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manufacturers are probably best left alone. If you find a vital service is stopped and something loses functionality, enabling it is these same steps only in reverse order; you'll be re-checking the checkbox next to the service.

Now on to the startup tab. These items load whenever you turn on you computer. With no option to hide Microsoft services, this tab is a little trickier to navigate. The same basic rules apply; just make sure you know what you're disabling before you disable it.

Upon exiting, MSconfig will ask you to reboot. Select "Yes" and then, when Windows restarts you will be asked if you want to run the configuration utility every time you reboot. Tell that dialog box "No" and it shouldn't bother you again until the next time you go poking around in MSconfig.

Sound a little tricky? It can be. So what is one to do to simplify the process? There are two excellent software utilities available, both of which can take some of the guesswork out of modifying your system's background settings.

The first is a freebie called Process Library (processlibrary.com). This tool can be installed on your PC and will scan all your background processes, and then provide a report of each process and a detailed explanation of what it does. Armed with this information, you can then edit your MSconfig utility accordingly.

Beyond giving you the low-down on the dumps of your RAM, Process Library can do little else. If you're looking for an automated tool that will walk you step by step through the procedure, consider In Control ($29.95 from getincontrol.com). In Control shows you a comprehensive list of what's going on backstage on your PC, and features a bright, readable user interface. Video tutorials are available that will help guide you every step of the way to getting your system back on the fast track. Additionally, In Control has a host of other useful features. For example, the Blacklist can be used to stop pesky processes that keep restarting themselves. Or say you stop an important process and things get a little funky on your PC. In Control's history list will allow you to roll back your system to a previous state when it was working better. A Heal My PC tool can dig even deeper into your computer, to a place called the registry, and can fix damaged entries (called registry keys)-this also speeds up PC performance.

Every PC that I've owned in recent years has required some tweaking in MSconfig, and more recently, using the aforementioned software tools. Sure, it takes a little work and a little learning, but it's well worth it. After all, your PC is an investment, not just in money, but in time and personal productivity. Isn't it time you get your system performing at the potential it was designed for?

Learn more about this author, James Richardson.
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