A junior technician is investigating a Windows 10 laptop that becomes unresponsive several times per day. No new hardware was added. In Event Viewer, multiple critical entries cite a vendor-specific driver. The technician wants to start the system with only Microsoft services and essential drivers to verify whether the third-party driver is the root cause. Which built-in Windows utility should the technician use?
System Configuration (msconfig) lets a technician perform a Diagnostic or Selective startup, which loads only core drivers and Microsoft services. By disabling all third-party items and then rebooting, the technician can observe whether instability continues; if it disappears, a non-Microsoft service or driver is implicated. Device Manager can disable individual devices, but it does not provide a single switch to load only Microsoft services. Services.msc edits starting states after Windows is already running, so it cannot stop drivers from loading during boot. Performance Monitor gathers statistics and alerts but cannot alter which drivers or services are loaded. Therefore, System Configuration is the appropriate first step for this troubleshooting approach.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is System Configuration (msconfig) used for?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What is the difference between Diagnostic startup and Selective startup in msconfig?