Turning on/off processes in XP

[Wallace]

I believe there's a command to turn process on and off in Windows XP.
Basically I remember it consisted of several tabs and you could change
which priocesses booted on startup. I guess the application was started
from DOS.

Can anyone remind me how to get there?

Wallace

 

[Pegasus [MVP]]

I believe there's a command to turn process on and off in Windows XP.
Basically I remember it consisted of several tabs and you could change
which priocesses booted on startup. I guess the application was started
from DOS.

Can anyone remind me how to get there?

Wallace

It's probably msconfig.exe. There is no DOS in Windows XP (DOS is a 30-year
old legacy operating system) - you type msconfig.exe into the Start/Run box.

 

[Malke]

I believe there's a command to turn process on and off in Windows XP.
Basically I remember it consisted of several tabs and you could change
which priocesses booted on startup. I guess the application was started
from DOS.

As Pegasus said, you are probably thinking of the System Configuration
Utility (msconfig). However, you should not use msconfig to disable services.

Start>Run>msconfig [enter]

This brings up the System Configuration Utility. Look on the Startup tab and
find the probable culprit. Uncheck the box next to its name, Apply and OK
out. You don't need to restart immediately, but the next time you do you'll
get a dialog saying you've used the Utility. Just tick the box that says in
effect, "don't bother me about this again".

Important - Do not use the System Configuration Utility to stop processes.
Instead, use Start>Run>services.msc [enter] and do not stop any services
unless you really, really know what you're doing.

How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310560

The free Autoruns program is very useful for managing your Startup -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/default.mspx

Malke

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I believe there's a command to turn process on and off in Windows XP.
Basically I remember it consisted of several tabs and you could change
which priocesses booted on startup.

You probably mean programs that start automatically when you boot, not
"processes," and you probably are referring to the program msconfig.

Please read my standard message below on stopping programs that
autostart:

First, note that you should be concerned with *all* programs that
start automatically, not just with those that go into the system tray.
Not all autostarting programs manifest themselves by an icon in the
tray.

On each program you don't want to start automatically, check its
Options to see if it has the choice not to start (make sure you
actually choose the option not to run it, not just a "don't show icon"
option). Many can easily and best be stopped that way. If that doesn't
work, run MSCONFIG from the Start | Run line, and on the Startup tab,
uncheck the programs you don't want to start automatically.

However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of
running the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell
you, you should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs
you run, but *which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but
others have no effect on performance.

Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do
is determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what
the cost in performance is of its running all the time. You can try
google searches and ask about specifics here.

Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.

I guess the application was started
from DOS.

No. It's not started from DOS since there is no DOS in Windows XP.
Msconfig is a standard Windows application and be started just like
any other Windows application.

 

[Twayne]

I believe there's a command to turn process on and off in Windows XP.
Basically I remember it consisted of several tabs and you could change
which priocesses booted on startup. I guess the application was
started from DOS.

Can anyone remind me how to get there?

Wallace

In windows:

Start; Programs; (or in Control Panel, no difference); Administrative
Tools; Services.
Each service is listed there along with its state. Using their
Properties you can enable, disable, kill, start, etc. each process.
Careful; if that's new to you, keep a good record of what you're
doing so you can back it out, or at least back up a System State to CD
or DVD so you can restore it all.

If you were thinking of msconfig, I see that's already managed for you.
Just keep in mind, it's only a trouble-shooting tool, not a way to
permanently fix anything unless you want some interesting confusion down
the road.

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[The Seabat]

And if it is 'services' that you want to turn off, go here:

http://www.blackviper.com/

Proceed with caution!

 

[Kelly]

In addition:

Services

Start/Run: services.msc

Process

Start/Run: cmd

http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/446/xp_kill_windows_process_command_line_taskkill/

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP/DTS&XP)

Taskbar Repair Tool Plus!
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm