Using the Windows System Configuration utility

Products

• VMware
• VMware Desktop Hypervisor
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article describes how to use the Windows System Configuration utility. The Windows System Configuration utility helps determine if a service or application being loaded into Windows is causing unexpected operating system behavior. This utility allows services and applications to be selectively disabled. If the unexpected behavior stops after disabling a service or application then the source of the problem is identified.

A guest or host operating system:

• Fails
• Stops responding
• Stops responding and displays a blue screen with a stop code
• Keeps rebooting for no apparent reason
• Has performance problems
• Performs slowly
• Has applications that are not working properly
• Is experiencing network problems

Resolution

To launch the Windows System Configuration utility:

 

Note: Not all versions of Windows include this utility. If using have a version of Windows where the following procedure does not work, use a third party utility to selectively disable services and applications. Windows 2000 does not include this utility, but the version that comes with Windows XP can be used. Locate a Windows XP computer and copy the file msconfig.exe from the C:\WINDOWS\pchealth\helpctr\binaries directory to the Windows 2000 computer.

 

To use the Windows System Configuration utility to disable services and applications:

1. Click Start > Run, type msconfig, and click OK. The System Configurator Utility opens.
2. Click the Services tab.
3. Click Hide all Microsoft services.
4. Click Disable all.
5. Click OK.
6. Reboot the computer.

To disable automatic start up of applications:

1. In the System Configuration Utility, click the Startup tab.
2. Deselect the applications that do not need to run all the time. Use this as a troubleshooting step to isolate the issue.

Note: On Windows 8, 8.1 and Windows 10, startup applications can be controlled directly from Task Manager.

1. Right Click on the Taskbar in the Desktop.
2. Select Task Manager.
3. Go to Startup Tab.

 

If the issue no longer occurs, it is likely that one of the service or startup applications was the source of the problem. To selectively disable individual services from the Windows System Configuration utility select or deselect each service from the Services tab. To selectively disable individual startup applications, select or deselect each application from the Applications tab.

 

Note: Depending on the problem, following this procedure may remove a software environment that is required to test the health of the operating system. Once the issue is isolated, ensure to select all services and applications related the VMware software so that they function correctly.