Command Prompt

[Guest]

A recent A+ question asked how you would start xp in safemode from a command
prompt. Is there a way to do this? I haven't found anyone who knew the
answer to this apart from typing 'shutdown/r' and then hitting F8 on restart.
This was not one of the choices given in the exam. Any help would be very
much appreciated.

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

What were the choices given?

 

[Guest]

unfortunately the student couldn't remember the choices he was given - just
that pressing F8 on restart was not one of them

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

You wouldn't be able to get into Safe Mode unless F8 or F5 was press after a
reboot.

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

The command prompt can be the Recovery Console, Safe Mode with command
prompt, or an actual boot to a MS-Dos floppy of CD.

I think you can assume this question was about the Recovery Console, which
has BOOTCFG

My startup default in my boot.ini is:

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect

If I ran 'bootcfg /add' , I could add an identical line with the /SAFEMODE
switch addded.

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
Professional" /fastdetect /SAFEMODE

then use 'boofcfg /default' to set it as default startup, then type LOGON to
start that.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Edit the boot.ini or...

Use the System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe).

[[Safe Mode with Command Prompt (SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal(AlternateShell)):
This option is the same as Safe mode, except that Cmd.exe starts instead of
Windows Explorer.]]

Start | Run | Type: msconfig | OK |
Boot.ini tab | Select the following:
/SAFEBOOT
MINIMAL (ALTERNATESHELL)

Those two settings get you this switch >>>

/safeboot:minimal(alternateshell)

/safeboot: = This switch causes Windows to start in Safe Mode.
minimal(alternateshell) = Command Prompt (cmd.exe), if...

This switch starts Windows in Safe Mode with a command prompt...

If these keys have the AlternateShell Value Data listed as cmd.exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\SafeBoot

and/or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\SafeBoot

and/or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot
Value Name: AlternateShell
Value Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: cmd.exe

[[Note: The /sos, /bootlog, and /noguiboot switches are not required with
any one of these settings, but the switches can help with troubleshooting.
These switches are included if you press F8 and then select one of the
modes. ]]

 

[Wesley Vogel]

I forgot to add...

Edit the boot.ini by adding these switches.
/safeboot:minimal(alternateshell)
===

After making those boot.ini changes using msconfig, you need to click Apply
and Close.

Then click on: Restart.
===

After booting into the Safe Mode with the Command Prompt.

And when you're done using the command prompt...
Close the command prompt by typing:

exit

Hit the Enter key.

Or...

Click on the Close [X].

Also, when done doing whatever, you need to open msconfig again...

Open Task Manager...
Ctrl + Shift + Esc |
File | New Task (Run...) | Type: msconfig | OK |

UNSelect: /SAFEBOOT under the boot.ini tab | Click Apply |
Under the General tab Select: Normal Startup - load all device drivers and
services |
Click Apply and Close

Or...

Open Task Manager...
Ctrl + Shift + Esc |
File | New Task (Run...) | Type: explorer | OK |

And open msconfig from Start | Run


--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In

Edit the boot.ini or...

Use the System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe).

[[Safe Mode with Command Prompt
(SAFEBOOT_OPTION=Minimal(AlternateShell)): This option is the same as
Safe mode, except that Cmd.exe starts instead of Windows Explorer.]]

Start | Run | Type: msconfig | OK |
Boot.ini tab | Select the following:
/SAFEBOOT
MINIMAL (ALTERNATESHELL)

Those two settings get you this switch >>>

/safeboot:minimal(alternateshell)

/safeboot: = This switch causes Windows to start in Safe Mode.
minimal(alternateshell) = Command Prompt (cmd.exe), if...

This switch starts Windows in Safe Mode with a command prompt...

If these keys have the AlternateShell Value Data listed as cmd.exe

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\SafeBoot

and/or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\SafeBoot

and/or

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SafeBoot
Value Name: AlternateShell
Value Type: REG_SZ
Value Data: cmd.exe

[[Note: The /sos, /bootlog, and /noguiboot switches are not required
with any one of these settings, but the switches can help with
troubleshooting. These switches are included if you press F8 and then
select one of the modes. ]]


In

A recent A+ question asked how you would start xp in safemode from a
command prompt. Is there a way to do this? I haven't found anyone
who knew the answer to this apart from typing 'shutdown/r' and then
hitting F8 on restart. This was not one of the choices given in the
exam. Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all of your suggestions guys, unfortunately none of them really
satisfy the question. Maybe I should ask Comptia - they set the question