Running and setting up msconfig correctly in Windows

Many are trying to somehow optimize and speed up the system, especially the owners of budget equipment and people who use resource-intensive programs on an ongoing basis. To do this, download applications with one success or another affecting the OS and allowing it to manage. However, not everyone knows that in Windows itself there is a very effective utility offering fine tuning - “System Configuration” or by the name of the command that starts it: msconfig. In this article we will tell you in detail about the purpose, capabilities and proper configuration of this useful module.

Run and configure in Windows msconfig.

What is msconfig, and why this module is needed

“System Configuration”, activated by the msconfig command, is a module using which you can configure your PC as conveniently as possible. The utility window is divided into sections, each of which has tools of different directions:

  1. "General" - here it is proposed to choose a normal or limited system startup.
  2. “Download” - here you can choose how long the system should boot up, set up “Safe Mode” for specific purposes: restore, login to another shell, etc.
  3. “Services” - here you can select the services that will be launched immediately after the computer turns on. To quickly find the ones you need, there is a function to ignore system processes - only a custom list will be released.
  4. "Startup" is actually the flagship function of the utility: it is used most often. Here they remove and add programs that run with the system.
  5. “Service” - contains several useful options: you can quickly view the main parameters and system presets, check for errors.

Any parameters need to be changed with care, clearly imagining what the result will be in the end so as not to harm the computer.

How to enter the msconfig.exe configurator

Now let's talk about the msconfig service in different versions of Windows (XP, 7, 8, 10): how to enter the “System Configuration” window in one way or another.

Search line"

How to log into the System Configuration (msconfig) quickly and easily:

  1. If you have “Windows” XP or 7, open “Start”, find the line below to search for programs and enter either “System Configuration” or “msconfig”, and then open the utility by double-clicking.
  2. If you have “Windows” 8-10, then “Search” is rendered by a separate button next to “Start”. Write the same there.

If you have an unlicensed “Windows” with a bad English-Russian translation, and it does not understand the requests, you will have to look for the file in the root directory. To do this, open the "Disk C" and the Windows folder, and in it - System32. There you will find the msconfig.exe element - you can start it by double-clicking, the location of the file does not change depending on “Windows”.

Run command

Also on Windows 7, 8, 10, msconfig can be enabled by calling the Run window:

  1. Click Win + R.
  2. Enter the command in the appeared line and confirm the action with the Enter key.

If it fails, and the system displays a message that you do not have sufficient rights, it is better to find the Run application through a system search, and then right-click on it and select Run As Administrator, and only then set the command.

Command line

A request via the Command line is also a simple and effective way to call the desired service when it is problematic to open msconfig in Windows 8 or 10 by other methods.

  1. Enter the phrase: “Command line” into the “Search” and click on the program name with the additional manipulator button to select Run As Administrator.
  2. You will see a window with a black field.
  3. Immediately under the flashing cursor, enter: “msconfig” and press “Enter”.

How to configure msconfig

Now let's talk about configuring the PC in the "System Configuration". We have already given a brief reference on the main sections, but now let's talk in more detail about the functions that you should not use if you are not a professional.

What does the "Number of processors" in msconfig

This section indicates how many cores will start the PC when it is turned on. By default, everything that is in the processor is listed (it doesn't matter what your Windows is: XP, 7, 8, or 10), and this is aimed at maximum performance. You can only change the number down, which does not make sense for the average user. This option may be useful for testers of computer equipment to properly configure it.

What gives "Maximum memory" in msconfig

The same thing happens with the function “Maximum memory”: speed, depending on the RAM, is set to the maximum possible by default (again, this parameter does not depend on the Windows version: XP, 7, 8 or 10) and is aimed at maximum performance. You can not make the indicator even higher - you only have to lower the speed of performance, which is absolutely not necessary for normal PC work. Sometimes msconfig does not start: this can happen due to system crashes. In this case, you can check the status of the files: call Command line and request “sfc / scannow” (without quotes) + “Enter”. You can also go to the registry editor:

  1. Click Win + R, in the line "Run" enter "regedit" (without quotes).
  2. Click "Enter".
  3. In the list on the left, locate the large HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section and locate the SOFTWARE folder.
  4. In it, you must open the Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ App Paths folders in order to get to the MSCONFIG.EXE file.
  5. The location of this element should be: system_disk \ WINDOWS \ PCHealth \ HelpCtr \ Binaries \ MSConfig.exe. If not, you need to exit the registry, move the file to the right place, and then specify the correct path in the registry itself.
  6. Now in the same folder, find the file HELPCTR.EXE and check its address, it should correspond to: C: \ WINDOWS \ PCHealth \ HelpCtr \ Binaries \ HelpCtr.exe.