Your operating system (or OS) looks after everything to do with your PC. Together with a basic built-in OS called the BIOS, the operating system controls everything that comes into your PC from the keyboard and mouse, and everything that is displayed on you monitor or outputted to your printer.
It makes sure all the programs run correctly and do not interfere with each other, and controls your internet connection and links to other PC's and devices as well.
As it has so much to do, an operating system like windows will take up a huge amount of space on your hard drive and also be very complex. With everything that the operating system has to deal with, it is not hard to see where problems can arise, all it takes is for one piece of data to be put in the wrong place and suddenly everything goes wrong.
Windows XP has built up a strong reputation and is thought to be the most stable operating system that Microsoft has put out to date. The stability of an OS is reflected in how often it crashes or stops working - XP has proven to be the best Windows but if one part of it stops working, it can normally carry on operating without bringing the whole system crashing down.
Windows XP now features more tools than ever before for identifying and rectifying problems. This means that you shouldn't have to reinstall the operating system every time things start to go wrong which is something that Windows 96/98 users became accustomed to.
If you find that windows won't boot up at all, or that the system freezes as soon as you get to the Desktop, then you need the services of Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a special, stripped down version of the Windows environment that boots up your PC with only the bare essentials necessary. If a certain program that is set to start up with Windows is causing your difficulties, then Safe Mode will enable you to boot up without interference, giving you the chance to fix the problem before rebooting back into Windows as normal.
If something serious occurs when using your computer, it may restart in Safe Mode automatically. If you need to start in Safe Mode manually, following the instructions below:
The first thing you will notice when you start in Safe Mode is the Display - you will have a resolution of 640x480 under Windows 98/ME or 800x600 under Windows XP. By reverting to these minimum, safe settings, Safe Mode gives you the opportunity to fix problems with your video card. For example, if you set the display resolution to a higher setting than your monitor can handle, you may be able to see the Desktop. By restoring the lower display setting through Safe Mode, you can get things back to normal.
One of the primary benefits of Safe Mode is that it gives you access to all of the troubleshooting and diagnostic tools available in Windows, such as System Restore.
You also have access to all the system maintenance utilities, including Check Disk, Device Manager and Add Remove Programs. Using these tools you should be able to find and repair many problems.
It makes sure all the programs run correctly and do not interfere with each other, and controls your internet connection and links to other PC's and devices as well.
As it has so much to do, an operating system like windows will take up a huge amount of space on your hard drive and also be very complex. With everything that the operating system has to deal with, it is not hard to see where problems can arise, all it takes is for one piece of data to be put in the wrong place and suddenly everything goes wrong.
Windows XP has built up a strong reputation and is thought to be the most stable operating system that Microsoft has put out to date. The stability of an OS is reflected in how often it crashes or stops working - XP has proven to be the best Windows but if one part of it stops working, it can normally carry on operating without bringing the whole system crashing down.
Windows XP now features more tools than ever before for identifying and rectifying problems. This means that you shouldn't have to reinstall the operating system every time things start to go wrong which is something that Windows 96/98 users became accustomed to.
If you find that windows won't boot up at all, or that the system freezes as soon as you get to the Desktop, then you need the services of Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a special, stripped down version of the Windows environment that boots up your PC with only the bare essentials necessary. If a certain program that is set to start up with Windows is causing your difficulties, then Safe Mode will enable you to boot up without interference, giving you the chance to fix the problem before rebooting back into Windows as normal.
If something serious occurs when using your computer, it may restart in Safe Mode automatically. If you need to start in Safe Mode manually, following the instructions below:
The first thing you will notice when you start in Safe Mode is the Display - you will have a resolution of 640x480 under Windows 98/ME or 800x600 under Windows XP. By reverting to these minimum, safe settings, Safe Mode gives you the opportunity to fix problems with your video card. For example, if you set the display resolution to a higher setting than your monitor can handle, you may be able to see the Desktop. By restoring the lower display setting through Safe Mode, you can get things back to normal.
One of the primary benefits of Safe Mode is that it gives you access to all of the troubleshooting and diagnostic tools available in Windows, such as System Restore.
You also have access to all the system maintenance utilities, including Check Disk, Device Manager and Add Remove Programs. Using these tools you should be able to find and repair many problems.
