WinXP Pro won't boot into safe mode

[microdoc]

For some reason that is beyond me....my system won't boot into safe mode of any flavour..command prompt, regular safe mode, safe mode with networking....

The system starts up normally just fine...and runs well....but I wanted to start up in command prompt for some reason ( i think it was to delete a file that windows keeps saying is "in use") but I can't.

any ideas?

 

[TechyMcSe2k]

Install recovery console and try going in that way.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058/EN-US/

 

[linney]

There was a similar post to this the other day and it turned out to be a problem on the keyboard with all the F keys have a multi use function and only being in Default if the "F Lock" was on. Do you have such a keyboard?

http://mvps.org/jtsang/flock.html

Can you get to the Safe Mode screen, and if so what happens when you choose one of the options?

 

[microdoc]

Doc,

System brings up the menu when I press F8 - no problem...allows me to select whatever choice I want....but when I choose any form of Safe Mode, the system seems to start to process it, then REBOOTS.

Again, no problems starting the system normally.
All virus, spyware, adware scans show nothing.

 

[linney]

If you are at SP2 do you have the Safe Mode boot option to turn off Automatic Restarts? Or you can do it manually in Normal Mode. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties .
On the Advanced tab, click Settings under Startup and Recovery .
Click to clear the Automatically restart check box under System failure , and then click OK . The error message on a blue screen should remain on the screen so you can record the error information.

To get further information about any error look in your Event viewer.

Take any event error I.D. number and search for it on these sites.

http://www.eventid.net/events.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/ee/search.aspx

Also check any "Information" line that mentions "savedump" and you should find reference to "recovered from a bug check". This is the Stop Error that caused your problem.

 

[torandson]

Hi,

Check this thread. I had a similar problem.

thread779-1001307

Turned out to be a faulty Nero InCD driver file, "incdrec.sys" and renaming that fixed the safe mode boot problem. I don't
have InCD installed anymore.

--torandson