If you have installed a new piece of hardware that has caused an error, the simplest thing to do is turn the computer off and physically remove the offending hardware. If this is not possible, the next best thing is disable the hardware device in safe mode, rendering it non-existent as far as Vista is concerned.

To disable a device in Windows Vista safe mode:

Open the 'start' menu and right-click on 'computer'. Select 'properties'. Click 'device manager' in the left-hand pane.

Locate the hardware you want to disable. Network connection hardware is stored in the 'network adapters' section, for example.

To disable a device, right click on it and choose 'disable'.

'Roll back' faulty drivers

Faulty or incompatible driver installations are a primary source of software problems in Windows Vista. This is hardly surprising given the relative newness of the operating system, but they can cause huge headaches for users. Fortunately, using Windows Vista safe mode in conjunction with the 'roll back driver' option that Vista supports allows you to easily correct driver issues without too much frustration.

By default, Vista keeps a record and copy of each new driver you install, and its previous versions. You can 'roll back' to an older version of a given driver at any time by using the Vista device manager applet. If you have just installed a new driver and your system is now either refusing to boot normally or acting very strange when it does, here are the steps you need to take.

To roll back a device driver in Windows Vista safe mode:

Open the 'start' menu and right-click on 'computer.' Select 'manage'. In the computer management window, Click on 'device manager' in the left-hand pane.

The right-hand pane shows a list of the hardware devices present in your computer, each associated with a software driver that allows the computer to use that device. Expand the correct category for your device (video cards will be in 'display adapters', network cards in 'network adapters', sound cards in 'sound, video and game controllers', etc.).

Right click on the device that you would like to revert to a previous driver. Choose 'properties'.

Now click the 'driver' tab and choose the 'roll back driver' option. When asked to confirm, click 'yes'. Your driver version will be reverted to the previous installed driver. Attempt to reboot normally to test the fix.

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