Recovering your Windows System Resources with System Configuration (MSCONFIG)
In my last post I discussed all of the unnecessary, auxiliary processes that may be running on your system. Items such as update utilities, that generally present themselves as Icons within your System Tray or Notification Area (near your clock in the Windows Taskbar). In an effort to stop the bleeding of system resources I would like to introduce you to the clotting agent: System Configuration (MSCONFIG).
Microsoft provides the System Configuration utility as a means to tweak your system tray and the processes and services that run when Windows starts, however it is rarely mentioned.
As I mentioned in my last post: Shutting down processes can result in some programs or services on your machine not functioning as you expect. You may want to consult with your IT department before implementing any changes to your system.
Accessing the System Configuration
OPTION A – From your Start menu, choose RUN to open up the RUN dialog and type MSCONFIG, this will bring up the System Configuration utility.
OPTION B: Type ‘System Configuration’ into the search box of the Windows Taskbar
Windows 10 system configuration
System Configuration Options
Let’s take a tour of one of the most useful tools within Windows. Skip over the ‘general’ and “boot’ tabs as we won’t be making any adjustments to these two items.
Windows System Configuration
Under the Services tab, be sure to check off the “Hide all Microsoft services” at the bottom of the tab, to avoid disabling the really important stuff that keeps your OS pumping. Generally there is not too much I usually disable when I am sorting through this particular list. It is good to ask yourself, “Do I really,…really, need items such as the iPod service running??”, and if not………. disable it.
System Configuration Services
Finally onto the Startup Tab. Many of the items in the startup listing will be self explanatory – more-so with Windows 7 over older versions of Windows:
System Configuration Startup Tab (Windows 7)
For Windows 10 you are directed to click on Open Task Manager
System Configuration Startup Tab (Windows 10)
From there you can access the Startup items:
Some of the items you will likely have to Google to discover exactly what they relate to (with Windows 10 you can right-click on an item and select Search to discover what it does). Again, many of the items will be programs that you want to have running at startup – your virus scanner, drivers for your computer’s audio system.
Disabling Programs
Among items that I may personally consider unchecking (or right-click and disable in Windows 10) would be:
- DivX Update
- iTunes
- QuickTime
- Java(TM) Platform auto Updater
- Adobe Reader and Acrobat managers
- Adobe Creative Cloud
As I mentioned in my earlier post, as I am likely shutting down programs that will assist me in keeping my software and utilities up to date, this will place the responsibility for ensuring that my system is up to date on my shoulders as the user. Generally I perform these updates on an as-needed basis.
Bad System Config Error in Windows 10 FIXED [Tutorial] 2023
Some of these items listed may be software that I will eventually need on my work PC, however to have them running at startup all the time is a waste of resources and slows the startup of the operating system. Once I have chosen which items should be unchecked within the Startup Tab of the System Configuration utility, choose “OK” and close the dialog.
When you restart your machine
Upon restart of your PC you will be prompted with a message “You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows Starts”. The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows Starts.”
This is mainly a warning to users who were not planning to shut off any processes or services in the case that something malicious has done this for them. The check-box within the warning dialog, will allow you to close the dialog and never see the warning during subsequent restarts.
Stay tuned for more system tweaks to improve your system performance!
Fixes for Bad System Config Info Error in Windows 10/8/7
Receive startup blue screen with Bad_System_Config_Info error message in your PC and you cannot start Windows 10/8/7 PC? This article will offer you effective methods to fix Bad System Config Info error in Windows 10/8/7 and help you restart PC without any problems.
If you are facing Windows fail to boot or startup blue screen error with “Bad_System_Config_Info” error message in your PC, don’t worry anymore. Here in this article, you’ll find exact reasons which cause the bad system config info error in Windows 10, 8 or 7 and recommended solutions to fix this error without any obstacles. You can follow below offered two parts to find wanted reasons and solutions for bad system config info error now:
Part 1: Reasons for Bad_System_Config_Info error in Windows 10/8/7
Here are some major reasons that may cause bad system config info error in your PC under Windows 10/8/7:
- Damaged/corrupted hard disk drive
- Corrupted Windows system files
- Corrupted Windows registry files
- Incorrectly configured corrupted device drivers
- Driver conflict between newly installed hardware
- Damage or corrupted RAM
So how to fix these problems and rescue your computer from bad system config info error? Don’t worry, in Part 2, you’ll get relative solution to fix this error without any obstacles.
