Windows具有各种隐藏的小实用程序，可让您配置和修改通常在控制面板(Control Panel)等区域中不可见的系统设置。自Windows 98(Windows 98)以来我最喜欢的工具之一是MSCONFIG。它基本上代表Microsoft System Configuration，显然用于配置各种设置。在本文中，我将向您展示如何访问MSCONFIG以及如何使用它。
让我们从在Windows 7上打开MSCONFIG开始。该工具与Windows Vista(Windows Vista)及更高版本的工具几乎相同，只是在Windows 8中稍作更改，稍后我将讨论。继续并单击“开始”按钮并(Start button and type)输入msconfig。
系统配置对话框(system configuration dialog)将弹出几个选项卡。选项卡的数量可能因您运行的Windows版本而异。(Windows)在Windows 7和 8 中，有 5 个选项卡：General、Boot、Services、Startup 和 Tools(Startup and Tools)。
MSCONFIG 常规选项卡
默认选择的第一个选项卡通常始终是常规(General )选项卡。
在这里，您将在Startup Selection标题下看到三个可选择的单选按钮。 除非更改，否则默认选择 正常启动。(Normal Startup)诊断启动(Diagnostic Startup)将以“精简”功能模式启动(” functionality)Windows，类似于但与安全模式(Mode)不同。如果您选择此选项，请记住在完成故障排除后将其改回，否则Windows将继续以这种方式启动。
此外，当您选择 Diagnostic startup 并单击 Apply(startup and click Apply)时，您会看到它会自动选择 Selective startup 并仅填写Load system services框。在诊断模式下，默认情况下启动的驱动程序和服务比使用 Safe Mode时要多，我下面解释。如果您发现需要使用控制面板项(Control Panel item)或根本无法在安全模式下(Mode)运行的程序，那么您可以尝试诊断模式，该模式的加载量低于正常启动，但高于安全模式(Mode)。
您会注意到，当您单击诊断启动(Diagnostic startup)并单击应用(Apply)时，加载系统服务(Load system services) 框未选中(not checked)，而是完全填写。这很重要，因为如果您单击“服务”(Services) 选项卡并滚动(tab and scroll)浏览，您会看到只有少数服务被选中。现在，如果您返回“常规(General)”选项卡，再次单击“选择性启动(Selective startup)”并选中带有实际复选标记的“加载系统服务”框，您将看到“(Load system services)服务”选项卡下的(Services)所有(ALL)服务都被选中，而不仅仅是少数几个。
使用“加载启动项(Load startup items)”框，您只能使用复选标记进行检查，这可以启用“启动”选项卡上的所有启动项或(Startup)禁用所有启动项。需要注意的是，如果您在加载系统(Load system)服务和加载启动(Load startup)项中都勾选了选择性启动，那么这与进行正常启动几乎相同，因为一切都已启用。
进行选择性启动并检查一项或两项的唯一原因是确定特定服务或启动项是否导致问题。这样做的方法是选中General选项卡上的相应框，然后转到Services或Startup，单击Disable all，然后仅选中一项。您重新启动计算机并查看该服务或启动项是否导致您的系统出现问题。如果没有，请再次转到“服务(Services)”或“启动(Startup)”选项卡并检查另一个项目。继续此过程，直到找到问题服务(problem service)或启动项。
MSCONFIG 引导选项卡
现在我们已经清楚地了解了General 选项卡(General tab)以及它如何连接到Services和Startup选项卡，让我们来谈谈第二个选项卡：Boot。这是一个重要的选项卡，因为它有很多关于 Windows 启动方式的选项。
让我们从引导(Boot) 选项(options)开始，因为这是该选项卡的重点。高级选项(Advanced options)按钮通常仅由为实际硬件编写设备驱动程序的程序员使用。
如果选中 Safe Boot，则可以从四个选项中进行选择：Minimal、Alternate shell、Active Directory repair 和 Network(Active Directory repair and Network)。让我们来看看每个选项：
–最小(Minimal)– 这是标准安全模式，将加载GUI，仅启用最基本的驱动程序和服务。在此模式下，网络(Networking)将被禁用。您几乎只能打开资源管理器并四处浏览(explorer and browse)。
–备用外壳(Alternate shell)– 这将仅使用命令提示符(command prompt)加载安全模式。GUI 和网络(GUI and networking)都将被禁用。仅当您要运行DOS 命令时才使用此模式。
– Active Directory 修复(Active Directory repair)– 这仅对企业环境有用，并且可能是您的网络管理员(network administrator)会使用的东西。
–网络(Network)– 这类似于Minimal，但启用了网络。如果您需要连接到网络资源或网站(network resource or website)以下载文件，这很有用。
在右侧，您会看到四个复选框，这意味着如果需要，您最多可以选中所有四个。让我们来看看这些选项：
–无 GUI 启动(No GUI boot)–启动时根本不会显示Windows(Will)欢迎(Windows)屏幕。
–引导日志(Boot log)–将(Will)在 %SystemRoot% Ntbtlog.txt中创建整个引导过程(boot process)的日志文件(log file)。
–基本视频(Base video)–将以(Will)最小VGA 模式(VGA mode)加载Windows，该模式使用标准VGA驱动程序而不是特定于机器上安装的视频卡的驱动程序。(video card)
–操作系统启动信息(OS boot information)– 在启动过程中加载驱动程序时，驱动程序的名称将显示在输出中。
