Startup menu

What is Startup menu?

A boot menu that appears in Microsoft Windows 95 when you press the F8 function key while the screen displays the message “Starting Windows 95…” and in Microsoft Windows 98 when you hold down the Ctrl key while the system starts. The options on this menu are generally used for troubleshooting the Windows 95 or Windows 98 boot process.

The Startup menu usually offers the following options:

• Normal start:
  Performs a normal startup of Windows.

   

• Logged start:
  Creates a bootlog.txt file that logs the steps in the boot process.

   

• Safe Mode:
  Bypasses the startup files and starts the system with generic mouse, keyboard, and VGA video drivers and no network support.

   

• Safe Mode With Network Support:
  The same as Safe Mode but also includes network drivers and protocols.

   

• Step-by-Step Confirmation:
  Allows you to confirm each step in the boot process before it is executed. This is useful if you have a problem in your configuration and want to step around that problem to test whether the system can still boot.

   

• Command Prompt Only:
  Starts Windows 95 or Windows 98 but displays only a command prompt as the shell. The user can then start Windows manually by using the win.com command.

   

• Safe Mode Command Prompt Only:
  Starts the system in Safe Mode but displays the command prompt as the shell.

   

• Previous Version Of MS-DOS:
  Allows the user to boot to the previously installed operating system. (This option is visible only if a previously installed operating system exists.)