A PC that crashes, freezes, or crawls right after startup is often fighting a background service or startup app, and System Configuration (msconfig) lets you switch those off to find the culprit. The trick is doing it in the right order so you can always undo it and never end up stuck in a Safe Mode loop.
msconfig
msconfig is the command that opens System Configuration, a built-in troubleshooting tool in Windows 10 and Windows 11. It controls which services load at boot, whether Windows starts in Safe Mode, and which startup mode the PC uses. Open it with Win + R, type msconfig, and press Enter. Changing its settings needs administrator rights: on a standard account, Windows asks for an administrator’s credentials, and some work or school PCs block changes by policy.
| Tab | What it does | Safe to change? |
|---|---|---|
| General | Switches between Normal, Diagnostic, and Selective startup | Yes, switch back to Normal when done |
| Boot | Turns on Safe boot (Minimal, Alternate shell, Active Directory repair, Network) | Yes, but always clear Safe boot afterward |
| Services | Lists Windows and third-party services, used for a clean boot | Only after checking Hide all Microsoft services |
| Startup | Links to Task Manager, where startup apps now live | Yes, through Task Manager |
| Tools | Shortcuts to other built-in admin tools (list varies by edition) | Launch only, nothing changes here |
Quick reference: what to use for which problem
| Scenario | Where to go in msconfig | How to undo it |
|---|---|---|
| Crashes or freezes soon after startup | Services tab (clean boot) + Task Manager startup apps | General > Normal startup, then re-enable startup apps |
| Tech support needs Safe Mode on every restart | Boot > Safe boot | Clear the Safe boot checkbox |
| Need internet while in Safe Mode | Boot > Safe boot > Network | Clear the Safe boot checkbox |
| Slow startup | Startup > Open Task Manager | Re-enable the app in Task Manager |
| Stuck booting into Safe Mode | Boot tab, or Windows Recovery Environment | See Step 6 below |
Before You Begin
Make sure you have:
- A PC running Windows 10 or Windows 11 (msconfig is built in, so there’s nothing to download)
- An administrator account, or the admin password for the User Account Control prompt
- A list of anything you plan to disable, written down or photographed
- Permission from IT if this is a work or school PC, since group policy can override or block msconfig changes
- A Windows recovery USB flash drive, ideally, in case the PC won’t boot normally
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Device | Any Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC |
| OS version | Windows 10 or Windows 11 (the tool looks and works the same on both) |
| Account | Administrator rights to apply changes |
| Cost | Free, included with Windows |
Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025 (Microsoft). msconfig still works there, but the PC no longer gets security updates.
Step 1: Open System Configuration
The Run box is the fastest path, and it works identically on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Press
Win + Rto open the Run dialog. - Type
msconfigin the Open box. - Press
Enteror click OK. - Click Yes if User Account Control asks for permission.
If you’d rather use the mouse, click Search on the taskbar, type msconfig, and select System Configuration from the results.
Expected result: The System Configuration window opens on the General tab.
Step 2: Check the General Tab Startup Mode
The General tab shows the PC’s overall startup state. Look here first, because it tells you whether someone has already been tinkering.
- Confirm which radio button is selected.
- Leave Normal startup selected unless you’re actively troubleshooting.
What each mode does:
- Normal startup loads all drivers and services as usual. This is the default.
- Diagnostic startup loads only basic devices and services, similar in spirit to Safe Mode.
- Selective startup loads only the services and startup items you allow. msconfig switches to this automatically during a clean boot.
Expected result: On a healthy PC that nobody’s been troubleshooting, Normal startup is selected. If Selective startup is already chosen, a clean boot may have been left unfinished, or an app or setting changed the startup mode. Check the Services and Startup tabs before you switch back.
Step 3: Hide Microsoft Services and Run a Clean Boot
This is the step where people break things. If you click Disable all before hiding Microsoft services, you also switch off Microsoft services, and Windows features can stop working until you turn them back on. So the order matters: hide first, then disable.
