There could be several reasons behind this problem. From glitched background service to corrupt system files or a meddlesome security program, it’s difficult to narrow down to a single cause. But don’t fret. We will list multiple fixes to help you open the MSINFO32 utility on your computer.
1. Sign Out and Sign In to Windows
Before jumping into any advanced fixes, sign out your account on your Windows computer. It will close all the active programs, including the ones that are running but not launching. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Right-click the Start button to open the Power User menu.
Step 2: Hover the mouse on the ‘Shut down or sign out’ option and click on the Sign out option. Windows will sign you out of your account.
Step 3: Click on the lock screen and then type the password on your logon screen. Press Enter to Sign in to your computer again. Next, run the MSINFO32 utility and check if it launches without any issues.
2. Restart Your Computer
If you have tried shutting down your Windows computer, but the issue persists, consider a restart. Window 11 uses Fast Start-up by default which doesn’t close any system or kernel-level processes and instead puts them in hibernate mode. So, restarting will force Windows to boot all the background services afresh. Here’s how: Step 1: Press the Alt key + F4 shortcut to open the Shut Down Windows utility.
Step 2: Select the Restart option from drop-down and click on the OK button.
After your computer restarts, sign in to Windows and run the MSINFO32 utility to check if it works.
3. Configure the Windows Management Instrumentation Service
MSINFO32 relies on the Windows Management Instrumentation service to gather data about system components. If the service is not running or disabled on your computer, MSINFO32 won’t work properly. So, you must configure the WMI service to start automatically. Here’s how: Step 1: Press the Windows key + S shortcut to open Windows Search. Type Services.msc and press Enter.
Step 2: In the Services window, locate the ‘Windows Management Instrumentation’ service. Right-click on it to open the context menu and select the Properties option.
Step 3: Click on the Startup type option and select the Automatic option from the drop-down list. Then click on the Apply button.
Step 4: Under the Service status section, click on the Start button to start the service. Then click on the OK button.
Step 5: Close the Services window. Try launching the MSINFO32 app now and check if displays details of your computer’s hardware and software.
4. Clean Boot Your Computer
Services related to third-party apps can conflict with system apps. To narrow down this issue, you can perform a clean boot with only Microsoft services enabled. If MSINFO32 works fine after a clean boot, you may re-enable third-party services one by one and find out the conflicting app. Here’s how to do that Step 1: Press the Windows key + S shortcut to open Windows Search. Type msconfig and press Enter.
Step 2: Click on the Services tab.
Step 3: Click on the ‘Hide all Microsoft Services’ check box. Then, click on the Disable all button. Hit the Apply button. After that, click on the OK button.
Step 4: A System Configuration pop-up will appear. Click on the Restart button to apply changes to your computer.
If the MSINFO32 utility works fine on your computer, a third-party app is interfering with it. So, you need to re-enable services related to one app and keep the rest disabled and repeat this cycle. Performing a clean boot is an exhaustive process where you have to keep looking until you find the meddlesome service.
5. Disable Anti-Virus Program
Windows Defender or a third-party antivirus program can wrongly flag the MSINFO32 application as a malicious program and prevent it from running. So, you need to temporarily disable Windows Defender on your computer. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Press the Windows key and type Windows Security. Click on the Open option.
Step 2: On the Windows Security app home page, click on the ‘Virus and threat protection’ icon.
Step 3: Then, locate the ‘Virus and threat protection settings’ section and click on the Manage settings option.
Step 4: Click on the toggle below Real-time protection to temporarily disable Windows Defender.
Step 5: User Account Control will open. Click on the Yes button.
If you use a third-party antivirus program, open its protection settings and disable it for a short duration or until the next reboot.
6. Run SFC and DISM Scans
Microsoft offers inbuilt tools to repair system files and service Windows images. First, you need to run an SFC (System File Checker) scan to check and repair system files. After that, running a DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) scan will fix issues with the component store of the Windows image. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Press the Windows key and type cmd. Click on the Run as administrator option.
Step 2: User Account Control will pop up. Click on the Yes button.
Step 3: In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter:
Step 4: After the SFC scan completes, type cls to clear the Terminal. Step 5: Then type the following commands and execute them one by one.
SFC and DISM scans will take a lot of time. Patiently wait for them to complete and restart your PC.
7. Uninstall the Recent Windows Update
If you are unable to launch the MSINFO32 utility after updating Windows recently, you must roll back the update. You can always reinstall the update later. Here’s how: Step 1: Press the Windows key + I shortcut to open the Power User menu. Click on the Settings option.
Step 2: Click on the Windows Update icon in the top-right corner.
Step 3: Click on the Update history option.
Step 4: Scroll down and click on the Uninstall updates option.
Step 5: You need to install the most recent update from your system. So, click on the Uninstall button next to the latest update entry.
Step 6: Re-confirm your action and click on the Uninstall button once again.
Windows will remove the update from your system. Restart the computer.
8. Perform a System Restore
After exhausting all the above options, Windows System Restore is the last resort to restore MSINFO32 to its working state. It will roll back Windows to a point when everything was working. You will lose any program installed after the restore point was created. Here’s how to do it: Step 1: Press the Windows key + R shortuct to open the Run dialog box. Type rstrui and press Enter.
Step 2: The System Restore utility will launch. Click on the Next button.
Step 3: It will populate a list of the available restore point. Select a restore point and click on the ‘Scan for affected programs’ checkbox.
Step 4: Note down the names or take a screenshot of the programs and click on the Close button.
Step 5: Click on the Next button.
Step 6: Recheck the restore point description and click the Finish button.
Step 7: You will see a warning before starting System Restore. Click on the Yes button to continue.
System restore will begin reverting the changes made to your system. It will restart your system automatically to apply changes. After you boot to the desktop, run the MSINFO32 utility.
Check System Configuration Without Errors
MSINFO32 is a crucial system component that you will always refer to while troubleshooting your system. However, it can act up sometimes and fail to launch. We hope these fixes could get the utility back to its working condition. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
