System Configuration is used to manage boot processes, configure how Windows starts up, services, etc.
System Configuration can be accessed from the Control Panel under Administrative Tools or via the command line command: msconfig
System Configuration is broken up into 5 tabs:
- General
- Boot
- Services
- Startup
- Tools
General
The General tab controls the startup process. It says what part of Windows will start up during the boot process.
A normal start up is how a user would day to day generally start up the machine.
A Diagnostic startup is similar to Safe Mode, but the Diagnostic startup only loads basic devices and services only.
A Selective startup lets you decide what to load. You can choose to load system services, load startup items, or use original boot configurations.
Boot tab
The Boot tab lets you control the boot location. If you have multiple operating systems, you can select which operating system to load when the system boots up.
The Advanced Options lets you choose the number processors, maximum memory, etc. when the operating system start up.
The Boot tab contains different boot options such as forcing Windows to start in safe boot, remove the GUI, create a boot log file, base video, OS boot information (shows drivers as they load), set timeout for booting.
If you’re troubleshooting a WIndows boot problem, you’d look in this Boot tab for tools to troubleshoot.
Services Tab
When you start up Windows there are a number of services that start up as well. The Services Tab allows you to disable and enable Windows services and allows you to define which services start during boot.
Startup Tab
In addition to services, there are a number of user programs that start up when the computer boots up. The Startup Tab lists all of the applications that start automatically. You would enable or disable applications by checking/unchecking the boxes next to each application.
The Startup Tab in Windows 8/8.1/10 wont have information in this tab, since the information has been moved to the Task Manager.
Tools tab
The Tools tab provides easy access to common administrative tools such as UAC settings, System Information, Computer Management, etc.
This static and comprehensive tools list may be faster than trying to search through menus or typing.
