Learning to use Msconfig. What is msconfig, how to run it in Windows, configure it correctly, and what can it do? How to enable system configuration on windows 7

msconfig is a configuration tool operating system Windows. The main purpose of this program is to find and isolate OS problems. msconfig is an additional tool for identifying problems that may prevent Windows from starting normally. Using the utility, you can disable regular services and automatically loaded programs, and then enable them one by one in sequence. If a problem occurs after you enable a particular service, that service may be the source of the problem.

Windows msconfig utility window

Running msconfig in Windows 7 in different ways

There are several options for launching the settings utility, but not all of them are equally practical. The first one is the simplest and fastest.

Method 1

Open Start and in the search input line type msconfig. The search results will display the desired utility, and run it.

Method 2

Open Start - All programs. In the folder Service or Standard open command line.

A window with a black background will open. Enter msconfig and press Enter.

Method 3

Open Start and select the button Run.

In the window that opens, enter msconfig and press the button OK or Enter on keyboard.

Method 4

The longest way to open the utility is to find it yourself in the location folder. Go to directory:
C:\Windows\System32
And find the file in it msconfig.exe to run.

The System Configuration program (also known as msconfig.exe) is used to manage system boot, program startup, and services (services). On the General tab, you can select the type of system startup.

  • Normal start - will suit in most cases, is used by default. All device drivers are loaded, all services and programs are launched (from autorun).
  • Diagnostic startup - only the main drivers are loaded and the main services are started, programs are not automatically loaded.
  • Selective launch - here you can choose what to download.

Now go to the Downloads tab. On this tab, you will see a list of installed operating systems, more precisely, a list of Windows versions (if several versions of Windows are installed on the computer), you will not see other operating systems, such as Linux, in this list.

The Advanced Options button allows you to set additional options for the selected operating system. For example, set the maximum number of processors used, select the maximum memory.

The Use by default button in the System Configuration window allows you to set the selected operating system as the system that will boot by default after the number of seconds specified in the Timeout field.

The Remove button allows you to remove the selected operating system, but you cannot remove the default boot OS.

    But using the Boot Options group of parameters, you can select the type of safe mode and additional options:
  • Without GUI - download without GUI (command line);
  • Boot log - the system will keep a boot log, which will be saved to the C:BOOTLOG.TXT file;
  • Basic video - the maximum screen resolution will be 640x480 (useful if there is a problem with the video card driver);
  • OS Information - additional information about the operating system will be displayed.
    As for safe mode, you can choose from the following options:
  • Minimal - minimal Windows boot, usually this mode is most suitable for restoring the OS;
  • Different shell - an alternate shell will be used. Instead of Explorer, a command prompt with administrator rights will be launched. This mode should not be confused with No GUI mode. In this mode, the graphics subsystem will be loaded, which will allow you to run graphical applications through the command line, but Windows Explorer will not be loaded.
  • Active Directory recovery - Active Directory recovery mode;
  • Network - safe mode with loading network drivers (network will be supported).

The parameters you have chosen are saved for exactly one reboot. Starting from the second reboot (after setting the parameters), the default parameters will be used. If you want to save your changes, check the box next to Make these boot options persistent (you have to be sure what you're doing, because for normal Windows boot you usually don't need to change anything on this tab).

The Services tab allows you to enable/disable system services (services). Disabling services is a responsible task (it is important not to disable the service, without which then half of the system will not work), so we will look at services in detail in the chapter, and the msconfig program is not as convenient as the services.msc snap-in.

Automatically launched programs are "registered" in the HKLM/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run registry key or in the HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run key. Using the registry editor to disable startup programs is not very convenient (although this is not for everyone), so you can use the msconfig program.

The msconfig program is also convenient in that it allows you to disable the autorun of a program, even if the latter is "registered" not in the registry, but in the Startup program group (Start => All Programs => Startup).

So in any case, the msconfig program is more convenient to use than the registry editor (namely, for editing autorun).

It remains to consider the Service tab. Here you can run various utility programs. Simply select a program from the list and click the Start button. It makes no sense to list the programs, since each program has a brief description opposite it.

System Configuration is an application included in the Windows operating system and designed to configure the system startup. Also, entering the system configuration is used for troubleshooting due to which the system does not start correctly.

How to call the system configuration

You can start the system configuration in several ways.

Through execute msconfig

You can open the system configuration using the msconfig command, and for this we launch the Run application by simultaneously pressing the WIN + R keys on the keyboard.

You can use the msconfig command in Windows 10 to enter the system configuration

A window will open called Run in which the msconfig command is entered, and in order to start msconfig, you must click the OK button.

Via Control Panel

You can access the system configuration through the Control Panel. We launch the Control Panel and in it we open the category System and Security and in it we find and click on the item Administrative Tools.