Part 2: Find solutions to fix Bad_System_Config_Info error in Windows 10/8/7
Method 1 and Method 2 can be simply done by ordinary users with the help of powerful partition manager software but it would require more attention while you are following any one of these methods from Method 3 to Method 6.
You may selectively choose any of these solutions below provided by EaseUS software to fix the bad system config info error in Windows 10/8/7 and restart your PC again.
If your PC gets ‘Bad_System_Config_Info’ bluse screen error, try EaseUS Partition Master with methods below to fix it now.
Method 1: Check repair hard disk corruption errors
When hard disk drive got damaged or corrupted, it may cause bad system config info error. And it would be work by checking and repairing hard disk corruption. Here below you may choose to check and fix damaged hard disk drive manually or apply partition manager software for help. The below methods can all be applied in Windows 10, 8 and 7 computers.
Access 1: Manually check and fix the hard disk with CMD
Step 1: Click Start and type: command in the search hit “Enter”.
Step 2: Click yes and type: chkdsk /f hit “Enter”.
Then you need to go after the onscreen command and finish the hard disk checking and repairing process.
Access 2: Check and repair corrupted/damaged hard disk with partition manager software
Professional partition manager software. EaseUS Partition Master will help you do all these jobs with simple clicks.
Step 1. Right-click the target partition that has a problem.
Bad System Config Info Error windows 10 | Fixed
Step 2. Choose “Advanced” “Check File System”.
Step 3. Confirm if you want to hide the partition or not.
Step 4. In the Check File System window, check the “Try to fix errors if found” option.
Step 5. Click “Start” to check errors on your partition.
If you cannot boot the computer and fail to follow this method to fix this problem, you may directly try Method 2 to boot and restore Windows, getting rid of bad system config info error, by booting PC with the WinPE bootable disk. All problems will be fixed.
Method 2: Use bootable disk
WinPE bootable disk would help you to reboot Windows into a healthy state and all you need is to create a bootable disk with powerful partition manager software. EaseUS Partition Master and reboot PC. Then the bad system config info error would be solved.
Step 1: Create a WinPE bootable disk from another healthy computer which is running the same system as your present PC.
Step 2: Connect the bootable disk USB drive or SD card with computer and select to boot from the disk.
Step 3: Select to enter EaseUS Partition Master, there you can directly perform a disk or partition copy operation so to copy partition data into a new storage device. (Do remember to connect another new drive or storage device with PC.)
Step 4: Then use EaseUS Partition Master to check and fix hard drive error.
Later you can reboot Windows and continue to use the computer again. (If some data were lost, don’t worry. You can restore them from the copied partition data.)
Method 3: Fix corrupted Windows Registry by CMD
No matter you are running Windows 10, 8 or 7 on your PC, you can directly apply the below CMD commands to fix corrupted Windows Registry which may cause “Bad_System_Config_Info” error right now:
Step 1: Boot from a Windows 10/8/7 USB/DVD and launch “Command Prompt”.
Step 2: Type: CD C:\Windows\System32\config hit “Enter”.
Step 3: Follow the commands below one by one and hit “Enter” to rename these files with.old postfix:
ren C:\Windows\System32\config\DEFAULT DEFAULT.old ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SAM SAM.old ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SECURITY SECURITY.old ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE SOFTWARE.old ren C:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM SYSTEM.old
- Type the following commands one by one and hit Enter to copy registry backup files to your current registry folder. And this will help to manually restore your Windows registry:
copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\DEFAULT C:\Windows\System32\config\ copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SAM C:\Windows\System32\config\ copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SECURITY C:\Windows\System32\config\ copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SYSTEM C:\Windows\System32\config\ copy C:\Windows\System32\config\RegBack\SOFTWARE C:\Windows\System32\config\
Method 4: Update device drivers
Then it will update the device driver for you. Or you can also try Driver update tool which will update all your drivers automatically.
Method 5: Use last known good configuration
The other way to fix bad system config info issue in Windows 10, 8 or 7, you can try to restore from the Last known good configuration from Advanced mode:
Step 1: Open “Start” and click on “Power” Press and hold “Shift” Click on “Restart”.
Step 2: Choose “Troubleshoot” Select “Advanced Options” Click on “Start Up settings”.
Step 3: Click on “Restart”.
Step 4: After restarting Windows, you’ll see the advanced boot menu ina black screen. Last known good configuration (Advanced) Choose it with arrow keys and hit “Enter”.