超时是启动菜单在选择(boot menu)默认选项(default option)之前显示的时间量。如果您选中使所有启动设置永久(Make all boot settings permanent)化框，则单击常规选项卡(General tab)上的正常启动(Normal startup)不会将您恢复为原始设置。您必须手动更改任何启动设置。
同样，Windows将继续以安全模式(Safe Mode)加载，直到您返回系统配置实用程序(system configuration utility)并取消选中它或选择正常启动。
MSCONFIG 服务选项卡
接下来是“服务(Services)”选项卡，这是不言自明的。这里的主要内容是您真的不想禁用任何Microsoft 系统(Microsoft system)服务。你会在网上阅读很多关于应该禁用的无用Windows服务的文章，但这确实不是一个好主意。
继续并选中隐藏所有 Microsoft 服务(Hide all Microsoft services)框，您将只剩下第三方服务。禁用第三方服务可能很有用，但仅限于某些情况。大多数情况下，此选项卡用于禁用导致Windows冻结、蓝屏或(screen or something)其他不好的服务。
MSCONFIG 启动选项卡
启动选项卡(startup tab)是迄今为止我最喜欢的选项卡，也是我真正首先使用 MSCONFIG 实用程序的唯一原因(MSCONFIG utility)。由于大量的启动程序，一些客户端计算机的速度让我感到惊讶。即使我有很多，我通常会禁用其中的 80%，因为它们不是必需的。
当然，您必须小心，尤其是在笔记本电脑上，因为某些启动项控制您的无线网卡(wireless network card)或触摸板，如果您取消选中它们，两者都会停止工作。最好使用您可以在Command下看到的启动项名称或 EXE文件执行简单的(startup item name or EXE)Google 搜索(Google search)。
我还写了一篇关于在Windows中禁用启动程序的深入文章，它为您提供了更多关于禁用什么和不禁用什么的提示和指示。
MSCONFIG 工具选项卡
最后，有一个有用的选项卡，称为工具，它基本上链接到(Tools)Windows中的一大堆其他有用的实用程序。
这包括有关Windows、UAC设置、操作中心(action center)、疑难解答、计算机管理(computer management)、事件查看器(event viewer)、程序、系统属性、Internet选项、命令提示符(command prompt)、注册表编辑器(registry editor)、任务管理器(task manager)、系统还原(system restore)等信息的所有内容。如果您不记得在哪里可以找到工具或设置(tool or setting)，它可能在此处列出。
总体而言，系统配置实用程序是管理(system configuration utility)Windows PC(Windows PCs)的非常方便的工具，如果您想成为高级用户(power user)，绝对是您应该学习的东西。如果您有任何问题，请发表评论。享受！
How to Use MSCONFIG in Windows
Windоws hаs all sorts of hidden lіttle utilities that let you configure and modify system settings not normallу visіble in areas like the Control Pаnel. One of my favorite tools that has been around since Windows 98 is MSCONFIG. It basically stаnds for Mіcrosoft System Configuration and is obviously used to configure various settings. In this article, I’ll show you how to access MSCONFIG and hоw to use it.
Let’s start off by opening MSCONFIG on Windows 7. The tool is pretty much the same from Windows Vista and higher, with only a minor change in Windows 8 that I will talk about later. Go ahead and click on the Start button and type in msconfig.
The system configuration dialog will pop up with several tabs. The number of tabs may vary depending on which version of Windows you are running. In Windows 7 and 8, there are 5 tabs: General, Boot, Services, Startup and Tools.
MSCONFIG General Tab
The first tab, which is selected by default, will normally always be the General tab.
Here you will see three selectable radio buttons under the Startup Selection heading. Normal Startup will be selected by default unless changed. Diagnostic Startup will start Windows up in a “stripped down” functionality mode, similar to, but not the same as Safe Mode. If you choose this option, remember to change it back when you are done troubleshooting, or Windows will keep starting up in this manner.
