Use The MSConfig Utility To Give Your PC A Performance Boost
Posted: Saturday, April 24, 2010
by Scott Drinkard
The Computer Guy
Many software vendors add their programs to Windows startup group so that their application will start and run automatically every time you start your computer. In some cases this is a very desirable function, such as with firewalls, antivirus programs and the like. Most of the time though, it's more of a waste of system resources than it's worth. Many of these auto-start entries are left over from programs that you may have installed at some point, but you no longer use. Others may have been installed by the manufacturer of your PC during production and you have no idea what they are or what they do.
Starting with Windows 98, Microsoft includes a little known utility called MSConfig that can make managing these startup entries a snap. Oddly, Windows 2000 did not include the MSConfig utility (Sorry, Win2000 people). All other versions of Windows, from Windows 98 through Windows 7 do have the utility.
Now, deciding which startup entries to keep and which ones to disable is largely a matter of personal preference. I don't like unnecessary drag on my PCs performance so the only entries that I leave enabled are the security related ones. Some people like to leave others enabled such as Instant Messaging apps, software updater utilities and such but I choose to forgo these in favor of system performance. You don't have to worry about making a mistake though, because with this handy little app you can re-enable things just as easily as you disable them. If you don't know what something is, you can safely disable it and give your PC a test drive. If it turns out to be something you need after all, simply fire up MSConfig and re-enable it. No harm, no foul.
To use MSConfig, do the following:
1. Click on the Start button
2. In the 'Run' box, type "msconfig" (without the quotes). For Vista and Windows 7 users, you will type "msconfig" in the 'Search programs and files' box.
3. You will then be presented with the System Configuration utility. At the top you will notice several tabs. We are only interested in the tab labeled 'Startup'. DO NOT change any of the settings under any other tabs. Those functions can be handy, but they can also be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I'll discuss them in another article.
4. Click on the Startup tab and you will be presented with a list of programs and apps that are set to run automatically every time you boot your PC. If you see a check-mark next to an item, that means it is enabled.
5. To disable an item, simply click to remove the check-mark next to that item. usually, you can get an idea of what the item is by looking at the columns labeled 'Manufacturer', 'Command' and 'Location'. By disabling a startup item, you are not removing the program from your computer, you are merely telling it not to run automatically every time you start your computer. You will still be able to execute any of the disabled items manually through the start menu. You will also notice a couple of buttons labeled 'Disable All' and 'Enable All'. You can use these buttons if you like, although I recommend a more selective approach because it's important not to inadvertently disable any PC security related items such as your antivirus.
6. After disabling any items that you don't want running automatically, click on the 'Apply' button. You will be prompted to restart your computer.
7. After your computer restarts a dialog box will appear informing you that "you have used the System Configuration utility" or words to that effect. In the lower left corner of the dialog, there will be a check box labeled 'Do not show this when Windows starts'. Click to put a check in the check box and click OK.
8. That's it! You're done. If you decide that you do want an item to start automatically after all, simply run the utility again and re-enable it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great article. This is actually one of the best pieces of advice you can give to any Windows user, all the way back to 1998. Most computer technicians are aware of this tool, but now everyone gets a chance to speed up their own PC. A+
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