Q

Q. I'd like to hide MSConfig. I have parental sof= tware that shows up in the list, and I don't want the kids to shut it down. Is th= at possible?

A. I’m glad that you wrote. Many parents li= ke you have computer savvy kids who know how to get into Windows’ configurat= ion settings.

For the sake of all, MSConfig is a han= dy tool built into Windows. It lets you see what programs are starting automatically with Windows. It's meant to help you with troubleshooting. You can use it to disable programs selectively to find troublemakers.

To see MSConfig, click Start>>Ru= n. Type in "msconfig" (without the quotes). Then click OK.

There's no hiding or disabling MSConfi= g. But you can make sure that your children can't use it. That is, assuming that they've got their own Windows user accounts. If not, then read my brief rundown of user accounts. Then create Limited accounts for your children.<= /o:p>

Now you can lock MSConfig from the children's accounts. First you'll need to boot Windows into Safe Mode. Click Start>>Shut Down and select Restart. While your computer restarts, st= art tapping the F8 key. You'll see a plain screen titled Advanced Options Menu. Select "Safe Mode" using the arrow keys and press Enter. Log in as administrator. You don't need a password unless you've set one up.

To find the MSConfig file, start from = My Computer. Double-click your hard drive (usually the C drive). Follow the pa= th C:\Windows\PCHealth\HelpCTR\Binaries. MSConfig is inside the Binaries folde= r.

Right-click the MS= Config file. Click Properties. Sel= ect the Security tab. From the list, highlight a child's account name. Mark the Deny checkboxes in the options at the bottom. Do this for each child's acco= unt. Then click OK.

Finally, you'll need to create or chan= ge your own password. Click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click User Accounts. Highlight your name from the list. Click the Re= set Password button at the bottom of the window. Type in a password that your children won't be able to guess. Click OK. Reboot= .

MSConfig is part of Windows 98, Me and XP. It is not present in Windows 2000, but ther= e is a free way to get it. Download StartUp Control Panel. Heck, it works with Windows 95= , too!