Description of MSCONFIG
Here is an overview of what is in MSCONFIG in Windows XP
The following is the available tabs in MSCONFIG. Click on the one you want information on.
The General Tab allows you to control the overall operation of MSCONFIG. You can enable and disable sections of the startup process. There is three settings under the General tab. Click on the one you want information on.
Here is a description of the settings
This is the default setup. It allows Windows to load and run all the drivers, services, and programs that typically load and run at startup.
This setting tells Windows to load drivers and services needed to get to the desktop. Any non-essential services and drivers are not loaded, and no startup services are run. Diagnostic Startup is often the fastest way to rule out startup problems arising from missing, corrupt, or improperly configured essential services or drivers. Diagnostic Startup is functionally equivalent to Selective Startup with all the options disabled.
Selective Startup allows you to selectively enable and disable various phases of the startup process. It is useful mainly in determining which phase of the startup process is loading the driver or service causing problems. Selective Startup has its own sub-categories.
- Process SYSTEM.INI file - This option (used in conjunction with WIN.INI) is useful in helping to determine if an older startup application or service is causing problems.
- Process WIN.INI file - This option (used in conjunction with SYSTEM.INI) is useful in determining if an older startup application or service is causing problems.
- AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS - These options are available for Windows 98 and Windows Me only. These options will generally be unchecked.
- Load Startup Items (Group) - This option is useful in determining if one of the programs Windows starts during the boot process that is causing problems.
- Use Original BOOT.INI and Use Modified BOOT.INI - These buttons allow you to toggle between using the original BOOT.INI tab of MSCONFIG. This is useful in determining if the startup problem is related to the BOOT.INI, and for toggling back and forth between various BOOT.INI configurations during troubleshooting. (This option is not available in Windows 98 or Windows Me)
- Launch System Restore - This button launches the System Restore utility. (This option is not available in Windows 98 and is found at a different location in Windows Me) Click here for information on using System Restore.
- Expand File - This button launches a dialog that allows you to expand a file from the Windows Installation CD. Its main use is to restore files that have been deleted or corrupted.
The SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI tabs apply to the 16-bit subsystem of Windows. Generally these settings only have to be changed when configuring older 16-bit applications. Windows maintains these files strictly for backwards compatibility with older applications. Generally, if you suspect a problem with either of these two files, consider disabling the processing of these files on the General tab.
The BOOT.INI file controls how Windows XP boots up. This tab provides a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for editing the BOOT.INI file. The top portion of this window shows the text of the BOOT.INI file with the current operating system highlighted. All changes made in this pane will affect the operating system highlighted. The bottom portion of this pane is where all the configuration changes to the BOOT.INI can be made. (This option is not available in Windows 98 or Windows Me)
Below is the listing of items available.
· Check All Boot Paths - This button will check the boot paths for all operating systems listed in the BOOT.INI to ensure they point to a valid operating system.
· Set as Default - This button will make the currently selected operating system in BOOT.INI the default operating system to load at boot time.
· Move Up - This button will move the currently selected operating system up in the list of available operating systems.
· Move Down - This button will move the currently selected operating system down in the list of available operating systems.
· Boot Options - This section allows you to select various boot options for the currently selected operating system. Below is a list and short explanation of each of the options available.
· /SAFEBOOT - This option tells Windows XP to boot into safe mode. Safeboot has its own options as well.
· MINIMAL - This is the default option. It tells the system to boot into normal Safe Mode.
· NETWORK - This option tells the system to boot into Safe Mode with Networking Support mode.
· DSREPAIR - This option is for repairing Active Directory controllers.
· MINIMAL (ALTERNATESHELL) - This option tells Windows XP to boot into Safe Mode Command Prompt mode.
· /NOGUIBOOT - This option tells Windows XP to not use the splash screen at startup. It is mainly useful in conjunction with other boot options; by itself it means the screen will just be blank until you get to the login screen.
· /BOOTLOG - This option tells Windows XP to log everything it does during the boot process to the c:\windows\ntbtlog.txt file. This can be useful for diagnosing startup problems by seeing exactly where the boot process is hanging.
· /BASEVIDEO - This option forces Windows XP to use the VGA driver for video instead of whatever enhanced driver is installed on the system. This switch is useful in troubleshooting video driver problems, as the VGA driver is extremely simple and well-tested.
· /SOS - This option tells Windows XP to display the drivers it is loading as it loads them. It also forces Windows XP to check the file system during boot for problems.
· Advanced Options This allows you to set various advanced boot options for Windows XP. These options are not generally used.
· Timeout - This allows you to set the timeout (in seconds) that Windows XP will wait before booting the default entry in the BOOT.INI.
The Services tab allows you to selectively enable and disable the various services that Windows XP provides. Services are specialized applications that provide important functionality for the Windows XP operating system. For example, the Clipboard is a service, as are themes, most file and print sharing, and parts of TCP/IP.
Services generally load before you log into the Windows Desktop, so they can be a source of potential problems that may prevent you from being able to log on. (This option is not available in Windows 98 or Windows Me.)
Below is a listing of what the Services tab provides
- A complete list of available services for the system is displayed. This list of services contains all the services available, whether or not they are running. These services are broken down by Service name, whether or not the services is Essential, the Manufacturer of the service, and the Status of the service, such as "running."
- Hide all Microsoft Services - This check box allows you to hide all the Microsoft-provided services. This allows you to quickly disable all third-party services without affecting the Microsoft services.
- Enable All - This button allows you to quickly enable all the visible services.
- Disable All - This button allows you to quickly disable all the services.
NOTE: Never disable Remote Procedure Call and Remote Procedure Call Locator. Windows will not allow you to disable these services here, as they provide the framework that the rest of the services are built on. In addition, the Plug and Play service should not be disabled if you need to work with the Device Manager. The Device Manager relies upon the Plug and Play service to manage the hardware.
The Startup tab contains a list of all the programs that automatically run whenever you log into the computer. It allows you to selectively enable and disable individual items, which can be useful in tracking down problems that occur after you login.
Below is a list of what the Startup tab provides:
- A list of startup items that run whenever you log into the system. These items are broken down by the name of the Startup Item, the Command which implements this startup item, and the Location the startup item is run from (usually a registry location)
- Enable All - This button allows you to enable all the disabled items at once.
- Disable All - This button allows you to disable all the items at once.
Additional information
By selectively disabling programs that load during the Windows startup process, it is possible to determine which program is causing problems.
Some programs, applications, and utilities add commands that cause parts of the program to load automatically every time Windows is started. MSCONFIG makes it possible to selectively disable the automatic loading of those programs.
NOTE: When changes are made with MSCONFIG, Windows will notify you of the changes made every time you reboot the computer. To prevent Windows from notifying you of these changes, click to select the check box provided that will hide this notice.