Site menu:



Windows XP > Windows XP How To's


Disable Windows XP Startup Screen

By: Arie Slob

To disable the Windows XP Startup screen:

  1. Click Start, and right-click on My Computer
  2. From the menu choose Properties
  3. From System Properties, select the Advanced tab, and press the Settings button under the Startup and Recovery heading
  4. Click the Edit button and locate the line that loads Windows XP. To the end of that line add /sos, so it would look like this: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /sos
  5. Save your changes, and press OK (2x) to close the System Properties

Now when you start Windows, you will see some system messages, instead of the Windows XP logo.

Please note that if you want to use the Norton Protected Recycle Bin, you can't use this switch (/sos). See the Symantec Knowledge Base for more information.