How Windows 95 Performs a Safe-Mode Start This article was written about products for which Microsoft no longer offers support. Therefore, this article is offered "as is" and will no longer be updated.| Article ID | : | 122051 | | Last Review | : | November 15, 2006 | | Revision | : | 1.1 |
This article was previously published under Q122051 SUMMARY
This article discusses how Windows 95 boots in Safe mode. A Safe-mode
boot can be invoked in the following ways:
| • | By pressing F5 at the "Starting Windows 95" message.
| | • | By pressing F8 at the "Starting Windows 95" message, and then choosing
Safe Mode from the Windows 95 Startup menu.
| | • | Automatically, if Windows 95 did not start on the previous attempt. |
MORE INFORMATION
How Windows 95 boots in Safe mode:
| 1. | Windows 95 bypasses the portion of the Registry that loads protected-
mode device drivers, and bypasses the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys files.
| | 2. | Himem.sys is loaded with the /testmem:on switch. No other command-line
switches are processed. For additional information, please see the
following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
133442 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/133442/EN-US/)
Safe Mode Boot Does Not Process Machine Switch for
Himem.sys
| | 3. | Ifshlp.sys is loaded. Dblbuff.sys is loaded with the /d+ switch.
| | 4. | Windows 95 obtains path information from the Msdos.sys file.
| | 5. | If Windows 95 files are found, the command "win /d:m" (which enables
a Safe-mode boot) is executed and Command.com is skipped.
If Windows 95 files are not found, Command.com is executed. |
| 1. | When "win /d:m" is executed, Windows 95 looks for a System.cb file
in the Windows folder. If this file is not present, a clean
System.cb file is loaded from memory.
A clean System.cb file loads the following virtual device drivers
(VxDs):
mouse=*vmouse
device=*configmg
device=*vwin32
device=*vfbackup
device=*vshare
device=*vcomm
device=*ifsmgr
device=*ios
device=*vfat
device=*vcache
device=*vcond
device=*int13
device=*vxdldr
device=*vdef
device=*dynapage
device=*reboot
device=*vsd
device=*parity
device=*biosxlat
device=*vmcpd
device=*vkd
device=*vdd
device=*ebios
device=*vtdapi
device=*vmpoll
woafont=dosapp.fon
| | 2. | After these VxDs are loaded, and just before Win.com loads the shell,
the System.cb file is discarded and the original System.ini file is
restored. If no System.ini file is found to restore, an empty
System.ini file is created. The Winstart.bat file is not processed.
| | 3. | Windows 95 now uses the original registry settings and System.ini and
Win.ini files.
This effectively bypasses the [Boot] and [386Enh] sections of the
System.ini file and disables all the Windows 95 protected-mode devices
listed in Device Manager. Also, Windows 95 does not run programs listed
on the "Load=" and "Run=" lines in the [Windows] section of the Win.ini
file.
Note that although the [Boot] section of the System.ini file is
bypassed, the "shell=" and "drivers=" lines in the [Boot] section
are processed.
| | 4. | The shell resizes the desktop to a resolution of 640 x 480. |
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