Notes: If your issue prevents you from booting into Windows, you won't be able to follow the steps in this article. After the device tries to restart a few times, you should get Windows Recovery Options, which you can use to try to resolve the issue. Click a link below that corresponds to your version of Windows: Show
SummaryA "clean boot" starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, so that you can determine whether a background program is interfering with your game or program. This is similar to starting Windows in Safe Mode, but provides you more control over which services and programs run at startup to help you isolate the cause of a problem. How to perform a clean bootThese steps might look complicated at first glance, but following them in order, step-by-step, will help you get you back on track.
Install, uninstall, or run an applicationAfter you restart the computer, you'll have a clean boot environment. Then, do one of the following, as appropriate for your situation: If the installation or uninstallation is successful, your issue is resolved and you can start as you usually do. How to reset the computer to start as usual If the installation or uninstallation still fails, that means this issue is not caused by application or service interference. You might need to contact the program manufacturer for more specific support. If the program runs correctly, this issue is caused by application or service interference. You can find out which application or service is causing the issue. How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean bootIf your problem does not occur while the computer is in a clean boot environment, then you can determine which startup application or service is causing the problem by systematically turning them on or off and restarting the computer. While turning on a single service or startup item and rebooting each time will eventually find the problematic service or application, the most efficient way to do this is to test half of them at a time, thus eliminating half of the items as the potential cause with each reboot of the computer. You can then repeat this process until you've isolated the problem. Here's how:
Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshootingAfter you finish troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start normally.
How to start the Windows Installer service when system services are not loadedIf you run a Setup program without starting the Windows Installer service, you might receive the following error message: The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the Windows Installer service is properly registered. The Windows Installer service doesn't start if you clear the Load system services check box in the System Configuration utility. To use the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded, start the service manually. Here's how:
Install, uninstall, or run an applicationAfter you restart the computer, you'll have a clean boot environment. Then, do one of the following, as appropriate for your situation: If the installation or uninstallation is successful, your issue is resolved and you can start as you usually do. How to reset the computer to start as usual If the installation or uninstallation still fails, that means this issue is not caused by application or service interference. You might need to contact the program manufacturer for more specific support. If the program runs correctly, this issue is caused by application or service interference. You can find out which application or service is causing the issue. How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean bootIf your problem does not occur while the computer is in a clean boot environment, then you can determine which startup application or service is causing the problem by systematically turning them on or off and restarting the computer. While turning on a single service or startup item and rebooting each time will eventually find the problematic service or application, the most efficient way to do this is to test half of them at a time, thus eliminating half of the items as the potential cause with each reboot of the computer. You can then repeat this process until you've isolated the problem. Here's how:
Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshootingAfter you finish troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start normally.
How to start the Windows Installer service when system services are not loadedIf you run a Setup program without starting the Windows Installer service, you might receive the following error message: The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the Windows Installer service is properly registered. The Windows Installer service doesn't start if you clear the Load system services check box in the System Configuration utility. To use the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded, start the service manually. Here's how:
The computer restarts in a clean boot environment. Follow troubleshooting steps to install, uninstall, or run your application. Your computer might temporarily lose some functionality while in a clean boot environment, however that functionality will return. Finish troubleshooting and reset the computer to start normally. Install, uninstall, or run an applicationAfter you restart the computer, you'll have a clean boot environment. Then, do one of the following, as appropriate for your situation: If the installation or uninstallation is successful, your issue is resolved and you can start as you usually do. How to reset the computer to start as usual If the installation or uninstallation still fails, that means this issue is not caused by application or service interference. You might need to contact the program manufacturer for more specific support. If the program runs correctly, this issue is caused by application or service interference. You can find out which application or service is causing the issue. How to determine what is causing the problem after you do a clean bootIf your problem does not occur while the computer is in a clean boot environment, then you can determine which startup application or service is causing the problem by systematically turning them on or off and restarting the computer. While turning on a single service or startup item and rebooting each time will eventually find the problematic service or application, the most efficient way to do this is to test half of them at a time, thus eliminating half of the items as the potential cause with each reboot of the computer. You can then repeat this process until you've isolated the problem. Here's how:
Reset the computer to start normally after clean boot troubleshootingAfter you finish troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start normally.
How to start the Windows Installer service when system services are not loadedIf you run a Setup program without starting the Windows Installer service, you might receive the following error message: The Windows Installer service could not be accessed. Contact your support personnel to verify that the Windows Installer service is properly registered. The Windows Installer service doesn't start if you clear the Load system services check box in the System Configuration utility. To use the Windows Installer service when system services are not loaded, start the service manually. Here's how:
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