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How to Disable the Windows XP Splash Screen Using MSConfig

Use a simple configuration change

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 29, 2022 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

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Expand Jump to a Section How to Disable the Windows XP Splash Screen Tips & More Information Use the /noguiboot Parameter

What to Know

Open the Run dialog box, type msconfig, and press Enter. Select the BOOT.INI tab.Select the checkbox next to /NOGUIBOOT and click OK. Restart the PC; the splash screen won't appear. Optionally, add the /noguiboot parameter to the boot.ini file manually. This article explains how to disable the Windows XP splash screen, which is the Windows XP logo that shows up during the boot process. Disabling the splash screen can help boot Windows faster.

How to Disable the Windows XP Splash Screen

Disabling the Windows XP splash screen can be achieved by following a few simple steps outlined below using the System Configuration Utility (also called msconfig) that's built-in to Windows XP. Here's how to use msconfig to disable the Windows XP splash screen: Open the Run dialog box by clicking on Start and then Run. If you don't see the Run option in the Start menu, open it with the Windows Key + R keyboard combination. Type msconfig in the search box, and then hit the Enter key. This command will load the System Configuration Utility program. Do not make any changes in the System Configuration Utility other than those that we've outlined here. Doing so could cause serious system issues given that this utility controls a number of startup activities other than those involved with disabling the splash screen. Click on the BOOT.INI tab located at the top of the System Configuration Utility window. Check the checkbox next to /NOGUIBOOT and click OK. This option is at the bottom of the System Configuration Utility window, in the Boot Options section. Make sure you pay attention to which checkbox you're enabling; there are several choices in the Boot Options section. You should actually notice in the text area at the top of the System Configuration Utility window, that "/noguiboot" is added to the end of the bottom command.
You will then be prompted to either Restart, which will restart the PC immediately, or Exit Without Restart, which will close the window and allow you to restart the PC manually at a later time. After the restart, the PC will boot into Windows XP without showing the splash screen. This will result in a slightly faster boot time. Windows XP will continue to boot in this manner until the System Configuration Utility is configured to again boot normally.

Tips & More Information

There are additional options when configuring your Windows XP splash screen.

Reenable During Boot

To re-enable the Windows XP splash screen during boot, follow the instructions above to enter the System Configuration Utility, but this time choose Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services in the General tab, and click OK.

Exit the Notification

After Windows XP starts back up following the System Configuration Utility change, you'll be prompted with a notification that says that you've changed the way Windows starts. You can exit that message; it's just a follow-up notification telling you that a change has been made.

Use the Command Prompt to Open Msconfig

If you'd prefer to use a Command Prompt to open the System Configuration Utility, you can do so with the start msconfig command. If you don't know how to do that, see our guide on How to Open Command Prompt.

Advanced Method Use the noguiboot Parameter

An advanced method of disabling the Windows XP splash screen that accomplishes the exact same thing as the above steps is to add the /noguiboot parameter to the boot.ini file manually. In this screenshot, you can see that it's added to the end of the command even when you use the System Configuration Utility tool: To open the boot.ini file, open the System applet from the Control Panel and then go into the Advanced tab to find the Startup and Recovery section. Select Settings > Edit to open the boot.ini file. The above steps could be replaced by opening boot.ini with a text editor. The file is located on the root of the C drive. Type /noguiboot at the very end of the last line to disable the splash screen. For example, if the last line in your boot.ini file reads as "/noexecute=optin /fastdetect," put a space after "/fastdetect" and then type "/noguiboot." The end of the line might look something like this: /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /noguiboot Finally, just save the INI file and restart Windows XP to see that the splash screen no longer shows. To reverse this step, remove what you just added to the INI file. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Repair or Replace Boot.ini in Windows XP [Easy] How to Start Windows 8 or 8.1 in Safe Mode Starting Windows in Safe Mode Using MSConfig How to Change Startup Programs in Windows How to Fix Missing Hal.dll Errors in Windows XP How to Disable Windows Automatic Restart on System Failure How to Start Windows XP in Safe Mode How to Enable or Disable the Administrator Account in Windows How to Properly Reboot (Restart) a Windows Computer How to Get Out of Safe Mode in Windows 10 How to Disable Auto Restart From the ABO Menu in Windows 7 How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10 How Do I Start Windows in Safe Mode? How to Start Windows Vista in Safe Mode Startup Settings (What It Is and How to Use It) How to Fix the 'There Was a Problem Resetting Your PC' Error Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies