1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Diagnostic Startup, and then click OK.
3. Restart your computer.
If the problem does not occur, use Selective startup mode to try to find the problem by turning individual services and startup programs on or off.
Selective startup:
Selective startup enables you to select the files and the settings that you want the computer to load when you restart the computer. Select from the following options:
• Process System.ini File
• Process Win.ini file
• Load System Services
• Load Startup Items
By default, no options are selected. The following actions apply to these options:
To perform a selective startup, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
3. Select or clear the available settings.
4. Click OK.
5. Restart your computer.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until you find the problem.
Change individual file settings :
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. Click a tab: System.ini, Win.ini, Boot.ini, Services, or Startup.
3. Select or clear the available settings.
4. Click OK.
5. Restart your computer.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 until you find the problem.
System.ini and Win.ini options:
• Check boxes enable you to enable or to disable an option. To enable an option so that it loads at startup, select the check box or select the option, and then click the Select button. To disable an option so that it does not load at startup, clear the check box or select the option, and then click the Disable button.
Note When you click to clear a check box for an item or a line, the Selective Startup option on the General tab is automatically selected.
Manually extract a file:
If you have to fix a corrupted file, extract the individual Windows file from the CAB files. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Expand File.
3. In the File to restore box, type the name of the file that you want to restore.
4. In the Restore from box, type the path of the Windows XP .cab file from which you want to restore the file. Or, click Browse From to locate the Windows XP .cab file.
Note The Windows XP .cab files are stored in the I386 folder on the Windows XP installation CD.
5. In the Save file in box, type the path of the folder to which you want to extract the new file. Or, click Browse To to locate the folder that you want.
6. Click Expand.
7. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click OK. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart.
Return to normal startup:
After you complete your troubleshooting and fix your configuration, return to a normal startup. Follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Normal startup.
3. Click OK.
4. Restart your computer.
| Msconfig > Boot.ini > Options: |
 |
| Microsoft recommends that you don’t attempt to use MSCONFIG to edit BOOT.INI unless you’re directed to do so by a Microsoft support professional. |
Boot tab summary:Safe boot
* Minimal - Safe mode
* Alternate shell - Safe mode with Command Prompt
* Active Directory repair - Directory Services Restore mode (domain controllers only)
* Network - Safe mode with networking
Note: This does not load the network configuration, but instead loads a generic TCP/IP network configuration.
No GUI boot - When this option is selected, the VGA video driver responsible for presenting bitmapped graphics during the Windows startup process is not initialized. The driver is used to display startup progress information and error messages. Disabling this disables Windows ability to do those things.
Boot log - Enable Boot Logging. This is the mode to use when you are debugging problems that are regularly reproducible.
Base video - The computer starts up using the standard VGA video driver. Use this switch if you have installed a graphics driver that is not working.
OS boot information - Displays the driver names while they are being loaded. Use this switch if Windows does not start up and you believe that a driver is missing.
Boot option pane :
The most valuable functions on the BOOT.INI tab are the boot options, which are explained below. You can use these five choices for a variety of troubleshooting techniques.
- /SAFEBOOT gives you four suboptions for starting the computer.
- /SAFEBOOT with MINIMAL starts the computer in Safe Mode.
- /SAFEBOOT with NETWORK starts the computer in Safe Mode with networking support.
- /SAFEBOOT with DSREPAIR is used to repair Directory Services on Domain Controllers.
- /SAFEBOOT with MINIMAL (ALTERNATESHELL) starts the computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
- /NOGUIBOOT starts the computer without the VGA video driver that displays graphics during the boot process and Blue Screen crash information.
- /BOOTLOG enables boot logging to help you debug and troubleshoot startup problems.
- /BASEVIDEO starts the computer using a standard VGA video driver, as opposed to the one installed for the graphics card.
- /SOS causes the driver names to be displayed when they’re loaded. You can use this switch to diagnose driver-related issues.
Note
/SAFEBOOT with NETWORK does not load the normal network configuration; instead, it loads a generic TCP/IP network configuration.
| Figure E |
 |
The BOOT.INI Advanced Options screen, shown in Figure E, offers you four more options for starting your computer.
- /MAXMEM limits the amount of memory that Windows XP can use. You can use this switch if you believe that your system has a bad memory chip.
- /NUMPROC limits the number of processors used in a multiprocessor system.
- /PCILOCK stops Windows XP from dynamically assigning system resources to PCI devices. The devices will use the BIOS configuration instead.
- /DEBUG starts the computer in debugging mode. It allows you to configure the machine with three additional suboptions, as follows:
- /DEBUG with /DEBUGPORT specifies the communications port to be used for debugging.
- /DEBUG with /BAUDRATE specifies the baud rate to be used for debugging. The default baud rate is 9600 with a modem and 19200 with a null-modem cable.
- /DEBUG with /CHANNEL specifies the 1394 communications channel for debugging.
The MSCONFIG Services tab, shown in Figure F, allows you to prevent specific services from starting when the computer is started. This is extremely useful when you’re troubleshooting service-related problems.
 |
| Microsoft has designed the majority of services in Windows XP. To make it easier to find a non-Microsoft service, you can select the Hide All Microsoft Services option. |
Troubleshooting using the Startup tab:
The Startup tab lets you prevent items in your startup folder from starting when you log in. As you can see in Figure G, you can simply deselect the service to prevent it from starting. If you want to disable all the services, click the Disable All button. To enable all the services again, click the Enable All button.
 |