- Click the Services tab.
- Check Hide all Microsoft services at the bottom left.
- Confirm the list now shows only third-party services (antivirus, printer utilities, game launchers, and so on).
- Click Disable all.
- Click Apply. Don’t restart yet.
Expected result: Every remaining checkbox in the list is cleared. Switch back to the General tab and you’ll see Selective startup selected.
Undo: Go back to Services, keep Hide all Microsoft services checked, and click Enable all. Then pick Normal startup on the General tab.
The full workflow, including how to bisect your services, is in Microsoft’s clean boot article. The short version: if the problem disappears after a clean boot, re-enable half the services, restart, and keep halving until the problem returns. The last batch you turned on holds the conflict.
Step 4: Manage Startup Apps Through Task Manager
The Startup tab in msconfig no longer lists programs on Windows 10 or Windows 11. It just hands you off to Task Manager.
- Click the Startup tab in System Configuration.
- Click Open Task Manager.
- In Task Manager, open the Startup apps tab (on Windows 10 it’s labeled Startup).
- Select an app whose Status says Enabled.
- Click Disable at the top right.
- Repeat for each startup app you want to rule out during the clean boot.
- Close Task Manager.
Expected result: The Status column shows Disabled for each app you switched off.
Undo: Select each app and click Enable. Write the list down before you start, because Task Manager won’t remember which ones you changed.
Want a simpler view? Settings > Apps > Startup gives you plain on/off toggles for the same apps (Microsoft). Task Manager is the better pick for diagnosis because it shows the Startup impact column.
Step 5: Turn On Safe Boot From the Boot Tab
Use this when tech support or a repair step needs Safe Mode. Safe boot sticks until you turn it off, so every restart lands in Safe Mode.
- Click the Boot tab.
- Under Boot options, check Safe boot.
- Choose a mode:
- Minimal starts Safe Mode with no network drivers. This is the default choice.
- Network starts Safe Mode with the network drivers and services you need for internet access.
- Alternate shell starts Safe Mode with a Command Prompt instead of the desktop.
- Active Directory repair is for domain controllers. Skip it on home and office PCs.
- Click Apply, then OK.
- Click Restart when Windows asks whether to restart now.
Expected result: The PC restarts into Safe Mode, with “Safe Mode” shown in the corners of the screen.
Leave the Advanced options button alone. Number of processors and Maximum memory limit the hardware Windows can use at boot. They’re meant for IT diagnostics and won’t make the PC faster.
Step 6: Clear Safe Boot to Avoid a Safe Mode Loop
Do this as soon as your Safe Mode work is finished. Forgetting it is the most common reason a PC “keeps booting into Safe Mode.”
- While still in Safe Mode, press
Win + R, typemsconfig, and pressEnter. - Click the Boot tab.
- Clear the Safe boot checkbox.
- Click Apply, then OK.
- Click Restart.
Expected result: Windows boots to the normal desktop.
If you can’t reach the desktop
If Windows still starts in Safe Mode, you can usually still sign in there and clear the checkbox from msconfig as described above. If you can’t sign in at all, clear the setting from the Windows Recovery Environment instead (Microsoft). Don’t rely on Startup Settings for this: it’s a one-time boot menu, and choosing a normal start there doesn’t remove msconfig’s persistent Safe boot setting.
- On the sign-in screen, hold
Shiftand select Power > Restart. - Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt. If asked, pick your account and enter its password.
- Run
bcdedit /enum. In the list, find the Windows Boot Loader entry that has asafebootline, and note the value on itsidentifierline. On most single-OS PCs that’s{default}. - Delete the setting from that entry, replacing
{default}with the identifier you noted if it’s different:
bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot- Close Command Prompt and select Continue to start Windows.