Through Administration, you can enter the Windows 7 system configuration

A window called Administration will open.


Windows 10 system configuration is launched through the Control Panel

In this window we find the item System Configuration and open it. Hover over this item and press the right mouse button, and then select the Open item in the context menu that opens.

Configuring the Windows System

The system configuration consists of 5 tabs called General, Boot, Services, Startup, Service.

Are common

On the first tab of the system configuration, the options for starting the system are displayed. To know which launch to choose in the system configuration, consider them in more detail. There are three startup options in the general system configuration.


Windows 7 system configuration setup

Normal startup

If you select a normal startup in the system configuration, then all programs that are on autorun will be launched along with the computer and all Windows applications. After installing the system, it is best to switch from this mode to the Selective startup mode so that only the programs, applications and Windows services you choose will start with the system.

Diagnostic run

This startup will only start core Windows applications and services. This method is not recommended for inexperienced users, since not everyone knows how to start the necessary services if necessary. Starting the computer in this mode may turn off the services and applications that you will need to return to normal or selective mode, and for you you will need to start them to correct the system configuration.

Selective launch

This launch will only launch core applications and services, as well as the applications, services, and programs you select.

loading

This tab in System Configuration Boot displays all installed systems on your computer, and the current and downloaded ones are marked by default.


Where to find the system configuration

On this tab, you can set the Safe Mode option so that after rebooting the computer starts in safe mode. Safe Mode can be started in four ways.

Minimum

In this mode, the system will start only the necessary system services, without access to the Internet.

Another shell

In this mode, the command line will open and the necessary system services will start, without access to the Internet.

Restoring the Active Directory Service

In this mode, the system will start only the necessary system services and the Active Directory service.

Net

In this mode, the system will start only the necessary system services and give access to the Internet.

Also on this tab, by checking the box next to the desired item, you can disable or enable:

  • No GUI - screen off hello windows. This item is recommended to be disabled in the system configuration.
  • Boot log - will save all information about system boot to the % SystemRoot% Ntbtlog.txt file.
  • Basic Video - Will boot system with minimal VGA settings instead of video adapter drivers
  • Information about the OS - when the system starts, all the names of the drivers that are starting will be displayed on the screen.

Also on this tab you can open additional window by clicking the Advanced Options button.


In system configuration the number of processors in msconfig which gives

In the window that opens, called Advanced Boot Options, you can set some options.

  • Number of processors - indicates how many processors should be used at system startup.
  • Maximum memory - indicates the maximum amount of physical memory that should be used at the next system startup. Since the system itself uses the maximum memory by default, it is not recommended to set the maximum memory msconfig is reset and sets no more than 4 GB.
  • PCI Lockdown - Disables I/O resource reallocation and IRQ interrupts on the local PCI bus, while the BIOS persists.
  • Debugging - Enables global kernel-mode ports debugging options.

Services

This tab displays all Windows services and their status, i.e. whether they are running or not.


Where is the Windows 7 system configuration

Not everything can be disabled in the system configuration, since without some Microsoft services the system simply cannot work. In order to know for sure in the system configuration the services that can be disabled, you need to check the box Do not display Microsoft services and then services that can definitely be disabled will be displayed.

Autoload

This tab displayed all the programs that automatically started with the system.


How to enter system configuration Windows 10

Starting with the Windows 8 operating system, for convenience, startup has been moved from the system configuration to the Task Manager.

Service

This tab displays a list of applications that run at system startup.


How to open system configuration Windows 10

Each application has a brief description of what it is for, and you can also see where this application is located. After selecting the required application, you can launch it by clicking on the Launch button and it will open.

Windows 7 msconfig utility - how to log in in this operating system, as well as in Windows 8.10?

Msconfig is a utility whose main purpose is to configure the startup of the Windows operating system of various versions. More specifically, this program allows you to search for and then fix OS problems. That is, the msconfig utility discussed in this article is one of the additional tools used to detect problems that may prevent Windows from starting normally.

What are the features of the utility?

Using msconfig, it becomes possible to disable regular services and automatically loaded programs, and then enable them one at a time. In this way, it is possible to determine the source of the problem, which is revealed after the activation of a particular service.

Various launch optionsmsconfig vWindows 7. How to enter?

There are several ways to launch the utility, and in each case there are advantages and disadvantages.

Option number 1

You need to click on the Start menu tab and type msconfig in the search bar. The search result will give the desired utility, which you just need to activate. And that's it. The easiest way.

- a few clicks will be enough

Option number 2. Launch from command line.

Click on the Start tab - go to all programs. Then open the folder, then click on the command line.

A black window appears, after which you need to enter msconfig. Press the Enter key.

Option number 3

Open the Start menu and click on the Run button (pressing Win+R will do the same).

