What does BSOD 0xA8 (BOOTING_IN_SAFEMODE_MINIMAL) mean?

 
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BAD_EXHANDLE BOOTING_IN_SAFEMODE_NETWORK

BOOTING_IN_SAFEMODE_MINIMAL

Safe Mode minimal boot marker for BOOTING_IN_SAFEMODE_MINIMAL

BOOTING_IN_SAFEMODE_MINIMAL is bug check code 0x000000A8.

This value is a boot-state marker rather than an ordinary driver fault. It is useful in crash output because it tells you that the failing boot path had most third-party services and many nonessential drivers disabled.

How to read it in a dump

  • Interpret the crash in the context of Safe Mode minimal service set.
  • A failure here often narrows the suspect set to boot-critical drivers, core services, storage, graphics fallback, or security components.
  • Do not treat the marker itself as the root cause.

What to check

  • Compare normal boot, Safe Mode minimal, and Safe Mode with networking behavior.
  • Focus on boot-start drivers and services that still load in minimal mode.
  • Preserve boot logs because they show which drivers were included or skipped.

References


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