MSConfig
Encyclopedia
MSConfig is a system utility
to troubleshoot the Microsoft Windows
startup
process. It can disable or re-enable software, device driver
s and Windows service
s that run at startup, or change boot parameters.
It is bundled with all versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems since Windows 98
except Windows 2000
. Windows 95
and Windows 2000 users can download the utility as well, although it was not designed for them.
MSConfig also supports modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT
and CONFIG.SYS
(only on Windows 9x
) as well as WIN.INI
and SYSTEM.INI
(only on Windows 9x, Windows 2000 and Windows XP). The chief benefit of using MSConfig to edit these files is that it provides a simplified GUI to manipulate Windows configuration data.
Some of its functionality varies by Windows versions:
System utility
The system utility may be defined in terms of the satisfaction of the system stakeholders.- Actual Utility :The actual utility is the actual stakeholders' satisfaction....
to troubleshoot the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
startup
Booting
In computing, booting is a process that begins when a user turns on a computer system and prepares the computer to perform its normal operations. On modern computers, this typically involves loading and starting an operating system. The boot sequence is the initial set of operations that the...
process. It can disable or re-enable software, device driver
Device driver
In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device....
s and Windows service
Windows Service
On Microsoft Windows operating systems, a Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and which is designed not to require user intervention. Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system is booted and run in the background as long as...
s that run at startup, or change boot parameters.
It is bundled with all versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems since Windows 98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
except Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
. Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
and Windows 2000 users can download the utility as well, although it was not designed for them.
Features
MSConfig is a troubleshooting tool. The main function of MSConfig is to temporarily disable or re-enable software, device drivers or Windows services that run during startup process to help user decide the cause of problem.MSConfig also supports modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXEC.BAT
AUTOEXEC.BAT is a system file found originally on DOS-type operating systems. It is a plain-text batch file that is located in the root directory of the boot device...
and CONFIG.SYS
CONFIG.SYS
CONFIG.SYS is the primary configuration file for the DOS, OS/2 as well as similar operating systems. It is a special file that contains setup or configuration instructions for the computer system.- Usage :...
(only on Windows 9x
Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced since 1995, which were based on the original and later modified Windows 95 kernel...
) as well as WIN.INI
WIN.INI
WIN.INI is a basic INI file that was used in versions of the Microsoft Windows operating environment up to Windows 3.11 to store basic settings at boot time. By default, all font, communications drivers, wallpaper, screen saver, and language settings were stored in WIN.INI by Windows 3.x...
and SYSTEM.INI
SYSTEM.INI
SYSTEM.INI was an initialization used in early versions of Microsoft Windows to load device drivers and the default Windows shell , among other system settings. Many of these settings were honored in Windows 9x , although the INI files had begun to be phased out in favor of the Windows Registry...
(only on Windows 9x, Windows 2000 and Windows XP). The chief benefit of using MSConfig to edit these files is that it provides a simplified GUI to manipulate Windows configuration data.
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 driversVxDVxD is the device driver model used in Microsoft Windows/386, the 386 enhanced mode of Windows 3.x, Windows 9x, and to some extend also by the Novell DOS 7, OpenDOS 7.01, and DR-DOS 7.02 multitasker...
to be loaded at startup, the Environment tab allows users to enable or disable environment variableEnvironment variableEnvironment variables are a set of dynamic named values that can affect the way running processes will behave on a computer.They can be said in some sense to create the operating environment in which a process runs...
s, 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 UACUser Account ControlUser Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
. An update is available for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that adds the Tools tab. It also allows configuring various switches for Windows Boot Manager and Boot Configuration Data.