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Question

Difficulty: EasyTroubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

A user installed an unverified device driver on a Windows 10 desktop. Upon restarting, the computer displays a stop error (blue screen) during startup and continuously reboots before reaching the sign-in screen. Which of the following is the BEST option for the technician to select in the Startup Settings menu to troubleshoot and remove the faulty driver?

  1. Enable Safe ModeAnswer
  2. B
    Execute bootrec /fixmbr from the Windows Recovery Environment
  3. C
    Open Event Viewer in administrative tools to review system crash logs
  4. D
    Rebuild the Boot Configuration Data store using bootrec /rebuildbcd

Answer

Enabling Safe Mode allows the operating system to start with standard default drivers, bypassing the corrupted third-party driver so it can be uninstalled.
Booting into Safe Mode loads Windows with a minimal driver set. Because the third-party driver is not loaded during Safe Mode, the operating system can boot successfully, enabling the technician to access Device Manager and uninstall or roll back the corrupted driver.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cause of the startup crash
Recognize that a newly installed driver is causing Windows to crash during early boot driver initialization.
Third-party drivers loaded during normal boot can trigger kernel-mode stop errors if incompatible.
2
Select the appropriate recovery environment option
Boot into Safe Mode via Advanced Startup Options.
Safe Mode loads only core system files and basic drivers, keeping third-party device drivers disabled.
3
Remediate the driver issue
Access Device Manager or Programs and Features to uninstall or roll back the driver.
Removing the faulty driver restores the system to a clean boot state.

Key Concept

Safe Mode Boot Troubleshooting for Driver Conflicts
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Topics

Troubleshooting Windows OS Startup and Boot Errors

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