Clean Boot - Improve Windows XP performance & Troubleshoot problems

Over time, my computer getting slower on starting up. Happy to find this command MSConfig to the rescue.

1. Start the System Configuration Utility by typing msconfig under Start | Run.
   
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup (see Figure 1), and then uncheck the Process SYSTEM.INI File and Process WIN.INI File boxes. These files hold the Windows configuration settings. Also uncheck the Load Startup Items box to disable all software programs that automatically start with Windows.
   

Figure 1: Use Selective Startup on the General tab to disable software and services.


3. Go to the Services tab to disable Windows services. First, select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer. Now you can also uncheck the Load System Services box on the General tab.
   
4. Now that you've disabled everything, has the problem with your computer disappeared? If yes, start re-enabling the disabled items to track down the problem's cause. Start by replacing the check mark next to Process SYSTEM.INI File, click OK, and when prompted, reboot your PC (see Figure 2).
   
   Figure 2: Enable one item at a time and reboot the PC. Start with Process SYSTEM.INI File.
   
   
5. If the problem with your computer returns, you know it's caused by one of the entries in the SYSTEM.INI file and you should move to the next step. If not, repeat the above step for the Process WIN.INI File, Load System Services, and Load Startup Items categories until you find which, if any, is responsible for your problems.
   
6. Once you've identified the offending category, open its tab in the System Configuration Utility. For example, to take a closer look at the SYSTEM.INI file, select the SYSTEM.INI tab (see Figure 3).
   
   Figure 3: Disable all the entries on the SYSTEM.INI tab by removing the check from each item's box.
   
   
7. Continue the process of elimination by unchecking all of the items listed on the SYSTEM.INI tab and rebooting your PC. The problem should disappear. Now re-enable each item one at a time¡ªby rechecking the box next to the item¡ªand reboot the PC. As before, when the problem appears, the most recently checked item is the cause of the problem and needs to be permanently disabled (unchecked).
   

1. Click Start, Run and then type services.msc and click Ok.
   
2. Right click Windows Installer, and then click Start.
   

1. Click Start, and then click Run. The Run window appears.
   
2. In the Open box, type msconfig and then click OK. The System Configuration Utility appears.
   
3. Click Normal Startup.
   
4. Click OK.
   
5. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.
   

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