How to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Windows Vista or Window...

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How to perform a clean boot to troubleshoot a problem in Windows Vista or Windows 7

Article ID: 929135 - View products that this article applies to.

If you are a Small Business customer, find additional troubleshooting and learning resources at the Support for Small Business (http://smallbusiness.support.microsoft.com) site.

Support for Windows Vista without any service packs installed ended on April 13, 2010. To continue receiving security updates for Windows, make sure you're running Windows Vista with Service Pack 2 (SP2). For more information, refer to this Microsoft webpage: Support is ending for
some versions of Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/end-support-windows-xp-sp2-windows-vista-without-service-packs)

INTRODUCTION

Whatis a "clean boot"?

To help troubleshoot error messages and other issues, you can start Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot." A clean boot helps eliminate software conflicts. This article describes how to troubleshoot problems in Windows Vista or in Windows 7 by performing a clean boot. This article also describes how to start the Windows Installer service and how to reset the computer so that it starts as usual.

Note When you perform a clean boot, you may temporarily lose some functionality. When you start the computer as usual, the functionality returns. However, you may receive the original error message, or you may experience the original behavior.

More information
This information is not intended to troubleshoot specific problems. Therefore, before you follow these steps, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about your problem. Use the text of the error message or a description of the problem when you search. To search the Knowledge Base, go to the following Microsoft website: Microsoft Support (http://support.microsoft.com)

Step 1: Perform a clean boot

Note If the computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from following these steps. We strongly recommend that you do not use the System Configuration utility to change the advanced boot options on the computer unless a Microsoft support engineer directs you to do this. Doing this may make the computer unusable. 1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights. 2. Click Start , type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER to start the System Configuration utility.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

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3. On the General tab, click the Selective startup option, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable.)

4. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all.

Note This step lets Microsoft services continue to run. These services include Networking, Plug and Play, Event Logging, Error Reporting, and other services. If you disable these services, you may permanently delete all restore points. Do not do this if you want to use the System Restore utility together with existing restore points. 5. Click OK, and then click Restart. Video: How to do a clean boot in Windows

View this video as a WMV

Step 2: Determine what is causing the problem

1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.

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2. Click Start

, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER to start the System Configuration utility.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. 4. 5. 6.

Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box. Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list. Click OK, and then click Restart. After the computer finishes restarting, determine whether the problem still occurs or not. If the problem still occurs, repeat 1-5 in Step 2 to uncheck half of the checked boxes in the Service list that you originally selected. If the problem does not occur, repeat 1-5 in Step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Service list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes. If only one service is selected in the Service list, and you still experience the problem, the selected service causes the problem. go to 9 in Step 2. If no service causes this problem, go to 7 in Step 2.

7. Perform a clean boot by repeating 1-2 in Step2. 8. Click the Startup tab, and then click to select half of the check boxes in the Startup Item list. Click OK, and then click Restart.

If the problem still occurs, repeat 7-8 in Step 2 to uncheck half of the checked boxes in the Startup Item list that you originally selected. If the problem does not occur, repeat 7-8 in Step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Startup Item list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes. If only one Startup Item is selected in the Startup Item list, and you still experience the problem, the selected Startup Item causes the problem. go to 9 in Step 2. If no Startup Item causes this problem, a Microsoft service probably causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat 1-6 in Step 2 without selecting the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step. 9. After you determine the startup item or the service that causes the problem, contact the program manufacturer to determine whether the problem can be resolved. Or, run the System Configuration utility, and then click to clear the check box for the problem item.

Step 3: Reset the computer to start as usual

After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start as usual: a. Click Start , type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Continue. b. On the General tab, click the Normal Startup option, and then click OK. c. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart.

View this video as a WMV

Additional Resources
How to start the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded
If you run a Setup program without starting the Windows Installer service, you may receive the following error message: The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the windows Installer service is properly registered.

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The Windows Installer service does not start if you clear the Load system services check box in the System Configuration utility. To use the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded, you must start the service manually. To do this, follow these steps: 1. Click Start , right-click Computer, and then click Manage.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation. 2. In the console tree, click Services and Applications, and then click Services. 3. In the details pane, right-click Windows Installer, and then click Start.

Properties
Article ID: 929135 - Last Review: October 15, 2012 - Revision: 14.0 Applies to
Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Business Windows Vista Enterprise Windows Vista Starter Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition Windows 7 Enterprise Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Ultimate

Keywords: kbexpertisebeginner kbhowto kbinfo kbcip kbvideocontent KB929135

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http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135

04-11-2012