# I've messed up Windows and could use some help **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964 "2004-04-02T22:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marlow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Marlow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlow)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/1 "2004-04-02T22:08:48Z")
I was in my windows folder, and out of curiousity, I clicked on a file called “exit to DOS”. The file, true to its name, dumped me into dos. No big deal, but when I attempted to get back into windows, the machine restarted, and dumped me into dos again. So I shut it off, turned it back on, and once again, found myself in dos. If I start it up in safe mode, I can enter windows. I suspect that there’s an obvious and easy solution to my woes, but I don’t know of it. Dopers, please help me out! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/2 "2004-04-02T22:13:43Z")
Power down Boot up, holding down the \ key You should get a menu, asking which way you’d like Windows to start up - try ‘normal’, if that doesn’t work, try Safe Mode, then restart it again (i.e. start\>shut down) from there. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/3 "2004-04-02T22:20:35Z")
IIRC doing that does _not_ terminate Windows but rather starts the [Command.com](http://Command.com) under Windows and typing EXIT will return you to Windows which is still running in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/4 "2004-04-02T22:31:31Z")
Ack! I don’t know how I missed the entire second half od the OP, but sorry for suggesting something that you’ve clearly already tried. I have a couple of Win98 machines at work that are set up to boot directly into DOS mode every time; I can’t remember how I made them do that, but I’ll be back in a tick with another suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/5 "2004-04-02T22:34:00Z")
[Here](http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000132.htm) is how to make it boot into DOS; have a look in your MSDOS.sys file and see what value the BOOTGUI parameter is set to. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2004, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-messed-up-windows-and-could-use-some-help/237964/6 "2004-04-02T22:37:49Z")
In Windows9X, setting Bootmenu=1 in MSDOS.SYS brings up the F8 startup menu. Setting Bootmenu=0 gets rid of it. (Adding the line BootMenuDelay=(1-99) gives you a 1 to 99 second delay before it boots normally from the startup menu. For example BootMenuDelay=30 gives a 30 second delay.) Bootsafe=1/0 toggles forced safe mode bootup on/off Bootwarn=1/0 toggles safe mode warning plus menu.