Deactivate a driver or service
A faulty driver or service can stop Windows from starting, for example with a blue screen right after a new driver was installed. O&O DriverManager and O&O ServiceManager change the startup type of drivers and services of the installation on the disk, so that the faulty one is not loaded at the next start. Both are views of the same program: O&O DriverManager opens with the drivers, O&O ServiceManager with the services.
Prerequisites: O&O BlueCon is started and the Windows installation is selected as the target system.
Deactivate a driver​
- Click Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > O&O DriverManager.
- Check the Target system: at the top. Change… selects another Windows installation.
- Find the driver: type part of its name, service name, description or file into Search: (Ctrl+F).
- Select the driver. To change several entries at once, select them all.
- Set Startup type: to Disabled in the details pane, or right-click the entry and choose Startup type > Disabled.
- Read the question and click Change.
- Close the program and restart the computer from its disk.
Deactivate a service​
- Click Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > O&O ServiceManager.
- Select the service and set its startup type to Disabled as described for drivers.
- Close the program and restart the computer from its disk.
Services and Drivers switch between the two lists in the same window (Ctrl+S and Ctrl+D). F5 reads the lists again.
Startup types​
| Startup type | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Boot | Loaded by the boot loader, for drivers needed to start Windows, such as storage drivers. Drivers only. |
| System | Loaded while Windows starts. Drivers only. |
| Automatic | Started automatically after the start. A service can also show delayed start or trigger start. |
| Manual | Started only on demand |
| Disabled | Not loaded |
Before every change, the program asks for confirmation. It warns when Windows loads the entry while it starts, and it lists the entries that need it (Required by:) and will not start either.
Do not deactivate drivers that Windows needs to start, such as the storage controller or system bus drivers. Windows then no longer starts at all.
Undo a change​
Each change keeps the previous registry file of the installation.
- Click Backups….
- Select the backup from before the change. Saved shows when it was made.
- Click Restore and confirm.
The current file is kept as a new backup, so you can undo the restore too.
Find drivers and services with a missing file​
Entries whose file no longer exists on the installation are marked in red, and the details pane says This file does not exist on the installation. The status bar counts them. Such entries often remain after an incomplete uninstallation and can cause errors at startup; deactivate them.
Next steps​
Read the event logs to find out which driver or service fails