What The Heck Is Msconfig?

Short for Microsoft System Configuration Utility, msconfig is a tool that helps troubleshoot problems with your PC. Found in Windows 98/98SE/Me/XP, msconfig lets you keep track of and control which applications and applets start automatically each time you turn on your computer. Typically, these programs load and run in the background: You may not even be aware of them. You need to know that lots of software seems to think it should run at startup, so it just stashes a file in there. But having all of those applets and programs starting up and running at the same time significantly impacts your PC's performance; it can slow down to a crawl or even start crashing frequently.

Msconfig also lets you troubleshoot computer problems by resetting or changing your computer's configuration settings or letting you restart your PC in Safe Mode. The good news is that you don't need most of the programs that clog the startup process, and msconfig gives you a safe way to turn them on and off at will, without interfering with your system's key functions.

At The Beginning

In order to use msconfig, you first have to know where to find it. Go to Start and then select Run. Type msconfig in the box that pops up, click OK, and you gaze upon the System Configuration Utility. Now click the Startup tab. A list of all the programs that automatically load and run every time you turn on your PC shows up. A few of them are absolutely crucial, especially if you like your PC to work properly. The others just take up memory—worse, some of them may be associated with computer viruses. The only startup items you must have are ScanRegistry, TaskMonitor, SystemTray, LoadPowerProfile, and whatever antivirus programs you have installed. And actually, LoadPowerProfile isn't absolute. (It's kind of like what you learned about vowels in school: a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes LoadPower Profile.) You might find that you don't have LoadPower Profile, or you might have two. The lesson here is this: If you have any of the five aforementioned files, don't uncheck them.

Translation, Please

If you look at your list of startup items, you'll see that they are, for the most part, cryptically named. It's not very easy to tell what they do or what program they're affiliated with. For example, 3c1807pd is a file associated with a 3Com WinModem driver: Who knew? As a rule, the smart policy is: When in doubt, keep it. If you start disabling items without knowing what they do, you'll more than likely end up with a beige planter instead of a computer.

Fortunately, there's a great Web site (http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php) run by an English fellow named Paul Collins (aka Pacman) that provides the most extensive, up-to-date list of startup items imaginable (4,591 at press time). The site tells you the name of the item and what it does, and it also provides a key to tell you whether it's a must-have, not required, neutral, definitely not required, or unknown file. It also provides a list of nasty bugs that can lodge themselves into your startup file, a useful tool to help you route them out of your PC. Download the list (it's available in a compressed file) so you can keep it handy, but whatever you do, don't print it out. It's more than 250 pages long. You'll find the Programs section listed about halfway down the page.

Now that you're armed with Pacman's list, you can go into msconfig to vanquish all of the unnecessary or harmful items in your startup file. Just uncheck the boxes next to the items you don't want. Remember, though, to only turn off items you can identify and don't need to have running all of the time. If you don't know what the item is, leave it alone. After you've made your changes, click the OK button. A pop-up message reminds you that you have to restart the computer in order for the changes to take effect. Getting rid of the unnecessary startup items will help your PC start more quickly, run more smoothly, and crash less often.

Troubleshooting With Msconfig

Msconfig comes in handy when you have to deal with startup problems, recurring error messages, and applications or hardware that won't work properly, to name a few examples. If your PC won't boot into Windows, much less let you access msconfig, don't panic. You can restart you PC in Safe Mode, a condition in which only the most basic WinMe drivers load and run, including the standard VGA (Video Graphics Array) display driver. Once in Start Mode, you can access msconfig just as you would normally. To start WinMe in Safe Mode, hold down the CTRL or F8 key while you restart your PC. When you see the WinMe Startup menu, select Safe Mode.

Frequently, some odd little program you don't even need running is causing the problem. Once in msconfig, go to the Startup tab and methodically disable the noncritical startup items. Do one at a time, restarting your PC between each item, using a process of elimination to isolate the file that's causing the problem. For example, if you get an error message every time you start your PC, follow the process of elimination and chances are quite good that you'll find that one of the startup items is the culprit.

Call For Backup

Before you begin any kind of troubleshooting, make sure you familiarize yourself with the System Restore utility. System Restore automatically monitors all of your computer's vital Windows system files and the Registry. By creating restore points, System Restore lets you roll back your computer to the moment in time when it last worked correctly. The utility does not keep tabs on files that you create, such as files that end with .DOC, .XLS, or .TXT file extensions. It's meant to protect the files that allow your PC to run smoothly (or at all), files that end with .EXE, .VXD, .DLL, or .SYS file extensions. Even though System Restore creates automatic restore points, you need to manually create a restore point prior to making changes with msconfig.

To start and use System Restore, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools and then click System Restore. The first time you set up System Restore, you'll see two options on the Welcome page: Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time and Create A Restore Point. Click Create A Restore Point and then click Next. Enter the description of your restore point and click Next. Click OK or Home.

If you make changes, and your computer becomes unstable as a result, you can go back in time and restore your system. To do so, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools, and then click System Restore. Click Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time. Click Next, and a calendar will appear. Using the calendar, select the restore date you want to roll back to. Click Next. You'll be prompted to close down all applications before finishing the Restore process, and then the computer will restart. After your computer restarts, you'll see a confirmation screen. Click OK, and you're done.