For Windows 7/old version users:
Step 1: Restart PC Press and hold “F8” when PC powers up and shows a black scree white text or Windows logo;
Step 2: When advanced boot menu in black screen appears, select “Last known good configuration (Advanced)” with the arrow keys on your keyboard hit “Enter”.
Method 6: Use Windows Memory Diagnostic to test repair damaged/corrupted RAM
Step 1: Open Start and type: memory diagnostic Select “Windows Memory Diagnostic”.
Step 2: Click on “Restart now” and check for problems (recommended);
Your PC will be restarted and check for RAM memory problems automatically. It may last a few minutes and when it detects any errors, please contact your computer manufacture to get supports from them and solve the bad system config info error then.
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How To Use System Configuration Utility in Windows 8.1 (msconfig)
Msconfig is a wonderful utility Microsoft has provided in Windows which will let us manage and troubleshoot Windows problems easily. This tutorial lets you make use of msconfig efficiently.
Microsoft System Configuration utility (msconfig) is a built-in tool in Windows that helps users control what’s run on the system on startup and troubleshoot your system problems. It can also be used to enable or disable different services, drivers or change Windows boot settings.
In this article, we will explore different ways of using msconfig tool in Windows. Although msconfig has been a part of Windows for quite a long time, it has evolved in recent times and the greatest feature set of msconfig can be found in Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. So we will be concentrating on how we can use msconfig tool effectively in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
Opening System Configuration Utility
There are quite a few ways to open msconfig in Windows. Let’s quickly go through some of the ways:
Using File Explorer
The actual msconfig utility is located in System32 folder of Windows. The exact path is:
You can browse through to the utility and open it from there.
Using Charms Bar
You should get msconfig.exe in the search results.
Using Run Command
This method is the easiest and most convenient of all methods.
This should open the system configuration utility within no time.
Using Command Prompt
- Press WinKeyX to open the menu.Select Command prompt.
- Type ‘Start Msconfig’ to open the msconfig tool.
Configure Startup Modes
System configuration utility lets you select a startup mode for your system.
- Check the ‘Normal startup’ box if you want to load all the drivers, services and startup items.
- Click Apply. Ok
If you are facing any malfunctioning in the Windows and wish to spot the root of problem, start your Windows in the diagnostic mode. In the diagnostic mode, only basic devices and services are loaded to run your system.
If you face the same problem in diagnostic mode too, it means that the basic devices or services are corrupted and you may need to re-install the operating system.
‘Selective Startup’ provides you even more choices among loading boot services, system services or the original boot configuration.
Configure Boot Settings
Sometimes you need to Start Windows in Safe Mode. There are different ways to enter the safe mode and the most easiest one is to use system configuration utility.
Go to MsConfig- Select ‘Boot’ tab. Check ‘Safe Boot’. Apply. Ok. Restart.
We find it important to explain different boot options listed in MSConfig:
Minimal
It is the ‘Standard Safe Mode’ and does not include video card’s driver so your Windows will start in the resolution of 800×600. This option is suitable when you have no idea of the problem and want to load only the minimal services and routines, needed to run your system.
Alternate Shell
This is another name for ‘Safe Mode with Command Prompt’. It opens the command line interface and you can troubleshoot the graphical issues. It does not load the networking drivers and you won’t have internet access in the Alternate Shell Mode.
Active Directory Repair
Active directory contains the machine specific information such as data related to the computer hardware. This mode can help you repair or store new information in the Active Directory to bring back the system stability which may have got disturbed due to installment of any new device/hardware such as motherboard.
Network
‘Safe Mode with Network’ is useful when you are certain that the cause of the problem is not in the Network itself. This mode has a graphical user interface with Internet access and you can download the latest software or drivers from manufacturer’s website to fix the problem of missing drivers or installing the new hardware properly.
You can also change the default Operating System and the ‘Time out’ period using system configuration utility. You can change this time by typing the desired time in the ‘Time out’ box, located next to Boot options. ‘Time out’ is the time your system waits for your choice, before it boots using the default Operating System. To change the default boot settings:
- Go to MsConfig. Boot tab.
- Select the ‘Windows 8’ (or your choice) from the list of installed operating systems on your PC.
- Click ‘Set as Default’. Apply. Ok
Speed up the system using msconfig utility
Every time you start your system, some programs and services are invoked implicitly. These are startup items and can be enabled or disabled as desired. These items can be managed by a Task Manager where the program name is listed with its publisher, status and start-up impact. Disable unnecessary startup items or items with a ‘high’ impact to increase your PC speed.
- Go to msconfig- Select ‘Start up’ tab.Open ‘Task Manager’.
