BigDogBigFeet BigDogBigFeet

Where oh where is my msconfig.exe?

Where oh where is my msconfig.exe?

Do I still have it and it's been hidden by an installed app or is something else going on?

Hi all, 

Well as a result of Po's thread Virtual Memory Question I've discovered that when I click on start, run and type in msconfig and press enter ...... nothing happens.  I fired up explorer and searched my windows sub, no go and did a system Search twice and again no go.  Did some web searching and discovered one of 2 possibilities an installed app has it hidden from my through a system key setting or in the worst case malware.  At present I'm not suspecting malware.  System has no other problems currently and it's possible any of these progs could have it hidden: Ad-Aware 2007 Free, SpyBot Search and Destroy (I'm new to both of these) I also have Tune-Up Utilities 2006 and please don't gasp, Norton System Works(well mostly, lol).

Anywho, I thought I'd post to see if anyone has some insight as to what's caused this and what Reg Key(s) might be involved.  I'm thinking that's probably what's happened.

308,434 views 157 replies
Reply #101 Top
Hi. I got it fixed. I de-installed some beta apps using SDC and rebooted. All problems are gone. I let HG and Hippy know in IRC plus whoever else was hanging around. I also sent an email to Stardock support detailing the steps I used.
Reply #102 Top
I de-installed some beta apps

Care to be a little more specific, BDBF? Might be helpful to the rest of us.

Thanks.
Reply #103 Top
yeah... which apps?

Hate to say it but i knew it was something Stardock  X-( 
Reply #104 Top
I first used Windows to de-install Impulse: result was no change. I used SDC to de-install latest beta of IP and WB (both were installed using Impulse) and rebooted: result everything fixed. I then set SDC to show only stable releases (no betas) and re-installed WB and IP: result system stable.

The thing that forced me to find a solution is the memory leaks that were happening. My system at boot-up was using about 150MBs too much RAM so.. I had to find a solution other than full system re-install. I just went through that this past Xmas.
Reply #105 Top
Hmm.. doesn't help me seeing I have to use latest releases.. I wonder whether it was IP or WB.. naturally i HAVE to have WB :NOTSURE: 

I'm gonna try one at a time see if I can narrow it down.
Reply #106 Top
Ok.. To who it concerns..The problem is Icon Packager.

I uninstalled the version I had, not sure which one.. was off the private server.

Problem fixed. MSCONFIG working, Camtasia, working.

Solved.!!  :CONGRAT: 

WOW, and I reformatted twice over this.  X-( 
Reply #107 Top
Ok.. To who it concerns..The problem is Icon Packager


Ya that's the one I flagged in my email to Stardock. Impulse isn't installing it correctly or IP isn't stable or a combination thereof.
Reply #108 Top
WOW, and I reformatted twice over this


I pity you. Reformatting and then re-installing the same problem is the primary cause of this. lol Glad it's all working now.
Reply #109 Top
Impulse isn't installing it correctly


Can't be impulse, I use SDC to install and uninstall it. Its Definately IP tho.

Oh well.. Normal windows Icons until this is resolved.

Thanks to everyone on spending time trying to figure this out!
Reply #110 Top
WOW, and I reformatted twice over this


I pity you. Reformatting and then re-installing the same problem is the primary cause of this. lol Glad it's all working now.
Reply #111 Top
I pity you


yeah me too lots of valuable work hours lost on reformatting a reinstalling all my stuff, saving files etc...

IP (the butler) did it  ;p 
Reply #112 Top
Oh and you can install IP 3.20.128 it's stable and works just fine. It's only the latest IP beta that's the problem. Just set SDC to stop showing the beta releases and this IP version should appear for installing.
Reply #113 Top
3.20.128 IS stable, Seems when they went to the new IP interface things got borked.

Hopefully the developer see's this, I can only assume this is affecting a lot of PC's.  :NOTSURE: 
Reply #114 Top
There's only one problem with IP being the problem....the beta has been out since October of last year. That means something else is corrupting IP. What, I have no idea ;p If everyone's machines are working again, I wouldn't install/update any Stardock apps until someone smarter then me/us figures it out.

John, I hope I didn't add to your woes.....
Reply #115 Top
John, I hope I didn't add to your woes.....


Not at all, I was in the middle of figuring out the system reset when I read Dogs last post.. I decided to try IP...and Voila.

The new IP interface has been out since October? Thought it was very recent?
Reply #116 Top
This gets more confusing as time goes by. I have IP 3.20a[rc].033 on only one of the 3 XP rigs affected here. The other two have 3.20.128 & msconfig's UI is MIA on both. I can't blame it on the .033 beta here. :NOTSURE:
Reply #117 Top
I'd suggest.. going to stable version on all. See if they all work, then update one at a time.
Reply #118 Top
There's only one problem with IP being the problem....the beta has been out since October of last year. That means something else is corrupting IP. What, I have no idea If everyone's machines are working again, I wouldn't install/update any Stardock apps until someone smarter then me/us figures it out.


I've also got IP 3.20a[rc].033 and the System Restore corrected my missing msconfig problem. Which probably means I've had IP 3.20a[rc].033 longer than two weeks, which is how far back I went on the System Restore.

I've yet to re-install Impulse and I haven't re-updated Icon Developer to the latest shown 2.00.030, which I had done before with Impulse. I did re-update WB and SKS6 with SDC.

Now here is something interesting, Icon Developer won't start. I get the 'Icondeveloper has encountered a problem and needs to close' message. I'm currently at 197a.[b].039 according to SDC and it was working at that version before this all started.
Reply #119 Top
I also rolled back WB to the last stable version 6.03.046 and de-installed Impulse. The other thing I noticed on my rig is Impulse had indicated I had a 4.03 release, I think, and SDC indicated 3.9 release. From memory but, I do recall the 2 programs Impulse and SDC did not sync and agree on release level of IP. That's what made me think the install process may have gone bad. For now I'm sticking with the stable release of WB and IP because it's working.
Reply #120 Top
I also rolled back WB to the last stable version 6.03.046 and de-installed Impulse. The other thing I noticed on my rig is Impulse had indicated I had a 4.03 release, I think, and SDC indicated 3.9 release. From memory but, I do recall the 2 programs Impulse and SDC did not sync and agree on release level of IP. That's what made me think the install process may have gone bad. For now I'm sticking with the stable release of WB and IP because it's working.
Reply #121 Top
That is odd.  :NOTSURE: 
Reply #122 Top
I also rolled back WB to the last stable version 6.03.046 and de-installed Impulse. The other thing I noticed on my rig is Impulse had indicated I had a 4.03 release, I think, and SDC indicated 3.9 release. From memory but, I do recall the 2 programs Impulse and SDC did not sync and agree on release level of IP. That's what made me think the install process may have gone bad. For now I'm sticking with the stable release of WB and IP because it's working.
Reply #123 Top
I also rolled back WB to the last stable version 6.03.046 and de-installed Impulse. The other thing I noticed on my rig is Impulse had indicated I had a 4.03 release, I think, and SDC indicated 3.9 release. From memory but, I do recall the 2 programs Impulse and SDC did not sync and agree on release level of IP. That's what made me think the install process may have gone bad. For now I'm sticking with the stable release of WB and IP because it's working.
Reply #124 Top
Forums are being goofy.. Daiwa, do u have impulse installed?
Reply #125 Top
Ya they sure are sorry. I hope this doesn't post eleventy times.