Run Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode and Diagnostic Mode

Last updated on Apr 27, 2021

Occasionally, other programs and services running on your machine can conflict with Dreamweaver. This includes programs that you launch manually as well as programs that startup automatically and run in the background. To disable other programs, start your system in either Diagnostic Mode or Selective Startup Mode. If the problem does not occur in these alternate modes, then it's likely that another application which runs in Normal Mode is causing the conflict.

First, try to run Dreamweaver after exiting from all other programs.

Second, if exiting from all other programs doesn't solve the problem, then try one of the following alternate modes, depending on your operating system and version of Dreamweaver:

Try to run Dreamweaver in Diagnostic Startup Mode

(Dreamweaver 8 and earlier on Windows XP).
Try to run Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode

(Dreamweaver CS3 on Windows XP).
Try to run Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode

(Dreamweaver CS3 and 8 on Windows Vista).

Try to run Dreamweaver after exiting from all other programs

Save all data, close all open applications and disable utilities running in the background to determine if one is interfering with the operation of Dreamweaver.

Close all visible open documents and applications by selecting File > Exit.

Shut down all the programs you can from the notification area.

Exit from any remaining applications using the Applications tab in the Task Manager (accessible by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete).

Advanced users only: Stop any services that you are familiar with using the Services control panel. The following types of programs are sometimes setup to run as a service: anti-virus, spyware, remote control, web servers, application servers and database servers. To get to the Services control panel on Windows, right-click My Computer, select Manage from the context menu, then expand Services And Applications and select Services. The Services control panel is also available through Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services.

Shutting down programs in the notification area (system tray)

Locate the notification area (system tray) in the lower right corner of your screen on the taskbar.

Click the program's icon in the notification area to open its context menu. In some cases, the context menu appears with a right-click. In other cases, it appears with a left-click.

Choose the appropriate option to close each program, such as exit, close, or disable. The important things to disable temporarily here are anti-virus and personal firewall software.

Accessing the Task Manager dialog box to close applications

Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and click the Task Manager button. Select the Applications tab.

Select the application to close.

Click End Task for every item that would not close through the standard method of File > Exit.

After all programs have been closed or disabled using the notification area and Task Manager, launch Dreamweaver. If Dreamweaver launches and operates successfully when it had not previously, the problem is a conflict with some other program.

Isolating the program causing the problem

Restart the computer to reenable all programs.

Disable all programs except one, and try to launch Dreamweaver.

Repeat this procedure until the conflict is isolated.

Try to run Dreamweaver in Diagnostic Startup Mode (Dreamweaver 8 and earlier on Windows XP)

If you are running Windows XP, you can perform a clean boot (also known as starting in Diagnostic Startup Mode) which will disable nonessential startup programs and services. If the problem does not occur after a clean boot, then it's likely that another application which runs in Normal Mode is causing the conflict. See the Microsoft support site for information on how to isolate problematic programs and services.

Note: Make sure that your Windows account has administrative privileges before performing a clean boot. If you do not have administrative privileges, you may not be able to return to Normal Mode.

How to start in Diagnostic Startup Mode (Windows XP):

In Windows XP, click the Start button and select Run.

Type msconfig in the Open text field. This will bring up the System Configuration Utility dialog box.

Note: msconfig.exe is not installed on Windows 2000, however it is available for download on the Internet.

On the General tab, select Diagnostic Startup.

Cllick OK and restart your machine when prompted.

After restarting into Diagnostic Startup Mode, try to run Dreamweaver. If the problem isn't present, then there is a conflict with some other program or background service.

After testing Dreamweaver, run msconfig again and specify Normal Startup Mode.

Restart the machine back into Normal Startup Mode.

Try to run Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode (Dreamweaver CS3 on Windows XP)

If you are running Windows XP, you can start in Selective Startup Mode which will disable most nonessential startup programs and services. If Dreamweaver will not run as expected, then try running Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode. If the problem does not occur in Selective Startup Mode, then it's likely that another application which runs in Normal Mode is causing the conflict. See the Microsoft support site for information on how to isolate problematic programs and services.

Note: Make sure that your Windows account has administrative privileges before starting in Selective Startup Mode. If you do not have administrative privileges, you may not be able to return to Normal Mode.

How to start in Selective Startup Mode (Windows XP):

In Windows XP, click the Start button and select Run.

Type msconfig in the Open text field. This will bring up the System Configuration Utility dialog box.

On the General tab, select Diagnostic Startup. See the screen shot above.

Click the Services tab and enable FLEXnet Licensing Service.

Go back to the General tab. Selective Startup Mode should now be selected, since FLEXnet Licensing Service was enabled.

Click OK and restart your machine when prompted.

After restarting into Selective Startup Mode, try to run Dreamweaver. If the problem does not occur, then there is a conflict with some other program or background service.

After testing Dreamweaver, run msconfig again and specify Normal Startup Mode and restart.

Try to run Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode (Dreamweaver CS3 and 8 on Windows Vista)

If you are running Windows Vista, you can start in Selective Startup Mode, which will disable most nonessential startup programs and services. If Dreamweaver will not run as expected, then try running Dreamweaver in Selective Startup Mode. If the problem does not occur in Selective Startup Mode, then it's likely that another application which runs in Normal Mode is causing the conflict. See the Microsoft support site for information on how to isolate problematic programs and services.

How to start in Selective Startup Mode (Windows Vista):

In Windows Vista, click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.

This will bring up the System Configuration dialog box.

On the General tab, select Selective Startup.

Under Selective Startup, deselect the Load Startup Items checkbox.

Click the Services tab and click Disable All.

Reenable the following four services:

FLEXnet Licensing Service (required for Adobe CS3 activation)
Group Policy Client (required for Vista to start)
Plug and Play (required for Vista activation)
Task Scheduler (required for Vista to start)

Click Apply and then click OK. Restart Windows for the changes to take effect.

After restarting into Selective Startup Mode, try to run Dreamweaver. If the problem does not occur, then there is a conflict with some other program or background service.

After testing Dreamweaver, run msconfig again and specify Normal Startup Mode and restart.

Note: If you did not enable the Plug And Play service and you are asked to activate Vista while in Selective Startup Mode, restart your system in Safe Mode (toggle the F8 key as it's booting up), and then go back into msconfig and restart in Normal Mo

Additional information

For more information on Selective Startup Mode and Diagnostic Mode, see the following articles:

How to perform a clean boot procedure to prevent background programs from interfering with a game or a program that you currently use (Microsoft)
Run Selective Startup using System Configuration (Microsoft)
Using System Configuration (Microsoft)
How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP (Microsoft)
How to troubleshoot by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP (Microsoft)
Also, see the Windows help files and Microsoft support site

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