- Select any item. Click ‘Disable’ button.
- You can also see the properties of any item by right clicking on it.
Services and Tools
The Services tab serves the purpose of enabling or disabling any services that run on the system startup. The Tools tab contains core tools that are important to configure your system settings e.g., computer management, system information, event viewer, change UAC settings etc.
Please note that every time you change a setting using system configuration utility, you will be asked to restart Windows in order for the changes to take effect. Sometimes it isn’t necessary to restart Windows like when you uncheck a system service to stop loading at Windows startup, you can simply stop that service by going to the Services management console (Run – services.msc). The service won’t run when you restart your computer next time.
Conclusion
System Configuration Utility (msconfig) provides a wealth of configuration information for Windows. It is up to us how intelligently we use this utility. If you are a real techie and want to test some third party tool to troubleshoot a Windows startup, you may want to use Hijackthis for this purpose.
How to Use the System Configuration tool on Windows 11
Learn to use the System Configuration tool to control and adjust the startup behavior of your Windows 11 computer.
Parth Sawhney
System Configuration tool on Windows (also known as MSConfig) has been present in almost all iterations of Windows. It is incredibly useful for adjusting the system settings along with configuring which services to start along with the system at the time of booting up.
The tool can come in handy when you wish to start your PC in a clean boot environment to stop a conflicting program from interfering or want to tweak other advanced settings. And there are several ways you can access it in Windows, but here are the easiest methods for the same.
Ways to Access the System Configuration Tool
Just like every other tool in Windows operating system, you can search for it to open it easily or launch it using the Run Command utility.
The most straightforward way is to head to the Start Menu and type ‘System Config’ to perform a search for it. After that, click on the ‘System Configuration’ tile to open the tool.
You can also use Run Utility to launch the tool. First, press the Windows R keys together on your keyboard to bring up the utility. After that, type msconfig and hit Enter on your keyboard to open the app.
The tool will be now visible on your screen.
Adjust Startup Settings Using the System Configuration Tool
Typically System Configuration is mainly used to prevent certain applications and/or services from starting up at the time of booting up. Here’s how you can use the tool.
From the ‘General’ tab, you can control the startup behavior of your system. For your ease of convenience, we have provided a gist of all the available modes below:
- Normal startup: This mode loads all device drivers and services and boots up your PC as usual. This is the mode your system boots up in regularly.
- Diagnostic startup: This mode enables basic drivers and services to load at the time of startup, similar to Safe Mode. When using this mode, Microsoft services such as ‘Networking’, ‘Plug and Play’, ‘Event Logging’, ‘Error reporting’, and ‘System Restore’ will be disabled.
- Selective startup: Using this mode, you can select what third-party services and apps you wish to load at the startup. By default, all the sub-options will be selected. You can click on the checkboxes preceding each option to select/deselect the options. Using selective startup combined with all third-party services disabled (which we’ll get to in a moment) will result in a clean boot.
Any choices aren’t applied until you restart the computer.
From the ‘Boot’ tab, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Safe Boot’ option and then click on the ‘Apply’ button to start your PC in safe mode at the next boot.
Click on the ‘Advanced Options’ button if you want to configure advanced booting options such as the number of processors or the maximum memory for the system. This will open a separate window on your screen.
Note: In case you are not familiar with the settings or do not understand them properly, we strongly suggest that you do not tweak them as this can brick your device if not configured properly.
To control the number of processors and the maximum memory that the system uses, click on the respective checkbox and select the number of processors from the dropdown menu and type the maximum memory you wish to limit for the system in the memory field. Then, click on the ‘OK’ button to confirm and close.
Now, the ‘Services’ tab is where all the system and third-party services are listed. To get into a clean boot environment, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Hide all Microsoft services’ option and then click on the ‘Disable all’ button.
When you reboot your system after applying these settings, your system will boot with your preferred choices.
On the ‘Tools’ tab, there are several tools available You can click to select any from the list and then click on the ‘Launch’ button to open the tool. For your ease of convenience, we have listed them below:
- About Windows
- Change UAC Settings
- Security and Maintenance
- Windows Troubleshooting
- Computer Management
- System Information
- Event Viewer
- Programs
- System Properties
- Internet Options
- Internet Protocol Configuration
- Performance Monitor
- Task Manager
- Command Prompt
- Registry Editor
- Remote Assistance
- System Restore
There you go, people. That’s all there is about using the System Configuration tool on your Windows system. You can now easily access and use the tool to change the startup behavior of your system.
