F8

• 1). Remove all disks and CDs from the Compaq computer's drives. While this is not necessary, it ensures the computer won't try to boot from any removable media.
  
  
• 2). Restart the computer. Press and hold the "F8" key as soon as the computer begins booting up. The "Advanced Boot Options" screen appears.
  
  
• 3). Highlight "Safe mode" using the arrow keys on the keyboard and press "Enter." Depending on what you need to do while in Safe Mode, you can also choose "Safe mode with networking," which allows access to computer networks and the Internet, or "Safe mode command prompt," which boots to a text command prompt rather than to the Windows interface.
  
  
• 4). Restart your computer as you normally would when you're done working in Safe Mode. The Compaq computer will restart and boot into Windows.
  
  

MSConfig

• 1). Click "Start," then type "msconfig" in the Search field just above the "Start" icon. Press "Enter." In Windows XP, click "Run" before typing "msconfig." The System Configuration dialog box appears.
  
  
• 2). Click to check the "Safe boot" box and press "OK." If you need to access networks or the Internet in Safe Mode, click to check "Networking." Restart your computer. Windows boots into Safe Mode automatically.
  
  
• 3). Repeat Step 1 when you're done working in Safe Mode, but this time click to uncheck the "Safe boot" box. Restart your computer. If you don't remember to uncheck the box, the Compaq computer will boot into Safe Mode again.