what is msconfig, how to use msconfig?

MSConfig, Microsoft System Configuration Utility, is a special tool to troubleshoot the Windows startup process. MSConfig modifies which programs run at startup, edits certain configuration files, and simplifies controls over Windows services. As part of the base Windows install, MSConfig has commonly not been linked to in the Start Menu or Control Panel, but is accessible by using the Run dialog to launch "msconfig" on any system on which the user has administrator access.

How to use msconfig?

Files that can be edited through MSConfig include AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI on Windows 9x systems, and WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI and BOOT.INI on Windows NT systems prior to Windows Vista. The chief benefit to using MSConfig to edit these files is that it provides a simplified GUI to manipulate sections of those files and the Windows registry tree pertaining to the Windows boot sequence. Using MSConfig, Windows can also be configured to perform a diagnostic startup, that is, it can load a minimum set of drivers, programs and services.

Most people know that the more programs you have running on your computer at once, the more likely it is that your computer will either run slowly or even crash. What most people don't know is that every time you boot your computer a whole mess of "hidden" programs load in the background. Some of these hidden programs are essential, but most aren't. So you can use msconfig to turning off some of these hidden programs can significantly increase your computer's performance and reliability.

The easiest way to start msconfig.exe is to click Start, click Run, type "msconfig", and then click OK.