Ok I need some serious help here...My Windows XP Safe Mode Will NOT start up. For some abnormal reason, Normal Mode is fine, but when I try to boot into safe mode the computer automatically restarts. Now I unchecked automatic restarts and so when I tried to boot into safe mode I got a stop error. IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL. The error also mentioned something about BIOS shadowing and memory caches...I didn't see any of that in my BIOS. Its a PheonixBIOS in an Emachines computer. Buy anyways, I tried clearing my ESCD...no go, I cleared my CMOS...no go, I have reformatted my comp with my restore discs (which as far as I can tell are Ghost images) and I installed Service Pack 2. I also pulled out each add on PCI card one by one while trying to boot my comp into safe mode in between each card...With all the PCI cards out and no third part hardware in there...it STILL did not work. Any help here would be too great, I'm not sure what else can be done. Thanks a lot!

Irq_not_less_or_equal is usually a memory problem. If you installed sp2 that is probably the problem. Control panel-add/remove and uninstall sp2.

Are you by any chance using Nero? I had this same problem (BSOD when trying to start any Safe Mode). I got a STOP: 0x0000000A error in Safe Mode, but was just fine in Normal. After scouring the net and MS knowledge base (which was of NO help), I found a couple of pages where they indicated Nero InCD 4.3.0.0 seemed to be the problem. I updated my InCD to 4.3.0.5, rebooted...and VOILA!!! Now I can get into safe mode again.