You can run sp_configure 'user options' to return a bitmapped value. If you AND the value with 16384 I think that will tell if the bit is set or not. Search for 'user options Option' in BOL for more info. You could also disassemble sp_configure and maybe find a way to get it a little more directly. Overall, it's almost as easy to just set the value and not worry about what it is.