Showing posts with label How to use MSCONFIG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How to use MSCONFIG. Show all posts

Friday, January 23, 2009

MSCONFIG in Windows XP

How to use MSCONFIG in Windows XP
Here is how to use MSCONFIG in Windows XP to disable some of the unnecessary programs that automatically load on start-up. Disabling these programs will help your computer boot faster and crash less.

1.In Windows XP, go to Start > Run
2.Type MSCONFIG in the "Open:" box and then either press enter on your keyboard or click on the OK button.
3.This launches Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab (the tab at the far right).
4.This takes you to a page with a list of "startup items." Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are absolutely necessary, others are simply a waste of RAM.
In Windows XP, all of Windows' essential programs are loaded through something called "Windows Services." This means that most of the startup items you see in XP are completely optional and can be turned off. However, a good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.
Here's a good example. On my computer I have a mess of MP3s and I listen to those MP3s with a program called WinAmp. For some reason or other, WinAmp decided that it should always be running on my computer even when I am not using the program. That's silly. To prevent WinAmp from automatically starting every time I boot my computer, I ran MSCONFIG and unchecked "WinampAgent." That's it.
Remember, disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.
5. Click on the OK button.
6. A message will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer before these changes will take effect. Click on "Yes" and your computer will automatically reboot.
7. That's it! Your computer should now boot faster and crash less.
And if you ever want to turn on any of the startup items you disabled with MSCONFIG, just run MSCONFIG again

USE OF MSCONFIG

How to use MSCONFIG
Built into Windows is a special tool called the "Microsoft System Configuration Utility" or simply "MSCONFIG." Designed to help you troubleshoot problems with your computer, MSCONFIG can also be used to ensure that your computer boots faster and crashes less.
Most people know that the more programs you have running on your computer at once, the more likely it is that your computer will either run slowly or even crash. What most people don't know is that every time you boot your computer a whole mess of "hidden" programs load in the background. Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't. Turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

Features
Some of its functionality varies by Windows versions:
In Windows 98 and Windows Me, it can configure advanced troubleshooting settings pertaining to these operating systems. It can also launch common system tools.
In Windows 98, it can back up and restore startup files.
In Windows Me, it has also been updated with three new tabs called "Static VxDs", "Environment" and "International". The Static VxDs tab allows users to enable or disable static virtual device drivers to be loaded at startup, the Environment tab allows users to enable or disable environment variables, and the International tab allows users to set international language keyboard layout settings that were formerly set via the real-mode MS-DOS configuration files. A "Cleanup" button on the "Startup" tab allows cleaning up invalid or deleted startup entries.
In Windows Me and Windows XP versions, it can restore an individual file from the original Windows installation set.
On Windows NT-based operating systems prior to Windows Vista, it can set various BOOT.INI switches.
In Windows XP and Windows Vista, it can hide all operating system services for troubleshooting.
In Windows Vista and later, the tool gained additional support for launching a variety of tools, such as system information, other configuration areas, such as Internet options, and the ability to enable/disable UAC. An update is available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that adds the Tools tab. Under Windows Vista, it allows configuring various switches for Windows Boot Manager and Boot Configuration Data.