Tip #3357 - Last Known Good Configuration
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Q:
Please explain what the Last Known Good Configuration is. I'm not quite
understanding it.
A:
That is an excellent question and I'm so glad you asked! Chad (our tech
support guy) was telling me about this the other day and we both thought
it would be a very good idea to run a tip on it. Then I got this question
in my e-mail and I thought, "Perfect!" So, here it goes.
Let me first give
you a basic definition of this feature. I think that will really help
you begin to understand its concept. The Last Known Good Configuration
is basically a copy of a computer's hardware configuration and its driver
settings. It is taken from the system's registry readings when a computer
has a good, clean boot up. This copy is made for whenever a computer fails
to boot up successfully. When that happens, the system's operating system
is able to pull up the good copy and perform a successful startup.
The Last Known Good
Configuration feature is available for any Windows operating system from
NT on. Also, if your computer does happen to have some problems during
its boot up, Windows will detect that and it will actually add the copy
of your last successful boot to your startup menu. That way, you can go
and access it from that point and start your boot up correctly again.
This feature is mostly
helpful after new drivers or devices are installed on your system. If
either of those had an error while the install was in process, you can
still go back and get a clean boot. One more thing: Every time your computer
boots up correctly, the Last Known Good Configuration record is replaced
with the newest one. That way, you have the most recent successful boot
for your computer to start with.
Okay, so now that
all of that is out of the way, are you wondering how you can actually
use this on your own computer? I thought you might. For this, I'm going
to use an example. Let's say that you just installed a new driver on your
system. It seems like the installation was done right, but for some reason,
your computer will not start up like it usually does. Well, this is exactly
where the Last Known Good Configuration comes in handy.
To start your computer
using the Last Known Good Configuration that your computer has on record,
simply start up your computer like normal and when you see the "Please
select the operating system to start" message come up, hit
the F8 key on your keyboard. Next, the Windows
Advanced Options menu will appear and you can use your keyboard's
arrow keys to scroll down to the "Last Known Good Configuration
(your most recent settings that worked)" option. Once you've
got it highlighted, press Enter.
Your computer will
then boot up successfully and you'll be able to look into what caused
the problem in the first place. Now, keep in mind that the Last Known
Good Configuration feature does not automatically fix the problems you
were having. It will only get your computer started so you can troubleshoot
the rest of the problem on your own. Either way, it's an easy way to combat
your computer startup troubles. You can't complain about that, now can
you?!
~ Erin
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