What tool should you use to configure which devices and services start when Windows boots?

Contents

1. 1 Windows Task Manager
2. 2 What are Administrative Tools?
3. 3 Using System Configuration
   1. 3.1 Warning
   2. 3.2 Note
      1. 3.2.1 To start Windows in Diagnostic startup mode
      2. 3.2.2 To start Windows in Selective startup mode
4. 4 Administrative Tools - Computer Management in Windows 7 
5. 5  Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in Windows 7

Shell = the portion of an OS that relates to the user and to applications.

The Windows UI provides users with access to a wide variety of objects necessary for running applications and managing the operating system. The most numerous and familiar of these objects are the folders and files that reside on computer disk drives. There are also a number of virtual objects that allow the user to perform tasks such as sending files to remote printers or accessing the Recycle Bin. The Shell organizes these objects into a hierarchical namespace and provides users and applications with a consistent and efficient way to access and manage objects.

Kernel = Interacts with hardware

In computing, the kernel is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components).[1] Usually, as a basic component of an operating system, a kernel can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources (especially processors and I/O devices) that application software must control to perform its function. It typically makes these facilities available to application processes through inter-process communication mechanisms and system calls.

Operating system tasks are done differently by different kernels, depending on their design and implementation. While monolithic kernels execute all the operating system code in the same address space to increase the performance of the system, microkernels run most of the operating system services in user space as servers, aiming to improve maintainability and modularity of the operating system.[2] A range of possibilities exists between these two extremes.

An application consists of one or more processes. A process, in the simplest terms, is an executing program. One or more threads run in the context of the process. A thread is the basic unit to which the operating system allocates processor time. A thread can execute any part of the process code, including parts currently being executed by another thread.

A job object allows groups of processes to be managed as a unit. Job objects are namable, securable, sharable objects that control attributes of the processes associated with them. Operations performed on the job object affect all processes associated with the job object.

A thread pool is a collection of worker threads that efficiently execute asynchronous callbacks on behalf of the application. The thread pool is primarily used to reduce the number of application threads and provide management of the worker threads.

A fiber is a unit of execution that must be manually scheduled by the application. Fibers run in the context of the threads that schedule them.

User-mode scheduling (UMS) is a lightweight mechanism that applications can use to schedule their own threads. UMS threads differ fromfibers in that each UMS thread has its own thread context instead of sharing the thread context of a single thread.

Windows Task Manager

Applications: A list of your applications running

Processes: A list of you processes running

Services: List the services currently installed along with the status

Performance: Provides graph for a quick look at system resource use

Networking: Monitor network activity with this tab and bandwidth use

Users: Shows all users currently logged into the system

What are Administrative Tools?

Administrative Tools is a folder in Control Panel that contains tools for system administrators and advanced users. The tools in the folder might vary depending on which version of Windows you are using.

Many of the tools in this folder, such as Computer Management, are Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins that include their own help topics. To view specific help for an MMC tool, or to search for an MMC snap-in that you do not see in the following list, open the tool, click the Help menu, and then click Help Topics.

• Open Administrative Tools by clicking the Start button 

  
  , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Administrative Tools.

Some common administrative tools in this folder include:

• Computer Management. Manage local or remote computers by using a single, consolidated desktop tool. Using Computer Management, you can perform many tasks, such as monitoring system events, configuring hard disks, and managing system performance.

• Data Sources (ODBC). Use Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to move data from one type of database (a data source) to another. For more information, see What is ODBC?

• Event Viewer. View information about significant events, such as a program starting or stopping, or a security error, that are recorded in event logs.

• iSCSI Initiator. Configure advanced connections between storage devices on a network. For more information, see What is Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI)?

• Local Security Policy. View and edit Group Policy security settings.

• Memory Diagnostics Tool. Check your computer's memory to see if it is functioning properly. For more information, seeHow do I know if my computer has a memory problem?

• Print Management. Manage printers and print servers on a network and perform other administrative tasks.

• Reliability and Performance Monitor. View advanced system information about the central processing unit (CPU), memory, hard disk, and network performance.

• Services. Manage the different services that run in the background on your computer.

• System Configuration. Identify problems that might be preventing Windows from running correctly. For more information, see Using System Configuration.

• Task Scheduler. Schedule programs or other tasks to run automatically. For more information, see Schedule a task.

• Windows Firewall with Advanced Security. Configure advanced firewall settings on both this computer and remote computers on your network.

Using System Configuration

System Configuration is an advanced tool that can help identify problems that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. You can start Windows with common services and startup programs turned off and then turn them back on, one at a time. If a problem does not occur when a service is turned off, but does occur when turned on, then the service could be the cause of the problem.

System Configuration is intended to find and isolate problems, but it is not meant as a startup management program. To permanently remove or turn off programs or services that run at startup, see Uninstall or change a program.

