MSConfig is a tool used to the configuration of Software, Devices Drivers, Boot parameters and startup services in Windows operating systems. It is released with the Microsoft System Configuration Utility for Windows XP and previous operating systems. With Windows Vista, the name is changed into System Configuration for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server, etc.

How To Open Msconfig From Command Line?

MSconfig can be opened from the command line like MS-DOS, PowerShell or cmd.exe. We will just use the msconfig command like below. Operating system Windows XP and later versions require Administrative privileges in order to use MSConfig.

> msconfig

How To Open Msconfig From Start Menu?

We can also open the MSconfig from the Start menu of the Windows operating system. We will just type msconfig which will list the MSconfig as a first item. MSconfig is named as System Configuration and App type in Windows 10 like below.

How To Open Msconfig From Run Menu?

We can also use the Run Menu in order to open MSconfig. We will just type the msconfig command like below and click OK or ENTER.

msconfig

General Tab

When the MSconfig is opened the active tab is named General Tab. The General tab provides information about the startup selection. We can select the startup type of the system. Options are

`Normal Startup` mode is the default selection. This will start the system normally by loading all device drivers and services.
`Diagnostic Startup` mode is used to diagnose problems and errors. In diagnostic startup mode, basic devices and services are loaded.
`Selective Startup` mode is used to select the components which will be loaded on system startup. We can enable or disable, system services, startup items, and original boot configuration.

LEARN MORE Bcdedit Command Tutorial with Examples To Edit Windows Boot Configuration

Boot Tab

Boot tab provides configuration options about the system boot. In the boot tab, we can set different boot options, boot timeout duration, safe boot, etc.

`Windows 10 (C:\WINDOWS) : Current OS; Default OS` will load default operating system located in `C:\WINDOWS` which is identified as Windows 10.
`Advanced Options` will open BOOT Advanced Options windows where we can specify the number of processors, maximum memory, serial port USB config, etc.

`Safe boot` will enable the safe boot features of
- Minimal
- Alternate shell
- Active Directory repair
- Network
`No GUI boot` will disable GUI for boot.
`Boot log` will log the boot process and provides helpful information about the boot process.
`Base video` will load basic video drivers in order to prevent video related problems.
`OS boot information`
`Timeout` is used to set timeout of boot screen before loading an operating system. The default value is 30 seconds.
`Make all boot settings permanent` will save the new boot configurations automatically which will make them permanent.

Services Tab

Services Tab is used to configure services during boot. We can enable and disable some services during boot from this menu. We can see the listing of the services and information like Service Name, Manufacturer, Status and Date Disabled.

`Hide all Microsoft services` will hide Microsoft related services that are mainly related to the operating system.
`Enable All` will enable all services.
`Disable All` will disable all services.

Startup Tab

Startup Tab is one of the most used part of the MSConfig. The startup tab is used to start and stop programs that are automatically started during boot. These applications are generally the biggest cause of the slow or problematic system start. They can be disabled or enabled from the Startup tab. There are some information about startup applications like Startup Item,Manufacturer,Command,Location and Date Disabled.

`Enable all` will enable all startup applications.
`Disable all` will disable all startup applications.
Thicks can be used to enable and disable the specific application.

LEARN MORE How To Disable Windows Startup Programs and Applications?

In Windows 8 and later versions like Windows 10 and Windows Server 2012, Server 2016 the Task Manager is used to manage startup applications.

Tools Tab

Tools Tab provides some useful tool shortcut to run them. These tools can be used to display Windows Version, Event Viewer, etc. We can simply run a tool by selecting the tool line and clicking the Launch button.

`About Windows` will display the Windows version.
`Change UAC Settings` will change user account control settings.
`Security and Maintenance` will open the Security and Maintenance.
`Windows Troubleshooting` will troubleshoot problems with the system.
`Computer Management` will open the system settings and components.
`System Information` will advanced information about the hardware and software settings of the system.
`Event Viewer` will open the event viewer.

Reboot/Restart After Configuration Change

After making some changes with the MSConfig the system requires a reboot in order to make the new configuration to be effective. If it is not urgent we can reboot later where the configuration will be effective after the reboot.

`Restart` will restart the system immediately and make the configuration change effective.
`Exit without restart` will exit the MSConfig without a reboot. The configuration will be effective after the reboot.

What Is MSconfig? How To Open and Configure MSConfig?