In the window that appears, specify msconfig and press the OK button (you can Enter on the keyboard, no difference).

Option number 4

It is rarely used due to its complexity. But you need to know about it. This method involves an independent search for the utility in the location folder. You will need to go to the directory:

C:\Windows\System32

You will need to find the msconfig.exe file in it, and then activate it.

All of the above methods are valid for all latest versions Windows, which also have additional options for msconfig Windows how to log in.

Activationutilities vWindows 8

Click on the Start tab, after that - in the search field, enter masconfig and click "inter".

VWindows 10

In this case, it will be enough to enter “System Configuration” in the search bar and make a choice in favor of the classic “System Configuration” application.

How to use the utilitymsconfig?

After you activate the utility, you will be taken to a menu consisting of five tabs.

Are common:

Pay attention to the "General" tab - it is possible to choose the type of OS launch:


In this tab, you can specify the options for loading the operating system, as well as their order, if there are several. There is an option to use monitoring the boot log, choosing to boot without a GUI, etc. By clicking on the “Advanced Options” tab, the user enters a special menu that allows you to specify the number of processors used by the system, maximum memory, and many other parameters that you need to know when working .

Tabs where you can change the number of operating system items that are loaded, such as services and software.

The Startup tab is not available on versions of Windows 8 and above. She "moved" to the task manager.

conclusions

The functionality of the msconfig utility in question makes it possible to carry out repairs and ongoing adjustment of the work of various operating systems - Windows 7/8/10 with high efficiency. Moreover, this program allows you to independently set startup criteria, test the functioning of system services and applications, and perform full PC administration.

Another important point is that the msconfig utility can be launched without problems using a variety of methods - the simplest and most convenient of them are described above. So the msconfig application can be safely called a convenient and useful tool "in the hands" of a competent user. If you are still not familiar with this utility, then mastering working with it is quite simple - this will allow you to solve many issues. Moreover, the proposed article details all the points that you need to know when working with the msconfig utility - paying attention to the screenshots and strictly following the recommendations, you can deal with this program in a short time.

Sooner or later, Seven users are faced with the need to use a diagnostic tool called System Configuration. Let's look at how to enter msconfig in Windows 7, what this tool is and when to use it.

Msconfig is a diagnostic utility designed to configure the system, manage its startup, and diagnose when a service or driver is not running.

The "General" tab allows you to select the option to start the operating system for a wide range of tasks, in particular, troubleshooting serious problems.

  • launching the operating system, which is loaded by default if there are several of them installed on the PC;
  • selection of additional options: safe mode (useful if Windows does not start at all), displaying the boot log;
  • setting a timer before automatic OS selection.

"Services" - you can disable the launch of system and third-party services in case of problems with their functioning or to save computer resources. How to properly configure services in Windows 7,

"Service" - allows you to quickly call up other tools for fine-tuning the system:

  • "Resource Monitor";
  • "Command line";
  • "Registry Editor";
  • Support Center and many others.

Additional options allow you to allocate a certain amount of memory for the next start of the computer, specify the number of virtual / physical cores used for this, perform debugging and block PCI. If everything is clear with the rest of the options, then you should learn more about what PCI blocking is and why it is better not to touch it.
After blocking the PCI bus, the OS will no longer manage interrupts on it and the input and output resources of the bus, as a result, in most cases, the Seven will not start. To fix the situation, you will have to boot into safe mode and remove the checkmark next to this option.


Calling msconfig in Windows 7 via command interpreter

The easiest way to open the system configuration in Windows 7 is to run the "msconfig" command. To do this, you can use the command interpreter, the search line "Start" and command line. Let's start in order.

To run the configurator, first of all, you need to have administrator rights in the system or work under the appropriate account

  1. We call "Start" and click on the button "Run" or press Win + R.
  1. In the dialog that appears, enter "msconfig" and press Enter.

The command can also be run in the search bar.

  1. In the black window, enter "msconfig" or "msconfig.exe" and press Enter.

Direct file access

Since msconfig in Windows 7 is an application, then it can be run without shortcuts and command line.

  1. We call "Explorer" by clicking on the "My Computer" directory or by pressing the key combination Win + R.
  1. Open the "Windows" folder on the system drive.

This is usually the "C:\" drive, but to avoid confusion, you can enter "%windir%" in the address bar of "Explorer" or the command interpreter.

The same command can also be run in a shell window with the same result.

  1. Go to the "system32" directory.
  1. We find and run the file "msconfig.exe" by double clicking, through context menu or by highlighting it and pressing Enter .

Administration

There are longer ways to get to the desired menu. Let's consider how to enter the system configuration through one of the elements of the "Control Panel".

  1. Open the "Control Panel" in a convenient way.
  1. If its elements are not grouped into categories, we call "Administration".

In the case of grouping, open the "System, Security" group.