Windows still comes with a handful of small tools that Microsoft created back in the 1990s, and they’re still among the fastest ways to troubleshoot, tidy up or automate a PC. This guide looks at seven of them: System Configuration (MSConfig), Disk Cleanup, Task Scheduler, System File Checker, Device Manager, DxDiag and PowerToys. For each one, it explains what the tool does and when you’d want to open it.
Why these old tools are still useful
Every one of these utilities was designed around a single problem. Each offers only a few options and then stays out of the way. Over the years some have been refined and some have been moved to different spots in Windows, while others look nearly the same as they did decades ago.
They’re also a safer first stop for troubleshooting than the Registry, the Windows settings database where one wrong edit can create fresh problems. With most of these tools, you can turn something off, test the result and turn it back on.
Check your hardware and drivers with Device Manager
Device Manager lays out all the hardware Windows has detected in an expandable tree. You can use it to see what’s installed, look at the drivers behind each device and dig into anything that has stopped working.
When a device has a problem, a yellow warning icon appears next to it in the tree. That icon tells you where to start looking: the device and its driver.
Device Manager goes back to Windows 95 and its Plug and Play system, which was meant to find hardware and sort out conflicts on its own. Before Plug and Play, installing a sound card or modem could involve setting jumpers or DIP switches and assigning resources such as IRQs and I/O addresses manually. Today’s hardware is much more complex, but Device Manager still shows you the same simple view when something goes wrong.
Get a snapshot of your graphics, sound and DirectX setup with DxDiag
DxDiag, short for the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, shows the hardware and software in your DirectX setup on a single screen. DirectX is the group of Windows components that games rely on to communicate with graphics and sound hardware.
If a game points to your graphics card, sound card or a driver as the cause of a problem you can’t spot yourself, DxDiag is the place to look. It gives you a quick overview of your PC’s graphics, sound and DirectX setup, and Windows 11 still includes it.
Free up space with Disk Cleanup and save a cleanup profile
Disk Cleanup made its debut in Windows 98. It sorts removable files into categories, tells you how much space each category uses and leaves the decision about what to delete up to you.
The program behind it, cleanmgr.exe, has two switches for saving your selections and using them again, so you don’t need to tick the same categories every time. Both switches still work in current versions of Windows 11.
- Launch
cleanmgr.exeusing the/sagesetswitch. - Choose the categories you want cleaned, which saves them as a cleanup profile.
- The next time you want to clean up, launch
cleanmgr.exeusing the/sagerunswitch to apply the saved profile without making the selections again.
Troubleshoot startup problems with System Configuration (MSConfig)
System Configuration, more commonly called MSConfig, is meant to help you track down configuration and startup problems. It works by letting you pick which services and startup components load when Windows boots.
It’s the tool to use when Windows is acting strangely and you’d like to find the cause before going anywhere near the Registry. Clear the checkboxes to disable items, restart, test, and then narrow down which item is to blame.
In modern Windows, startup apps are handled in Task Manager rather than MSConfig. MSConfig is still handy for troubleshooting services and other startup settings.
Repair damaged Windows files with System File Checker
System File Checker (SFC) scans protected Windows resources and swaps out any incorrect versions for the expected ones. It’s the tool to run when you think Windows itself has broken something, since it spares you from figuring out which system file is damaged.
- Open a command line.
- Enter
sfc /scannowand run it. - Wait for the scan to finish so Windows can check its files and attempt to repair any problems it finds.
SFC dates back to Windows 98. Back then it was a graphical tool that could fetch a replacement file from the Windows installation disc. The current version runs from the command line and works automatically.
Run programs automatically with Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler launches programs and scripts on your behalf in response to triggers such as a specific time, an event or a user logging on. It suits any job you’d like Windows to take care of quietly in the background.
Its roots go back to 1995, when it showed up as System Agent in the Microsoft Plus! pack for Windows 95. It was later renamed Scheduled Tasks before becoming the Task Scheduler found in Windows today.
Add extra tools to Windows with PowerToys
PowerToys is a set of additional utilities from Microsoft. The original collection grew out of small programs that Windows 95 engineers wrote to test ideas, prototype features or simplify their own work, and it came out after Windows 95 shipped.
A second edition brought FindX, Send To X, the Telephony Locator Selector, XMouse and Tweak UI, and Microsoft’s kernel team put out its own Kernel Toys. The PowerToys of today is larger and more polished, but its aim hasn’t changed: small tools that handle things Windows doesn’t make easy by itself.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I manage startup programs in modern Windows?
Task Manager now handles startup apps. MSConfig is still useful for troubleshooting services and other startup settings.
Do Disk Cleanup’s /sageset and /sagerun switches still work in Windows 11?
Yes. Both switches still work in current versions of Windows 11, which means you can save a cleanup profile and run it later.
What does sfc /scannow do?
It starts System File Checker, which scans protected Windows resources and replaces any incorrect versions with the expected ones.
Is DxDiag still included in Windows 11?
Yes. Windows 11 still includes DxDiag, and it gives you a quick overview of your PC’s graphics, sound and DirectX setup.