Windows 95 Defaults to Safe Mode Even After Successful Start

• Microsoft Windows 95
• Microsoft Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

When you start your computer, the Windows 95/98 Startup menu may appear, even though you do not press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message on a computer running Windows 95, or press and hold down the CTRL key as your computer starts on a computer running Windows 98. You may then receive the following message:

Warning: Windows did not finish loading on the previous attempt. Choose Safe mode, to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if Windows 95/98 was unable to delete the Wnbootng.sts file in the Windows folder the last time you started Windows 95/98. This file is created each time you start Windows 95/98, and is deleted after Windows 95/98 starts successfully.

If Windows 95/98 does not start successfully, the Wnbootng.sts file remains in the Windows folder and causes the message stated above to be displayed the next time you start Windows 95/98. If Windows 95/98 cannot remove the Wnbootng.sts file, the message appears each time you start Windows 95/98.

RESOLUTION

Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to delete the Wnbootng.sts file in the Windows folder, and then restart your computer.

If deleting this file does not resolve the issue, try the following steps.

NOTE: You must have a Windows 95/98 Startup disk to follow these steps. If you do not have a Startup disk, create one before following these steps. To create a Startup disk, double-click Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, click the Startup Disk tab, and then click Create Disk.

1. Type the following lines at a command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line

   attrib -s -h -r <drive>:\io.sys ren drive:\io.sys drive:\io.xxx

   where drive is your computer's physical boot disk.



2. Insert the Windows 95/98 Startup disk in drive A.



3. Type the following line, and then press ENTER

   a:\sys drive:

   where drive is your computer's physical boot disk.



4. Remove the Startup disk and then restart Windows 95/98.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about issues that can occur when you use the SYS command, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q149110 Cannot Start Windows 95 After Using the SYS Command

Keywords          : win95 winboot 
Version           : WINDOWS:95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb 

Last Reviewed: May 26, 1999