Several small tools that Microsoft built for Windows in the 1990s still ship with Windows today, and they remain some of the quickest ways to troubleshoot, clean up or automate your PC. This guide covers System Configuration (MSConfig), Disk Cleanup, Task Scheduler, System File Checker, Device Manager, DxDiag and PowerToys. For each one, you’ll see what it’s for and when to use it.
Why these old tools are still useful
Each of these utilities was built to solve one specific problem, gives you a small set of options, and then gets out of your way. Some have been polished over the years and some have moved to new places, while others look almost the same as they did decades ago.
They’re also safer places to start troubleshooting than the Registry, the Windows settings database where a wrong change can cause new problems. Most of them let you switch something off, test, and switch it back on.
Check your hardware and drivers with Device Manager
Device Manager shows every piece of hardware Windows has detected as an expandable tree. Use it to see what’s installed, inspect the drivers for each device and look into anything that has stopped working.
A device with a problem shows a yellow warning icon in the tree. That icon is your cue to start investigating that device and its driver.
The tool dates back to Windows 95 and its Plug and Play system, which was designed to detect hardware and resolve conflicts automatically. Before that, adding a sound card or modem could mean setting jumpers or DIP switches and assigning resources such as IRQs and I/O addresses by hand. Hardware is far more complicated today, but Device Manager still gives you the same simple view when something doesn’t work.
Get a snapshot of your graphics, sound and DirectX setup with DxDiag
DxDiag, the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, puts the hardware and software in your DirectX setup on one screen. DirectX is the set of Windows components that games use to talk to your graphics and sound hardware.
Open DxDiag when a game blames your graphics card, sound card or a driver for a problem you can’t see. It gives you a quick picture of your PC’s graphics, sound and DirectX setup, and it’s still included in Windows 11.
Free up space with Disk Cleanup and save a cleanup profile
Disk Cleanup first arrived with Windows 98. It lists categories of files you can remove, shows how much space each one takes up and lets you decide what goes.
Its program, cleanmgr.exe, supports two switches that let you save your choices and reuse them, so you don’t have to pick the same categories every time. These switches still work in current versions of Windows 11.
- Run
cleanmgr.exewith the/sagesetswitch. - Pick the categories you want cleaned to save them as a cleanup profile.
- When you want to clean up again, run
cleanmgr.exewith the/sagerunswitch to run the saved profile without going through the selection again.
Troubleshoot startup problems with System Configuration (MSConfig)
System Configuration, better known as MSConfig, is built to help you isolate configuration and startup problems. It does this by letting you choose which services and startup components load when Windows starts.
Reach for it when Windows is behaving oddly and you want to find the cause before you touch the Registry. Turn items off with the checkboxes, restart and test, then narrow down which one is responsible.
In modern Windows, startup apps are managed through Task Manager, not MSConfig. MSConfig is still useful for troubleshooting services and other startup settings.
Repair damaged Windows files with System File Checker
System File Checker (SFC) scans protected Windows resources and replaces any incorrect versions with the expected ones. Use it when you suspect Windows itself has broken something, because it saves you from having to work out which system file is damaged.
- Open a command line.
- Type
sfc /scannowand run it. - Let the scan finish so Windows can check its files and try to fix what it finds.
SFC goes back to Windows 98, when it was a graphical tool that could pull a replacement file from the Windows installation disc. Today’s version is a command-line tool and works automatically.
Run programs automatically with Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler runs programs and scripts for you based on triggers such as a set time, an event or a user logging on. Use it for any job you want Windows to handle quietly in the background.
It dates back to 1995, when it appeared as System Agent in the Microsoft Plus! pack for Windows 95. It later became Scheduled Tasks and then the Task Scheduler in Windows today.
Add extra tools to Windows with PowerToys
PowerToys is a collection of extra utilities from Microsoft. The first set came from small programs that Windows 95 engineers had built to test ideas, prototype features or make their own work easier, and it was released after Windows 95 shipped.
The second edition added FindX, Send To X, the Telephony Locator Selector, XMouse and Tweak UI, and Microsoft’s kernel team released its own Kernel Toys. Today’s PowerToys is bigger and more polished, but it has the same goal: small tools that do things Windows doesn’t make easy on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I manage startup programs in modern Windows?
Startup apps are now managed in Task Manager. 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, so you can save a cleanup profile and run it later.
What does sfc /scannow do?
It runs 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. DxDiag is still in Windows 11 and gives you a quick picture of your PC’s graphics, sound and DirectX setup.
