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I cannot remember the steps to get into Startup and change it. Help?

Okay, so you want to change your startup programs I take it? There are a couple of different ways to do this, so I’ll take you through my favorite techniques.

Managing Startup with MSCONFIG

Despite its odd name, the System Configuration utility (msconfig) is easy to use. However, it’s hard to remember the name. Think of it as “Microsoft Configuration” and it might help. If you have Windows XP, go to the Start button and click on Run. Type in msconfig and press the Enter key. If you have Windows Vista, type msconfig into the Start button’s Search bar and wait for the msconfig.exe icon to appear. Click the icon.

This opens the System Configuration utility. Now, click the Startup tab. Here, you’ll see a list of all programs that have been enabled to startup automatically with Windows and their current status (enabled or disabled). Remove tick marks to disable any item that you do not want to load when you turn on your computer. Pay attention to details as you disable items. For example, you wouldn’t necessarily want to disable your antivirus program unless you had two such programs installed and use one as a secondary service only. Likewise, research any unfamiliar programs to be sure that they are not essential for your computer.

Managing Startup with Windows Defender

If you have Windows Vista or have downloaded Windows Defender on your XP machine, you can use Windows Defender to manage your startup programs. Go to Tools > Software Explorer. Choose Startup Programs in the Category dropdown. Each program is listed and grouped by manufacturer. In addition, each startup program shows a classification which gives you clues about its relative safety and current setting. I like this tool because if you click an item that you’re unsure about, details appear in another pane. Among the details are:

• File name
• Display name
• Description
• Publisher
• Digitally signed by
• Classification
• SpyNet voting
• And other details

Startup choices for individual startup items include: Remove, Disable, and Enable.

Managing Startup with Windows Explorer

Finally, you can use Windows Explorer to manage startup programs, too. Right-click the Start button and choose Explore. Windows Explorer will launch. It should launch directly to the Start Menu folder, but if it doesn’t navigate to: Users\User Name\App Data\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. Once in the Start Menu, click on Programs > Startup. You can drag and drop shortcuts into and out of this folder. This is a much more basic choice than msconfig.exe or Windows Defender and it is limited in its use. It’s fine for quickly dragging a shortcut to your favorite program though.

What command do I type in the Run box to bring up the window that tells me what programs to automatically run when the computer starts? Also, I am trying to burn CDs and it says the drive is busy when I am not doing anything. Ideas?

Managing Startup Items

In order to manage the startup items via the Run box, you simply enter in the command msconfig and then click the OK button. This loads the MSConfig utility where you can then click the Startup Items tab and make your adjustments.

Windows Vista users can access MSConfig by typing msconfig into the Start button’s Search bar and pressing Enter. Once the MSConfig icon appears, click it and the MSConfig utility will launch.

Another tool for managing startup programs is Windows Defender which comes with both Windows XP and Vista. Simply launch Windows Defender and click the Tools link. Next, click Software Explorer where you can view and adjust your startup programs. This tool is easier to use as it classifies and groups each program, making it easier to determine if a program is necessary or not.

Drive Busy Error

Now, on to the “drive busy” error. Do you use the drive to run backups? If so, it may be busy performing a scheduled backup, though I have a hunch that’s not the case.

In researching drive busy errors, I found that some CD burners and programs have known “drive busy” problems which are generally solved by updating the device and/or its software. In addition, some users receive a message that the drive is busy and should be unmounted. First, try updating your operating system (which may in turn automatically update your hardware if updates are available) and then check for updates for your CD burning software.

If operating system and software updates don’t help, go to the Control Panel and find the Device Manager. From there, double-click the DVD/CD-ROM category and then double-click your drive. What does it say under Device Status? Is there a specific error code? If so, we can then research the specific code for further ideas. In the meantime, you can click the Driver tab followed by the Update Driver button and then let Windows search automatically for updated drivers.  

Hopefully one of the updates will fix your drive busy error. If not, let us know the following:

• Operating system
• CD drive model and version (Device Manager has this information)
• Specific error code if any
• CD burning software and version

I went in to msconfig and tried to stop all my startup programs, but on accident I stopped all of the services and now my wireless internet will not work and my computer has a Windows 2000 look instead of XP. How do I fix it back the way it was I cannot system restore because my computer hasn’t set dates for it.

MSCONFIG is a really useful utility that will help you troubleshoot the Windows startup process and can often help you isolate where any problems are occurring. Many users hide some of the systems when they are trying to fix a problem with your system. It not only modifies the programs that run at startup, it will also simplify controls over Windows services and will edit some configuration files.

Fixing the Windows 2000 “Look”

As you found out, the “Disable All” button is frustratingly easy to press, thereby stopping everything from running. Your computer is looking like Windows 2000 because that is one of the options that Microsoft offered when Windows XP came out - many users preferred the old look, so they allowed that as an option. It isn’t actually Windows 2000, it is still XP, but it looks like the old version. Even though it seems that you did this using MSCONFIG, the usual fix for this is on the desktop, so give it a try. Find a blank spot on the desktop and right click on it. Now choose Properties and then find the Appearances tab. From here, you can select the XP buttons and color scheme that you want.

MSCONFIG

In order to fix your startup items and services, I recommend going back the way you came. Go to Start and then Run and type in msconfig again. Click on the Services tab and see if you can choose Enable All (you can also click on them individually if you want to keep some disabled). While you’re here, go into the Start Up tab and you can individually select what you want to run at startup.

This is the most straightforward way I know of to restart the services on your computer. If, after reconfiguring the desktop back to XP and working your way back through MSCONFIG you are still having a problem, let us know exactly what you are seeing and we can try to help you further.