Also, when you select Diagnostic startup and click Apply, you will see that it automatically selects Selective startup with only the Load system services box filled in. In diagnostic mode, you get more drivers and services started by default than with Safe Mode, which I explain below. If you find you need to use a Control Panel item or a program that simply won’t run on Safe Mode, then you can try diagnostic mode, which loads less than a normal startup, but more than Safe Mode.
You’ll notice that when you click Diagnostic startup and click Apply, the Load system services box is not checked, but is filled in entirely. That is significant because if you click on the Services tab and scroll through, you’ll see that only a handful of services are checked. Now if you go back to the General tab, click on Selective startup again and check the Load system services box with an actual checkmark, you’ll see that ALL services are checked under the Services tab not just a select few.
With the Load startup items box, you can only check it with a checkmark, which either enables all the startup items on the Startup tab or disables all of them. It should be noted that if you chose selective startup with a checkmark in both Load system services and Load startup items, then that’s pretty much the same thing as doing a normal startup because everything is enabled.
The only reason to do selective startup and check one or both items is to figure out if a particular service or startup item is causing problems. The way to do that is to check the appropriate box on the General tab and then go to Services or Startup, click Disable all, and then check off only one item. You restart the computer and see if that service or startup item is causing the issue with your system. If not, you go to the Services or Startup tab again and check another item. Continue this process until you find your problem service or startup item.
MSCONFIG Boot Tab
Now that we have a clear understanding of the General tab and how it’s connected to both the Services and Startup tabs, let’s talk about the second tab: Boot. This is an important tab because it has a lot of options for how Windows starts up.
Let’s start with Boot options as that’s the main point of this tab. The Advanced options button will normally only be used by programmers writing device drivers for actual hardware.
If you check Safe Boot, you can then pick from four options: Minimal, Alternate shell, Active Directory repair and Network. Let’s go through each option:
– Minimal – This is the standard safe mode that will load the GUI with only the most basic drivers and services enabled. Networking will be disabled in this mode. You can pretty much only open explorer and browse around.
– Alternate shell – This will load safe mode with just the command prompt. The GUI and networking will both be disabled. Only use this mode if you want to run DOS commands.
– Active Directory repair – This is only useful for corporate environments and will probably something your network administrator would use.
– Network – This is like Minimal, except networking is enabled. Useful if you need to connect to a network resource or website for downloading files.
On the right, you’ll see four checkboxes, which means you can check up to all four, if needed. Let’s go through these options:
– No GUI boot – Will simply not show the Windows welcome screen when booting.
– Boot log – Will make a log file of the entire boot process located at %SystemRoot%Ntbtlog.txt.
– Base video – Will load Windows in minimal VGA mode, which uses standard VGA drivers instead of the drivers that are specific to the video card installed on the machine.
– OS boot information – As drivers are being loaded during the boot up process, the names of the drivers will be shown in the output.
Timeout is the amount of time the boot menu is shown before it selects the default option. If you check the Make all boot settings permanent box, then clicking Normal startup on the General tab will not revert you back to your original settings. You’ll have to manually change any boot settings.
Again, Windows will continue to load in Safe Mode until you go back to the system configuration utility and uncheck it or choose normal startup.
MSCONFIG Services Tab
Next up is the Services tab, which is pretty self-explanatory. The main thing here is that you really don’t want to disable any Microsoft system services. You’ll read lots of articles online about useless Windows services that you should disable, but it’s really not a good idea.
Go ahead and check the Hide all Microsoft services box and you’ll only be left with third-party services. Disabling third-party services can be useful, but only in certain circumstances. Mostly this tab is used to disable a service that is causing Windows to freeze, blue screen or something else that is not good.
MSCONFIG Startup Tab
The startup tab is by far by favorite tab and really the only reason I actually use the MSCONFIG utility in the first place. It amazes me how slow some client computers are because of the massive number of startup programs. Even if I have a lot, I normally disable 80 percent of them because they aren’t necessary.
Of course you do have to be careful, especially on laptops, because some startup items control your wireless network card or your touchpad and both will stop working if you uncheck them. It’s best to perform a simple Google search with the startup item name or EXE file that you can see under Command.
I’ve also already written an in-depth article on disabling startup programs in Windows, which gives you more tips and pointers on what to and what not to disable.
MSCONFIG Tools Tab
Lastly, there is a useful tab called Tools that basically links out to a whole bunch of other useful utilities in Windows.
This includes everything from information about Windows, UAC settings, action center, troubleshooters, computer management, event viewer, programs, system properties, Internet options, command prompt, registry editor, task manager, system restore, etc. If you can’t remember where to find a tool or setting, it’s probably listed here.
Overall, the system configuration utility is a very handy tool to manage Windows PCs and definitely something you should learn if you want to become a power user. If you have any questions, post a comment. Enjoy!
