WEBVTT - What is Windows Safe Mode?

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<v Speaker 1>Brain stuff is sponsored by Harry's dot com. Get a

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<v Speaker 1>the factory that makes their blades. Fifteen dollars gets you

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<v Speaker 1>Go to Harry's dot com use the code brain stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to save five dollars off your first purchase. Welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com, where smart happens.

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<v Speaker 1>Whether you love or hate Microsoft, you do have to

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<v Speaker 1>give them credit for at least one thing. They've built

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<v Speaker 1>a gigantic and powerful operating system that can work even

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<v Speaker 1>though there are thousands of different manufacturers installing new pieces

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<v Speaker 1>into the operating system all the time. When you buy

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<v Speaker 1>a new device driver or a new application and install

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<v Speaker 1>it in Windows, chances are it'll work, and that is

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<v Speaker 1>pretty amazing. But while Windows is a versatile empower a

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<v Speaker 1>full operating system, there are times when it can be frustrating.

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<v Speaker 1>This frustration is particularly evident when you install a new

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<v Speaker 1>software application or ad drivers for some new hardware and

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<v Speaker 1>the whole thing seems to blow up in your face. Suddenly,

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<v Speaker 1>the computer crashes or locks up. You reboot the computer

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<v Speaker 1>and it loads this strange looking Windows Desktop with the

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<v Speaker 1>words safe mode in the four corners. What is this

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<v Speaker 1>and how does it help you? Safe Mode is a

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<v Speaker 1>special way for Windows to load when there's a system

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<v Speaker 1>critical problem that interferes with the normal operation of the

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<v Speaker 1>operating system. The purpose of safe mode is to allow

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<v Speaker 1>you to troubleshoot Windows and try to figure out what's

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<v Speaker 1>causing it not to function correctly. Once you've corrected the problem,

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<v Speaker 1>you can then reboot Windows and it will load normally.

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<v Speaker 1>There are several things that happen when Windows boots and

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<v Speaker 1>safe mode that differ from a standard boot. First, safe

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<v Speaker 1>mode does not run several special files that help customize

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<v Speaker 1>the system. Next, most device drivers aren't loaded. A device

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<v Speaker 1>driver is the software that Windows uses to interact with

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<v Speaker 1>a piece of hardware like a printer or a scanner

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<v Speaker 1>or a graphics card. Instead of the normal graphics device driver,

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<v Speaker 1>Safe mode uses the standard v g A graphics mode.

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<v Speaker 1>This mode is supported by all Windows compatible graphics cards.

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<v Speaker 1>The Windows Desktop loads up in sixteen colors and at

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<v Speaker 1>a resolution of six forty by four eighty, and the

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<v Speaker 1>words safe mode appear in each corner of the screen.

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<v Speaker 1>There are a number of other protective steps taken under

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<v Speaker 1>the hood. The basic idea is that you're going to

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<v Speaker 1>have this very very simple installation of Windows come up

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<v Speaker 1>that's certain to work and allow you to do some troubleshooting.

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<v Speaker 1>Then once you get it fixed, you can load up

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<v Speaker 1>the whole system. Safe mode starts up automatically if Windows

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<v Speaker 1>does not boot on a previous attempt. You can also

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<v Speaker 1>invoke safe mode by pressing F five or by pressing

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<v Speaker 1>F eight and selecting it from the boot menu. So

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<v Speaker 1>what should you do when your computer boots the safe mode? First,

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<v Speaker 1>try to determine what's changed on your system that could

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<v Speaker 1>have caused Windows to fail to boot properly. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>added any kind of hardware, go to the control panel

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<v Speaker 1>and remove it and uninstalled the device driver software for

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<v Speaker 1>that device, Then attempt to reboot. If Windows boots properly,

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<v Speaker 1>you can be reasonably certain that there was some kind

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<v Speaker 1>of conflict with that device, and you can try to

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<v Speaker 1>resolve it, probably by getting better drivers. Use this same method.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've loaded a new game or applications sometime recently,

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<v Speaker 1>go to the control panel, click on ad removed programs

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<v Speaker 1>and remove the software. Try a reboot, and hopefully you'll

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<v Speaker 1>get a normal Windows boot. If the problem is definitely

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<v Speaker 1>not new hardware or software, then you most likely have

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<v Speaker 1>corrupted the registry or picked up a virus or something

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<v Speaker 1>like that. Look into a feature called system restore, which

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<v Speaker 1>takes the operating system back in time several days. You

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<v Speaker 1>should be able to get back to a previous date

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<v Speaker 1>and a version that operates correctly to eliminate the problem.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com and don't forget to check

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<v Speaker 1>out the brain stuff blog on the how stuff works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com home page. You can also follow brain stuff

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<v Speaker 1>on Facebook or Twitter at brain stuff hs W. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is sponsored by Harry's dot Com. Get a great

0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.640
<v Speaker 1>shaving experience for a fraction of the price. The quality

0:04:33.680 --> 0:04:35.919
<v Speaker 1>of the shave is so important that Harry's purchased the

0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:38.520
<v Speaker 1>factory that makes their blades. Fifteen dollars gets you a

0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.119
<v Speaker 1>set that includes a handle, three blades, and shave cream.

0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:43.599
<v Speaker 1>Go to Harry's dot com use the code brain stuff

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<v Speaker 1>to save five dollars off your first purchase.