Windows comes with a lot of hidden tools that give you more control over your system. One tool that has been around in Windows for ages but not many people know about is the System Configuration Utility, also known as MSConfig.
From diagnosing common boot problems to performing a clean boot, you can do it all with the System Configuration utility. So, here is what Microsoft System Configuration Utility is and how you can use it to change system settings.
What is the Microsoft System Configuration Utility?
The Microsoft System Configuration Utility, also known as MSConfig, is a built-in utility that allows you to configure boot options and disable (or enable) services and drivers. This allows you to choose which programs and services will start when Windows boots.
System Configuration can fix various problems that may occur on your system. For example, when the program won’t start, opening and modifying certain MSConfig settings can fix the issue. There are many other uses for the System Configuration utility, but before we get started, let’s see how to open the MSConfig window.
To open the Microsoft System Configuration Utility, open the Run dialog box, type MSConfigand press Enter. There are many other ways to open MSConfig on Windows. To learn about them, check out our guide on different ways to open MSConfig in Windows 11.
1. Perform a clean boot
One of the most important uses of the System Configuration utility is to perform a clean boot. Clean boot, as the name suggests, boots the system without third-party programs or services. Thus, the system only starts with core Microsoft services running in the background.
Performing a clean boot helps narrow down the services causing conflicts. Windows won’t help you boot into this state. You need to open System Configuration and manually disable all non-Microsoft services.
To start a Clean Boot Environment, check out our Windows 11 Clean Boot guide.
2. Select the default operating system
You have multiple versions of Windows installed on your computer, but do you prefer one of them? If so, you can make the preferred option the default operating system using the System Configuration Utility. To do this, follow the steps below.
- In the System Configuration window, switch to boot tab
- Select the OS you want to make the default.
- Press on Set as default button.
- Click to Apply > GOOD.
Next to the selected OS, you will see a default OS label indicating that you have successfully set the default operating system. Windows will load your operating system by default on future bootups.
Also have Time-out meter which you can set up if you have dual boot installed. The timeout counter in MSConfig indicates how long (in seconds) Windows will remain on the loading screen until you select one of the operating systems. If you do not select any of the available options at the specified time, Windows will start with the default OS.
By default, the timeout counter gives you 30 seconds to make a choice. But if you don’t want to wait that long before your default OS boots up, you can set the timeout counter to a lower value, like five seconds.
3. Allocate a certain number of cores to the OS
You can use the system setup utility to allocate a percentage of the system’s available processor cores. You can do this to test how the program will perform on a system that is comparatively less powerful than yours. It can also help fix issues like high CPU usage.
Here’s how to allocate a certain number of cores to the OS using the system setup utility.
- In the MSConfig window, click the Boot tab.
- Select your default operating system, and then click Advanced options.
- Check the box next to Number of processors.
- Click the dropdown icon below the “Number of Processors” field and select the number of processors you want to allocate. Note that Windows will automatically select the maximum limit if you select a number greater than the available processor cores.
- Press GOOD > Apply > GOOD.
4. Boot into safe mode
Safe Mode is a native feature of Windows that allows you to troubleshoot critical Windows issues that occur due to hardware and software malfunctions. In safe mode, Windows boots only with the services and hardware that Windows needs to run.
Follow the instructions below to boot Windows in Safe Mode using the System Configuration Utility.
- Click the Boot tab in the System Configuration window.
- in Download options section, select Secure Boot option.
- Next select Minimum ability to troubleshoot basic problems. To choose Net to Create safe online modeand select Alternative shell to Create safe mode using the command line.
- Click OK.
- To choose run again from the hint that appears.
- After rebooting, Windows will boot into safe mode.
Windows will continue to boot in safe mode until you manually disable this option. So, once your problem is fixed, you can disable Safe Mode. To do this, open the system setup utility and select Normal start from General tab Click on Apply > GOOD.
There are many other ways to boot the system in safe mode. To learn about them, check out our guide to different ways to boot in safe mode.
5. Other boot tab settings
There are many other options available on the Boot tab that can be useful for optimizing system performance. These options contain various configuration options that are provided in the Windows information file.
- No GUI boot – No GUI boot option disables the graphical moving bar during boot. This reduces the boot time, but on the other hand makes it impossible to determine if the system is stuck during boot.
- Download Log – The Boot log option creates a text file containing a list of all drivers loaded at boot time. The list also contains the names of any expected drivers that are not loaded.
- Base video – The “Basic Video” option boots the system with a built-in video driver.
- OS boot information – The OS Boot Information option shows the various drivers active during the boot process. Be sure to use this option along with “No GUI loading”; otherwise, you will not be able to see the driver information.
The System Configuration Utility has a Tools tab that contains various administrative utilities. The Tools tab is where you can access frequently used Windows utilities such as Task Manager, UAC Settings, Event Viewer, Registry Editor, Command Prompt, etc.
Here’s how to access the various utilities under the Tools tab.
- Switch to Tools tab in the MSConfig window.
- Select the utility you want to open and click the button launch button.
All About the Microsoft System Configuration Utility
The Microsoft System Configuration Utility is a valuable tool that allows you to customize Windows settings to suit your needs. From changing boot options, obfuscated startup apps, and disabling or enabling services; all this can be done using the system configuration utility.