What is a clean boot?

A clean boot is a troubleshooting technique that involves starting a computer with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs to help determine if a software conflict is causing issues with the system.

During a clean boot, only essential system services and drivers are loaded, bypassing any non-essential programs or services that may be causing problems. This can help to isolate the issue and determine the cause of issues such as crashes, slow performance, or other problems with the computer.

To perform a clean boot on a Windows computer, you can use the System Configuration utility (msconfig) to selectively disable startup items and services. This allows you to start the computer with a minimal configuration and then gradually enable services and programs until you identify the one causing the issue.

A clean boot can be a helpful troubleshooting step when dealing with software conflicts or performance issues on a computer. It can help to pinpoint the cause of problems and allow you to take appropriate action to resolve them.