Check the identifier before deleting rather than assuming one. Boot identifiers depend on how the PC’s boot store is set up, and inside the Recovery Environment {current} doesn’t necessarily point to your Windows installation. If more than one entry shows safeboot, clear it from each Windows entry you use.
If you’re already signed in to Windows (including Safe Mode), you can run the same commands from an elevated Command Prompt, opened with Run as administrator; a standard prompt will return an access-denied error.
If the command reports that the element was not found, that entry doesn’t have Safe boot set. Look through the bcdedit /enum output again for another entry that does, and confirm in msconfig’s Boot tab that the Safe boot checkbox is cleared.
Step 7: Return to Normal Startup
Once you’ve found the culprit, or ruled out third-party software, put everything back.
- Open msconfig and click the General tab.
- Select Normal startup.
- Click Apply, then OK.
- Open Task Manager with
Ctrl + Shift + Escand re-enable the startup apps you want back. - Restart the PC.
Expected result: msconfig reopens on Normal startup, and your usual apps launch at sign-in.
Configuration: Settings Worth Knowing
| Setting | Location | Default | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal startup | General tab | Selected | Keep selected outside troubleshooting |
| Selective startup | General tab | Off | Set automatically during a clean boot |
| Hide all Microsoft services | Services tab | Unchecked | Always check before Disable all |
| Safe boot | Boot tab | Unchecked | Clear it the moment you’re done |
| Number of processors / Maximum memory | Boot > Advanced options | Unchecked | Leave unchecked |
The Tools tab is a launcher, so nothing you do there changes startup behavior. The tool list varies by Windows edition.
Tips and Troubleshooting
Windows features broke after a clean boot
Why it happens: Disable all was clicked before Hide all Microsoft services was checked, so Microsoft services got switched off too.
Fix: Open the Services tab, clear Hide all Microsoft services, and click the Manufacturer column to sort the list. Re-check the cleared services listed as Microsoft Corporation, click Apply, and restart. Then redo the clean boot in the correct order. Avoid Enable all here: it also turns back on any third-party services you’d deliberately disabled, including the one you may be trying to isolate. To undo the clean boot completely, use the steps in Step 7 instead.
The Startup tab is empty
Why it happens: Startup apps are managed in Task Manager on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Fix: Click Open Task Manager, or use Settings > Apps > Startup.
No internet in Safe Mode
Why it happens: Minimal Safe boot leaves out network drivers on purpose.
Fix: Go back to the Boot tab and pick Network instead.
A clean boot didn’t fix the problem
Why it happens: A clean boot only rules out third-party services and startup apps. It doesn’t test Windows itself, drivers, hardware, or the app that’s crashing.
Fix: Return to Normal startup (Step 7), then move on to app repair, driver updates, or hardware checks. If startup is simply slow on an old hard drive, an SSD upgrade usually does more than any msconfig setting.
Changes revert on a work PC
Why it happens: Group policy on managed devices can override System Configuration.
Fix: Ask your IT department. They’ll need to change it centrally.
Wrapping Up
The clean boot in Step 3 is the one that usually earns its keep, as long as you hide Microsoft services first. Safe boot is handy, but I’d only use the msconfig version when you know you’ll need several Safe Mode restarts in a row. If problems survive both a clean boot and Safe Mode, suspect malware, a failing drive, or bad RAM, and run a full antivirus scan before blaming software.
| Step | Action | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open msconfig with Win + R | Windows 10 and 11 |
| 3 | Hide Microsoft services, then Disable all | Windows 10 and 11 |
| 4 | Disable startup apps in Task Manager | Windows 10 and 11 |
| 5-6 | Turn on Safe boot, then clear it | Windows 10 and 11 |
| 7 | Return to Normal startup | Windows 10 and 11 |
One maintenance habit makes all of this reversible. Before you change anything, take a screenshot of the Services list and the Task Manager Startup apps tab, and save it with a recovery USB flash drive or an external backup drive. Rolling back then takes two minutes.