How to Speed Your Systems With msconfig

Do you have any idea how many programs are running on your systems without your knowledge? Using msconfig, you'll know. You'll also see that by shutting down many of these unneccessary programs, your computers will run much faster and with fewer hangs.

Essentially, msconfig is a simple checklist interface. It lets you select and de-select those programs you'd like to run when the computer starts up. The first thing you'll probably notice when using msconfig is just how many programs are running on your computer. In fact, a good percentage of computer slowness, sluggishness, and freeze-ups are directly attributable to this overabundance of programs running when the computer starts up.

You may wonder, since all these programs cause so many problems, why are they loaded at startup in the first place? There's no single answer. Over the past 10 years, software vendors have written more than 4,000 programs that can be loaded into your startup routine via an installation CD or Internet cookies.

Many of these programs do not need to run at start up. Case in point is real-time player, which gets placed in start-up by default when it's first installed. By de-selecting real-time player in msconfig, you will return valuable resources to your computer when it starts. Plus, real-time player will start only when you need it, not before!

In case you're wondering, there are no consequences to removing these programs from startup. Most take no more than a second or two to load manually.

Best of all, msconfig is very easy to use. In fact, the only challenging part of msconfig is the research you must do to determine precisely which programs you want to shut off during a computer's startup routine.

So how do you know which programs you can safely de-select in msconfig, and which ones you must leave alone? I have included a powerful database in this Recipe called start_ups.exe. I will show you how to use this database to look up all the programs you have running in startup. The start_ups.exe database is chock-full of information and recommendations. It's also lightning fast, with the help of its find window, which I also will discuss later on.

This recipe was written using Windows Millennium Edition, but have no fear! msconfig looks and feels the same in all versions of Microsoft Windows. So whether the system you're working on runs Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, or XP, this recipe is right for you.

That said, several versions of Windows do not include msconfig. Specifically, Windows 2000 and certain iterations of Windows 95. But do not worry if the computer you're working on lacks msconfig. You can download it for free from many Web sites. I will show you how, but first , let's see if the computer you're working on has msconfig at all.

To determine if the computer has msconfig, start by doing the following:

• Click the Windows Start button in the lower left corner.
• Click Run.
• Type "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the box as shown below.
• Click OK or hit the Enter key.

If you see an error message like the one below, the computer does not have msconfig. You will need to download msconfig.exe from the Web.

While there are many sources on the Web (just search on "msconfig.exe" in Google), one that I like is this Resource Management site.

Note: There are two versions of msconfig.exe. Here are some details you'll need to pick the right one:

* msconfig for Windows 95: Works best with Windows 95, 98, and ME.

* msconfig for Windows 2000: Works best with Windows 2000 and XP.

Note: Make sure to download the msconfig.exe program to your desktop. That way, you can run it easily by simply double-clicking the msconfig icon. If you have successfully created the icon, go ahead and start the program now. Then proceed to the next page, shown below.

Now is the moment we've all been waiting for. It's may not be very exciting to look at, but msconfig is very powerful, as you will soon see.

Once you've launched msconfig, click the startup tab This is where you will be making all modifications to msconfig. Ignore the other tabs: Playing around in there can cause BIG problems!

You will now play the role of PC detective. Scroll through all the programs under the startup tab and consider which ones to de-select. Note: you will NOT be making the actual decision now; you will do that in a few minutes. Ultimately, the programs you de-select will not run at startup.

Unfortunately, you cannot print this page directly. But you can hit the Print Scrn key on your keyboard -- it's usually located in the upper right-hand corner of the keyboard -- and then paste that screen-shot to a Word Document, just as I did to build the screen shots in this recipe. This will save you from having to write all this information down in longhand.

Note: While it's impossible to truly harm your computer by de-selecting everything on the list, it's not really a good idea. Instead, look up each entry in the database. That way, you will be proceeding in a well-informed fashion. Also, certain programs really should not be disabled at startup, such as your virus scan and power-monitor programs.

OK, now it's time to run the database I mentioned earlier, start_ups.exe. One good source for this download is Pacs Portal. (You'll need to scroll-down or use your browser's Find feature to the start_ups.exe link to start the download).

When you download start_ups.exe, place it either as an icon on your desktop (as I have done here) or in a folder on your C: drive. If you save the program to a remote drive, the window will sit and stare at you forever when you try to start the program!

Start the program by double-clicking on the icon. Then scroll down three to four pages to get to the area seen in this next screen shot.

Here is the start_ups.exe database. Use the following Key for recommendations on what to do with your startup programs.

KEY

• Y: Normally leave to run at start-up.
• N: Not required - typically infrequently used tasks that can be started manually if necessary.
• U: User's choice - depends whether a user deems it necessary.
• X: Definitely not required - typically viruses, spyware, adware and "resource hogs".
• ?: Unknown.

Then go through the database to read up on what those programs do. The letter-buttons will help you navigate through the database quickly. Take some time to get the hang of this. It's not that difficult, but it can be confusing at first.

How to make instantaneous auto searches

Click the Search button on the top of the start_ups.exe screen. You'll see the Earth icon with a magnifying glass on the button, as shown below.

You have just enabled the most powerful function of this database, and harnessed the ease-of-use in msconfig. Simply place any .exe program found in your msconfig listing (or any other character string for that matter), and it will be found instantly.

After you finish making changes in msconfig, click OK. Then click Yes to restart your computer.

Note: After you reboot, you may see a popup Window letting you know that you have made changes with msconfig. There will be a check box that you may select to prevent this popup from displaying in the future. I suggest you check this box, and then just close the Window.

The screen below is a little added bonus for users of Windows 95, 98, and Millennium Edition. See 'System Resources' at 84%? This is a snapshot of a healthy PC. You should be at roughly 85% to 95% for a smooth-running computer.

To get to this screen, follow these three steps:

• Click Start in the lower left hand of the Windows screen. Then click on Control Panel.
• Double-click on the System icon.
• You will see the window above. Click Performance.

Use this feature to compare the performance of your computer prior to using the msconfig optimization tool to its performance after. You will see great results.

DAVID KARY is the founder and CEO of rippt.com.

Did you try this Recipe? If so, how did it work? Visit TechBuilder's Recipe Forum, and share your results with 2,600 other registered system builders.