The following table describes the tabs and options that are available in System Configuration:

Tab		Description
General		Lists choices for startup configuration modes: Normal startup. Starts Windows in the usual manner. Use this mode to start Windows after you are done using the other two modes to troubleshoot the problem. Diagnostic startup. Starts Windows with basic services and drivers only. This mode can help rule out basicWindows files as the problem. Selective startup. Starts Windows with basic services and drivers and the other services and startup programs that you select.
Boot		Shows configuration options for the operating system and advanced debugging settings, including: Safe boot: Minimal. Boots to the Windows graphical user interface (Windows Explorer) in safe mode running only critical system services. Networking is disabled. Safe boot: Alternate shell. Boots to the WindowsCommand Prompt in safe mode running only critical system services. Networking and the graphical user interface are disabled. Safe boot: Active Directory repair. Boots to theWindows graphical user interface in safe mode running critical system services and Active Directory. Safe boot: Network. Boots to the Windows graphical user interface in safe mode running only critical system services. Networking is enabled. No GUI boot. Does not display the Windows splash screen when booting. Boot log. Stores all information from the boot process in the file %SystemRoot%Ntbtlog.txt. Base video. Boots to the Windows graphical user interface in minimal VGA mode. This loads standard VGA drivers instead of display drivers specific to the video hardware on the computer. OS boot information. Shows driver names as drivers are being loaded during the boot process. Make all boot settings permanent. Does not track changes made in System Configuration. Options can be changed later using System Configuration, but must be changed manually. When this option is selected, you cannot roll back your changes by selecting Normal startup on the General tab.
Services		Lists all of the services that start when the computer boots, along with their current status (Running or Stopped). Use the Services tab to enable or disable individual services at boot time to troubleshoot which services might be contributing to boot problems. Select Hide all Microsoft services to show only third-party applications in the services list. Clear the check box for a service to disable it on your next boot. If you have chosen Selective startup on the General tab, you must either choose Normal startup on the General tab or select the service’s check box to start it again at boot time. Warning Disabling services that normally run at boot time might cause some programs to malfunction or result in system instability. Do not disable services in this list unless you know they are not essential to your computer’s operation. Selecting Disable all will not disable some secure Microsoft services required for the operating system to start.
Startup		Lists applications that run when the computer boots, along with the name of their publisher, the path to the executable file, and the location of the registry key or shortcut that causes the application to run. Clear the check box for a startup item to disable it on your next boot. If you have chosen Selective startup on the General tab, you must either choose Normal startup on the General tab or select the startup item’s check box to start it again at boot time. If you suspect an application has been compromised, examine the Command column to review the path to the executable file. Note Disabling applications that normally run at boot time might result in related applications starting more slowly or not running as expected.
Tools		Provides a convenient list of diagnostic tools and other advanced tools that you can run.

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To start Windows in Diagnostic startup mode

1. Open System Configuration by clicking the Start button 

   
   , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, clicking Administrative Tools, and then double-clicking System Configuration.‌ 
   
    If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

2. Click the General tab, click Diagnostic startup, click OK, and then click Restart.

   If the problem occurs, then basic Windows files or drivers might be corrupted. For more information, search WindowsHelp and Support for "Startup Repair."

   If the problem does not occur, then use Selective startup mode to try to find the problem by turning individual services and startup programs on or off.

To start Windows in Selective startup mode

I think we have had enough exercises with "sc.exe". Now let's move to the service control program - the Services Console "service.msc" in the Control Panel.

The Services Console allows you to:

• List all program services
• View detailed properties of a service
• Change the startup type of a service to: Disabled, Manual, or Automatic
• Start or stop a service

You can start the Services Console from the Control Panel area by clicking "Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services".

Or you can start the Services Console from the Run dialog box by clicking "Start > Run", typing in "services.msc", then clicking "OK".

When the Services Console is started, you will see a list of all program services as shown in this picture: 

Administrative Tools - Computer Management in Windows 7 

Administrative Tools-> Computer Management: Manage local or remote computers. Using Computer Management, you can perform many tasks:

• Monitoring system events
• Configuring hard disks, and
• Managing system performance.

Let's see how to Manage your computer:

1. Click the Start and then choose the Control Panel option.

2. The Control Panel window opens up. 

3. Click to open Administrative Tools. 

3. Click Computer Management folder to manage your computer.

4. Under System Tools, click Task Scheduler to manage tasks that your computer will carry out automatically at the time you specify.

It shows the Task Status for last 24 hours and Active Tasks list. The Actions for the task scheduler are shown in the Right pane. You can Create Task, Import Task and Display All Running Tasks etc.

5. Click Create Basic Task to quickly schedule a common task.

Type Action Name and Description. click Next.

Click Weekly and Next.

Schedule the Date, Time and Weekday for the task and Click Next.

Choose the Action for the task. Click Start a program and Next.

Browse the program, Click Next and then Finish. The scheduled task will be listed in the Active Tasks List as below.

5. Under System Tools, click Event Viewer. Window opens up with the summary of Administrative Events that have occurred on the computer, Log Summary and recently viewed nodes list.

6. Click Shared Folders to view shared resources.

7. To view local users and groups list. Click Local Users and Groups.

8. Click Performance -> Monitoring Tools -> Performance monitor is used to view performance data either in real time or from a log file. 

Create New Data Collector Set by clicking More Actions -> New -> Data Collector Set.

Click Next. Browse Root directory.

 Microsoft Management Console (MMC) in Windows 7

Microsoft Windows includes a console of various tools which is used for managing and maintenance functions.

The console is called as Microsoft Management Console (MMC) which hosts and displays administrative tools created by Microsoft and other software providers for Windows. These tools are called snap-ins, and they are used for managing the hardware, software, and network components of Windows.

Several of the tools are available in the Administrative Tools folder in Control Panel, such as Computer Management, are MMC snap-ins.

Windows 7 MMC ver3.0 comes with many new snap-ins. such as performance monitoring tools etc.

For more information about a specific MMC snap-in, open an MMC snap-in and read the Help topics that come with it. You can access the Help topics by clicking the Help menu, and then clicking Help Topics.

You can easily create your MMC snap-ins, follow the link to more about How To Create Custom MMC Snap-in Tools Using Microsoft Management Console.

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