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Using the good ol’ msconfig in Windows 10 is very, very simple; read our basic advice to learn how easy it is to access this useful function.
In today’s guide, we’re going to show you the best ways to access it on your PC, so let’s get started.
How can I access MsConfig in Windows 10?
1. Use the Run command
- Press Windows key + R.
- Run window will now open.
- Enter msconfig.msc and press Enter or click OK.

2. Use Windows Search
- Press Windows key + S to open Windows Search.
- Type msconfig. Now select System Configuration from the list.

- The System Configuration window will now open.
3. Use CMD
- Go to Search, type command prompt, and select Run as administrator.

- Enter msconfig and press Enter.

- System Configuration window will now open.
You can also use PowerShell to start msconfig, so you’re not limited just to Command Prompt.
4. Use File Explorer
- Open File Explorer with Windows key + E.
- In the address bar, enter msconfig and press Enter.

- System Configuration window will now appear.
5. Use Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Next, go to File and choose Run new task.

- Enter msconfig and click OK or press Enter.

As you can see, accessing MsConfig in Windows 10 is very simple. You have more than one way to open it, so you can choose which works best for you.
You can also use MSConfig to remove startup programs on Windows 7, so don’t hesitate to do that.
As always, if you have any other suggestions or questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments section below and we’ll surely check them out.
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
Almost all modern CPUs are multicore. Modern versions of Windows have support for multiprocessor CPUs and all cores on them are active by default.
Windows has a strict limit on the maximum number of physical CPUs and cores (logical processors) supported, depending on the version and edition:
- Windows 10 x86 (Enterprise Pro, Home) — up to 2 CPUs and 32 logical processors (both physical and Hyper-Threading virtual cores are considered)
- Windows 10/11 x64 — up to 2 CPUs and 256 logical processors
- Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012R2 – up to 64 physical processors with 640 logical cores
- Windows Server 2008 R2 – 256 logical cores
Find the Number of Available CPUs and Cores on Windows
You can check the number of physical CPUs, cores, and logical processors available in Windows by using Task Manager.
- Run
taskmgr.exeand go to the Performance tab. - Select the CPU tab;
- You will see the number of available CPUs (sockets), physical cores (24 cores), and logical processors.
Logical processors show the number of logical cores available when HyperThreading is enabled on a computer.

The Device Manager (devmgmt.msc) also shows the number of logical processors available.

You can also find the information about physical CPUs and the number of cores on them in the Processor section of msinfo32.exe tool:
Processor Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2673 v3 @ 2.40GHz, 2394 Mhz, 12 Core(s), 24 Logical Processor(s) Processor Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2673 v3 @ 2.40GHz, 2394 Mhz, 12 Core(s), 24 Logical Processor(s)

You can use PowerShell to see how many cores and logical processors are available:
NumberOfCores NumberOfLogicalProcessors ------------- ------------------------- 12 24

Special Windows environment variable also contains logical processor number information:

How to Enable All Cores on Windows
If not all CPU cores are available in Windows, check that they are enabled in the BIOS/UEFI settings. There can be two options here:
- HyperThreading – enables the use of both logical processors of the physical CPU core
- Active Processor Cores – option to enable or disable the number of cores.
Restart Windows and enter BIOS settings (usually with the F2, Del, F10, or F1 keys).
Specific option names and availability vary depending on your BIOS version and CPU model. In my case, all the CPU options are in the Processor Configuration section:
- Hyper-Threading ALL:
Enabled - Active Processor Cores:
All

These settings may be located in Advanced or Extreme Tweaker sections and called Processor Options, AMD Core Select, Processor Core, Active Processor Cores, Core Multi-Processing, CPU Cores, etc.
How to Restrict App to Specific Cores on Windows (CPU Affinity)
In Windows, you can configure an application to only run on one or specific CPU cores. By default, a Windows app can run on any core.
You can use the Processor Affinity feature to bind a program to specific cores. This may be necessary if you want to restrict the program’s CPU usage or run it on a single core (this may be necessary to run legacy apps that do not work properly on multi-core computers).
You can change the core affinity of a running app in the Task Manager:
- Open the Details tab;
- Find and right-click your app process. Select Set affinity;

- Mark the physical cores that are allowed to execute the app instructions.

