One advanced startup feature that is available for troubleshooting purposes is Safe Mode Startup. If the computer will not start normally, use the Safe Mode advanced startup option. Enter safe mode by pressing the F8 key during the operating system selection phase. This will display a screen with advanced options for booting Windows 2000. If Safe Mode is selected, Windows 2000 loads and uses only basic files and drivers, including the mouse, VGA monitor, keyboard, mass storage, default system services, and no network connections (this is similar to Windows 9x Safe Mode). With Windows 2000, it is easy to recognize that one is working in Safe Mode, because the background will be black, and Safe Mode will appear in all four corners of the screen.

There are a couple of options when using the safe mode startup feature. When the F8 key is selected there will be a selection of safe mode options to choose. One of these is Safe Mode with Networking, which is identical to Safe Mode except that it adds the drivers and services necessary to enable networking to function when the computer is restarted. Another safe mode option is Safe Mode with Command Prompt, which is the same as Safe Mode except that when the computer restarts, it displays a command prompt.