the additional entry reproduces the original problem.

To Return from a Clean Boot State Click Start, click Run, and then in the Open: box, type MSCONFIG. Click OK. In the System Configuration Utility (MSConfig) window, click to select the Normal Startup button. Click OK to close MSConfig. Click Yes when you are asked to restart your computer in order to enable the changes.

Categories That Are Disabled by a Clean Boot are System.ini entries, Win.ini entries, Static VxDs, (Virtual Device Drivers) Startup items and Environment Variables for MS-DOS emulation. This a useful way of troubleshooting a startup error or a hardware fault.