Managing System Configuration, Startup, and Boot
Whether you want to update system configuration files or troubleshoot startup
problems, your tool of choice should be the System Configuration
utility. System Configuration is an integrated tool for managing system
configuration information. Using this utility, you can manage the
following elements:
The following sections examine key tasks
that you can perform with the System Configuration utility. The
executable file for the System Configuration utility is Msconfig.exe.
You can run the utility by typing msconfig in the Apps Search box and then pressing Enter.
Note
You’ll also find the System Configuration utility on the Apps screen. It’s under the Administrative Tools heading.
Understanding Startup Modes and Troubleshooting System Startup
You can use the System Configuration utility to select the startup mode for a computer. The following three startup modes are available:
-
Normal Startup
Used for normal system operations. In this mode, the operating system
loads all system configuration files and device drivers and runs all
startup applications and enabled services. -
Diagnostic Startup
Used to troubleshoot system problems. In diagnostic mode, the system
loads only basic device drivers and essential services. Once you start
the system in diagnostic mode, you can modify system settings to resolve
configuration problems. -
Selective Startup
Used to pinpoint problem areas in the configuration. Here, you can use a
modified boot configuration and selectively use system services and
startup items. This can help you identify the settings that are causing
system problems and correct them as necessary.
Normal is the default startup mode. If you
are experiencing problems with a system and want to use a different
startup mode, complete the following steps:
-
Open the System Configuration utility by typing msconfig in the Apps Search box and then pressing Enter, or by tapping or clicking the related option on the Apps screen. -
On the General tab, shown in Figure 4, select either Diagnostic
Startup or Selective Startup. If you choose Selective Startup, you can
use the following options to specify the items that you want the system
to use:
-
Load System Services
Tells the system to load Windows services on startup. If you select
this option, use the settings on the Services tab to specify which
services are started. -
Load Startup Items
Tells the system to run applications designated for startup at boot time. If you select this option, you can enable and disable startup applications by using the options on the Startup tab. -
Use Original Boot Configuration
Tells the system to process the original boot configuration on startup
instead of one you’ve created by modifying the boot settings with the System Configuration utility.
Note
If you make changes on the Boot, Services, or
Startup tab, the Selective Startup option and related suboptions are
automatically selected on the General tab.
-
When you are ready to continue, tap or click
OK, and then reboot the system. If you have problems rebooting the
system, restart the system in Safe mode and then repeat this procedure.
Safe mode appears automatically as an option after a failed boot.
Windows 8 uses the Windows Boot Manager and a
boot application to start up the operating system. Windows 8 doesn’t use
Boot.ini or other boot files in a standard configuration. When
troubleshooting, you can use the options on the Boot tab of the System
Configuration utility to control the boot partition, boot method, and boot options used by the operating system.
As shown in Figure 5,
when you start the System Configuration utility and tap or click the
Boot tab, the operating systems that are bootable on the computer are
listed. To specify that an operating system other than the current one
should be used, you simply tap or click the related operating system
entry. When working with operating system entries, you can select the
following options:
-
Set As Default
Sets the currently selected boot partition as the default partition.
The default partition is selected automatically if you don’t choose an
option before the timeout interval. -
Timeout
Sets the amount of time the computer waits before using the default boot partition. -
Delete
Deletes an operating system entry. The entry cannot be easily re-created, so delete an entry only if absolutely necessary.
Note
On a computer with a single operating system,
the Set As Default and Delete buttons are not enabled because there is
no other operating system to switch to or from. Similarly, when you
select the default operating system, you can’t select Set As Default,
and when you select the current operating system, you can’t select
Delete.
You can also set the following boot options:
-
Safe Boot
Starts the computer in Safe mode with additional flags for minimal,
network, and alternate shell minimal boots, as well as the directory
service repair state (DsRepair). Once you successfully boot a system in Safe mode, you can modify system settings to resolve configuration problems. -
No GUI Boot
Boots the computer to the Windows prompt and doesn’t load the graphical
components of the operating system. Booting to the prompt is useful
when you are having problems with the graphical components of Windows 8. -
Boot Log
Turns on boot logging so that key startup events are written to a log. -
Base Video
Forces the computer to use VGA display settings. Use this mode when you
are trying to resolve display settings, such as when the display mode
is set to a size that the monitor cannot display. -
OS Boot Information
Starts the computer using verbose output so that you can view the
details of startup activities prior to the loading of Windows graphical
components.