It is only possible to run an application on a single core using the command prompt. In this example, I will restrict the app to CPU0.
cmd.exe /c start /affinity 1 "C:\MyApp\myappname.exe"
Change the Number of Cores Used at Windows Boot
Windows always uses only one core to boot. You may allow to use all cores when booting Windows using the System Configuration:
- Open
msconfig; - Click the Boot tab and select your entry;
- Click Advanced options;
- Select the Number of processors option in the BOOT Advanced Options;
- Select the number of logical processors (threads) that can be used during the boot process.
.
Your Windows will not boot faster if you increase the number of processors available at startup. Also, this option may result in Windows boot problems in some cases, especially if the PCI lock option is enabled (BAD SYSTEM CONFIG INFO boot error). So, typically it is not recommended to enable and configure this option.

Использование команд запуска в Windows — довольно эффективный способ прямого доступа к различным настройкам операционной системы и приложениям. В том числе это актуально на виртуальных Windows-серверах. Если удаётся запомнить такую команду, то доступ к определённому приложению пользователь получает всего за пару шагов вместо множества кликов мыши.
Чтобы использовать команды запуска, прежде всего, необходимо знать, как открыть диалоговое окно для ввода команды. Делается это либо при помощи клика правой кнопкой мыши на кнопке Пуск. Там вам нужно выбрать пункт Выполнить в открывшемся меню.

Либо с использованием комбинации клавиш Windows R на клавиатуре.

Как только откроется диалоговое окно, его уже можно использовать для ввода любой из нижеприведённых команд. Выполнение команды происходит при нажатии клавиши Enter, либо при помощи клика по кнопке OK.
msconfig — конфигурация системы, где доступны такие настройки, как параметры загрузки операционной системы, управление фоновыми сервисами и прочее.

Например, во вкладке Загрузка есть возможность перезапустить VDS в безопасном режиме для решения возникших проблем с функционированием операционной системы или каких-либо приложений. При этом следует учитывать, что в безопасном режиме на виртуальной машине будут отключены сетевые настройки, и доступ к VDS через удалённый рабочий стол будет утерян. Чтобы отключить загрузку сервера в безопасном режиме, придётся воспользоваться консольным управлением виртуальной машиной.

resmon — очень мощное приложение для просмотра информации о ваших системных ресурсах в режиме реального времени. Речь идёт о параметрах процессора, оперативной памяти, жёсткого диска, сетевых подключений. Это — лучший инструмент для получения необходимой информации при возникновении большинства проблем, связанных с производительностью системы.

msinfo32 — данное приложение предоставляет обширную информацию об аппаратном и программном обеспечении вашей машины. Информация хорошо структурирована с использованием специальных категорий. msinfo32 предоставляет возможность экспорта данных, что может быть полезно для получения технической помощи в том числе онлайн.

taskmgr — команда запускает Диспетчер задач, в котором можно останавливать или перезапустить зависшие службы и приложения, а также следить за состоянием системных ресурсов.

sysdm.cpl — ещё один инструмент настроек для управления системой и функциями удаленного подключения. Интерфейс утилиты позволяет управлять некоторыми интересными параметрами повышения производительности.

regedit — команда предоставляет возможность получить доступ к реестру Windows, чтобы внести в него какие-либо изменения.

cmd — команда запускает командную строку. Здесь вы можете вводить команды для настройки операционной системы и запуска скриптов и приложений.

powershell — так администратор системы может запустить командную оболочку PowerShell. Это — средство для работы со сценариями, при помощи которых можно реализовывать сложные операции. PowerShell использует специальные операторы — командлеты.

diskmgmt.msc — команда для запуска утилиты Управление дисками, где можно управлять томами и разделами виртуального сервера.

services.msc — при помощи этой команды запускается приложение, где перечислены все службы, которые работают в фоновом режиме. Именно они обеспечивают функциональность Windows в привычном для нас понимании. Здесь можно управлять службами, включая и отключая их в зависимости от ваших потребностей.

winver — при помощи данной команды выводится окно, содержащее полную информацию об операционной системе.


Утилита Run умеет запоминать исполняемые команды. В будущем вам нужно будет всего лишь начать набирать символы, после чего утилита предложит варианты из ранее использовавшихся команд.

