Karbosguide.com. Software Tip 18

Use MSConfig to alter the Windows start-up.

Windows 98 has a new powerful tool called MSConfig, which a lot of people not are aware of.

In tip number 3 I showed how to clean up all the temporary Internet files including the subdirectories, cookies, and other temporary files. I have got several comments on this tip, which many people find very useful.

Temporary disabling commands

Sometimes it is nice temporary to disable these DOS commands, as Mr. Kokusai of Japan wrote me and asked how to it.

Many programs rely on the folder C:\Windows\temp during the install process. If they also include a re-boot, it may cause problems if your Autoexec deletes all the files in C:\Windows\temp.

The solution to this is MSConfig.

Find MSConfig

You have to use Start --> Run and type the command msconfig like this:

The program contains of six tabs. On the first, you choose Selective startup:

The second tab lets you enable/disable driver or other calls placed in Config.sys. The same is the case with tab number three Autoexec.bat. Here I see the three lines discussed earlier. Here I disable one of them:

You can also add/edit/disable commands to System.ini. here you see my favorite setting for disk cache:

The commands in Startup

A very important tool is the last tab. Here you can disable programs, that normally are loaded during the Windows startup. This is a very handy tool for clearing some of those background program, since many of them are redundant. They are installed by varies types of software, but often they only delay the startup and represent a waste of memory and other ressources: