How can I get into msconfig in Windows 98 when the computer says msconfig is being used by another program?

Question

My parents are having problems with their computer and I'm trying to help them, but I am 1,000 miles away. They've got some funky things happening during start up. When they go to Start and Run and then type msconfig and press enter, they get a response that says it is currently being used by another program. Is there any way to get past this?

Answer 1

Did you try rebooting the computer, to make sure there isn't another program using the application. Though, I don't think others use it.....I think there is an option under programs that says start up items, maybe try the control panel.
You can also download msconfig. Maybe something is missing or wrong with it, and installing it again could be helpful.
Check out the download on the website listed below.

Answer 2

Ok, it sounds like it could be a trojan, a worm, a virus, or a combination of junk. There is a cleaner called ccleaner that is free. I'd recommend your parents download and install this and run it. You can pass on the link, or tell them how to type it in the address bar.

http://www.ccleaner.com/

If they aren't running an antivirus program and are on the internet, or even in email, they need one. I used Avast with Windows 98 and now with XP, and found it to be reliable, it updates daily, should be run as soon as possible. Here's the link:
http://www.download-avast.com/en/

I believe they are going to have to clean up the computer before they can get back into msconfig, and when they do, they need to be very cautious about what they remove. If they remove something, they should write down what they removed, so if some program won't start, they'll have to go back and add that start-up item back in. I've done this, and it's very confusing and frustrating.

Good luck, and thanks for trying to help your far-away parents!

Answer 3

with win98 the shortcut doesn't always work, and they may have more than one user setup on the pc and 98 usually won't let you access system critical programs if there is more than one user signed in. Have them first check if they have more than one userid, and also if those are logged in, also that they are using an admin account.
If thats all well and good then you could have them try downloading a third party msconfig tool from
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

Answer 4

You could

1) do an F8 safe mode startup and then see if you can get into edit the file.

2) do an F8 and go DOS mode and edit the file through DOS.

3) Tell them to upgrade to Windows XP

4) Do another install of WIN98.