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Enable All CPU Cores: Reasons, Preparations, Steps
For some reason, you need to enable all CPU cores on the computer. In this post, MiniTool Partition Wizard tells you the reasons and detailed steps for doing that.
Why Do You Need to Enable All CPU Cores
CPU cores on the computer are only used when required to accelerate tasks. Based on your demands, you can manually enable some or all of them. For instance, if you want to speed up your PC, enable all cores Windows 10/11 by yourself.
Enabling all CPU cores allows your computer to use more resources, so you can run programs faster and more efficiently.
In addition to enabling all CPU cores, you can also use PC optimizers like MiniTool Partition Wizard to obtain optimal PC performance. To be specific, use it to free up space, extend partitions, check hard drive for errors, clone hard drives for the sake of safety, recover lost/missing data, wipe disks, etc.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to DownloadClean & Safe
What to Do Before You Enable All CPU Cores
HyperThreading, an Intel proprietary function, splits a physical core on a CPU into virtual cores (or logical processors), where each acts as an independent processor. It means that multiple tasks can be executed simultaneously, further improving the processor’s performance.
Step 1: Restart your PC and keep pressing the BIOS key (like F2, Del, Esc, etc.) while the PC loads up. By doing so, you can enter the BIOS setup screen.
Step 2: Navigate to Multi Core Support and choose the All option.
Step 3: Find HyperThreading settings in BIOS and then choose the Enabled option.
Step 4: Press F10 > Enter keys to save the changes and exit BIOS.
You should also check the maximum CPU cores and processors on your PC. The maximum number of physical CPUs and cores (logical processors) is limited strictly depending on the version and edition.
You can manually check the number of CPU cores and logical processors through Task Manager > Performance.
- Windows 10 x86 (Enterprise Pro, Home): up to 2 CPUs and 32 logical processors (both physical and Hyper-Threading virtual cores are considered)
- Windows 10/11 x64: up to 2 CPUs and 256 logical processors
- Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012R2: up to 64 physical processors with 640 logical cores
- Windows Server 2008 R2: 256 logical cores
Now, it’s time to enable all CPU cores in Windows 11/10 computers by using the methods below.
#1: Enable All CPU Cores from Task Manager
Here’s the tutorial on how to enable all cores Windows 10 via Task Manager.
Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon to open the Start menu and then click Task Manager.
Step 2: In the Task Manager window, navigate to the Performance tab and then click CPU in the left panel. Then you can see the number of cores and logical processors on the right side of the window.

Step 3: Open the Run window by holding the Windows and R keys. Then type msconfig and click OK.

Step 4: Navigate to the Boot tab and click Advanced options.

Step 5: In the BOOT Advanced Options window, tick the Number of processors option and select the processors available on your PC from the drop-down menu. After that, click OK to save changes.
You should also click OK in the System Configuration window.

Step 6: In the prompted window, click Restart to take the changes into effect.

#2: Enable All CPU Cores from System Properties
It is also available to enable all CPU cores in Windows 11/10 via System Properties. Here are the steps for you.
Step 1: Open the System Properties panel.
- Type system properties in the search box.
- In the pop-up window, find and click Advanced system settings.

Step 2: In the System Properties window, go to the Advanced tab and then click the Settings button under Performance.

Step 3: In the Performance Options window, tap the Advanced tab and tick the Background Services option. This enables the operating system to use all available cores for performing various tasks. Then click OK to save changes.

Step 4: Restart your computer to make changes to take effect.
About The Author

I’m a fan of using Microsoft Windows Server Core for as many things as possible when it makes sense. In this post, I’ll cover step-by-step how to install VMware Tools on Windows Server Core via the GUI and PowerShell.
The GUI Way
- From ESXi or vCenter mount VMware tools to the VM.
- Login to the Windows Server Core VM.
- Change to the D drive (or whichever drive your disk drive is on your install)
- Enter the following command to being the install
.\setup64.exe

Sometimes the VMware tools install screen hides behind the command line window.
- Click Next

- Select Typical and click Next.

- Click Install.

- Wait for the installation to finish.

- Click Finish.

- Click Yes to reboot.

That covers how to install VMware Tools via the GUI on Windows Server Core. What if you wanted to take it further and do it with PowerShell only?
The PowerShell Way
- From ESXi or vCenter mount VMware tools to to the VM.
- Login to the Windows Server Core VM.
- In PowerShell run the following command
Start-Process D:\setup64.exe -Wait -ArgumentList "/s", "/v", "/qn", "REBOOT=R" -WindowStyle Hidden

The parameters we used are:
- -wait tells PowerShell to wait for the installation to complete before considering the installation to be done. This is a nice trick to slow down PowerShell and force it to wait for installation or uninstall to complete before moving on to the next item.
- /s tells the install to be silent.
- /v tells the install to accept more parameters.
- /qn tells it to be quiet and display no UI.
- REBOOT=R tells it not to reboot.
That’s all it takes.
More info about VMware Tools in general here is the VMware documentation about it.