Any changes you make are stored as modified boot configuration data by the System
Configuration utility. After you make changes and tap or click OK, you
can restart the computer to apply the temporary changes. To go back to a
normal startup after you’ve made and applied changes, you must select
Normal Startup on the General tab and then tap or click OK. You must
then reboot the system so that the normal settings are used.
If you tap or click the Advanced Options button on the Boot tab, you can set boot options for processors, maximum memory, PCI locking, and debugging by using the BOOT Advanced Options dialog box, shown in Figure 6.
Use these options for troubleshooting. For example, if you suspect a
problem is related to multiple processors, you can specify 1 as the
number of processors to use. If you suspect a problem is due to memory
beyond the first 4 GB, you can specify the maximum memory to use as
4,096 MB. After you are done troubleshooting, you should remove these
options to restore normal operations.
On the Boot tab, to make any of the standard or advanced boot
options you select permanent, select the Make All Boot Settings
Permanent check box before tapping or clicking OK. In most cases, you
won’t want troubleshooting or debugging options to be permanent, so be
sure to clear these options first.
Enabling and Disabling Startup Applications for Troubleshooting
If you suspect that an application
loaded at startup is causing problems with the system, there is an easy
way to diagnose this. Disable programs from starting automatically, and
then reboot the system. If the problem is no longer present, you might
have pinpointed the problem and could then try to remedy it by
identifying and disabling the automatic startup of the program or
programs causing issues.
To disable startup applications temporarily, follow these steps:
-
Open the System Configuration utility by typing msconfig in the Apps Search box and then pressing Enter, or by tapping or clicking the related option on the Apps screen. -
On the General tab, ensure Selective Startup is selected and then clear Load Startup Items. -
Tap or click OK. You need to reboot the system
to check the changes, so restart the computer. If the problem is no
longer present, you’ve isolated the problem to the startup applications.
The selective startup option is cleared
automatically, so the next time that you start the computer, the startup
applications will load. Next, you need to pinpoint the program causing
the system problems using Task Manager. You can open Task Manager by
typing taskmgr
in the Apps Search box or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete. You also can
press and hold or right-click the lower-left corner of the Start screen
or the desktop and then tap or click Task Manager on the shortcut menu
that is displayed.
The Startup tab in Task Manager lists each application configured for automatic startup.
You can try disabling each application in turn and then restarting the
computer to see if that resolves the problem. To disable an application,
tap or click it on the Startup tab and then tap or click Disable. If
you can’t identify a single application as the cause of the problem, the
trouble might be with a Windows component, service, or device driver.
Caution
Disable only those programs that you’ve
identified as potential problems, and do so only if you know how they
are used by the operating system. If you don’t know what a program does,
don’t disable it. Sometimes you can learn more about a startup program
by following its command path and then examining its base installation
folder.
Enabling and Disabling Services for Troubleshooting
Just as applications that start automatically can cause problems on a system, so can services that start automatically. To help troubleshoot service problems, you can temporarily disable services by using the System
Configuration utility and then reboot to see whether the problem goes
away. If it does, you might have pinpointed it. You can then permanently
disable the service or check with the service vendor to see if an
updated executable is available for the service.
To temporarily disable services, follow these steps:
-
Open the System Configuration utility by typing msconfig in the Apps Search box and then pressing Enter, or by tapping or clicking the related option on the Apps screen. -
Tap or click the Services tab. As shown in Figure 7,
this tab displays a list of all services installed on the computer and
includes the state of the service, such as Running or Stopped, and from
where the service originated. To more easily find non-Microsoft
services, select Hide All Microsoft Services.
-
Clear the check box next to any service that you do not want to run at startup.
Caution
Disable only those services
that you’ve identified as potential problems, and only if you know how
they are used by the operating system. If you don’t know what a service
does, don’t disable it. The Services tab of the System
Configuration utility doesn’t provide additional information about
services. You can learn the specific purpose of a service by using the
Services utility (which is available in Computer
Management). In the Services utility, select the service to view its
description on the Extended tab, or double-tap or double-click the
service to read its description on the General tab of the related
properties dialog box.
-
Tap or click OK. You need to reboot the system
to check the changes, so if you are prompted to restart the system, tap
or click Yes. Otherwise, reboot the system manually. -
Repeat this
procedure as necessary to pinpoint the service causing the system
problems. If you can’t identify a service as the cause of the problem,
the trouble might be caused by a Windows component, a startup
application, or a device driver.
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