How do I stop some programs from starting automatically when I power up my pc. Looking for a quicker start up?

Answer 1

First, if anyone here tells you to use Windows component, MSCONFIG, please do not listen! MSCONGIG is NOT meant as a Startup Manager, but is used to troubleshoot Startup issues. It is a huge mistake to use that component in a way it was not intended. Such as creating system instability, which is why after you make any changes in there you receive a huge warning to immediantly change it back. Some people will tell you to just place a check mark in front of the box which says, "Do not show me this again". Do not do that.

There are many places within Windows where programs are configured for starting at boot up. Because of this it is very difficult to know how to completely stop a program from doing this. Add in the fact that all new computers bought with a preinstalled OS, are also having dozens of trial software programs installed for the "convienence" of the consumer. In fact, most of those programs never get used or are not used after the trial period is up and it is time to buy it. Most of these programs are configured to start at boot, and stuffed with icons in the notification area.

There are dozens of Startup Managers for sale, and some for free too. I prefer a small free utility called CCleaner. C stands for CRA#P. You can read the reviews and download it from here:

http://www.download.com/3000-2144_4-10767629.html?tag=dl.1

CCleaner is more than a Startup Manager. It is actually five progrms in one, yet is very small and uses little CPU cycles.

It is simple and easy to use as well, with an Online Users Manual and a group where you can ask questions if you need too.

Its main focus is a disk cleanup tool. It helps to rid your system of all the many various temp files and other files which you never use and build up over the use of a system. I run this utility at least once a week, along with my Windows Disk Cleanup tool found in Accessories, System Tools.

It is also a Registry Cleanup tool, and the registry can automatically be backed up before each use of the tool. I have used this tool for the past two years or so on all my machines, and along with my family and friends who I assist with their computer maintence, and have never had a single problem.

In addition to those, there is a Cookie Manager, where you can determine which cookies to keep, and which to toss out. This is good because you need your logon cookies for sites, and when you use the browser to delete cookies you have to delete them all, you can't pick and choose like you can with CCleaner. It is as simple as clicking on a cookie, lets say Yahoo! and then clicking the button to put it in the retain window. Each time you run the cleaner, those cookies will not be deleted. I never use my browser to delete cookies.

It is also a Software Removal program, which works far better than Windows Add/Remove applet. I always use CCleaner to remove software programs, then run the registry cleaner to clean up the remnents left behind, which is far less than Add/Remove.

All five of these programs in a small program which hardly uses any power. It is a must for any computer toolkit.

Don't take my word for it, read the reviews of hundreds of thousands of people, and then decide if it is something worthwhle to try out. It is simple to setup and to learn to use.

When you remove any item from the Startup list, first be sure it isn't something your system needs while starting up. If it isn't, then check all of that programs preferences of options for unchecking any boxes which will stop it from starting at boot. For example Yahoo! and Windows Live Messengers install with the option to open and log you on by default, but you can easily go into Prefences on both of these programs and stop this behavior by a simple removal of a check in a box. Check the other programs for this option too, as it is by far the simplist method of controlling such behavior, and then, if you decide later that you liked it starting when you boot into your desktop, you can easily change it back. Once it is removed from CCleaners list, it won't start up at boot at all.

It is also a very good idea to get into the habit of creating a manual Restore Point before you make any changes to your system, whether it is installing or removing software and/or hardware, updating device drivers, or making configuration changes. If you make a mistake you can easily return your system to the state it was in before you made the changes. It is very easy to set a manual Restore Point and very easy to use those Restore Points when needed. If you don't know how, here:

Open Help and Support and then locate the words, System Restore. It is usually in a sentence such as Undo changes to your system with System Restore, or it may just be System Restore on your system. It is in mine, but my other system has the above sentence. Click on those words as it is a link to System Restore utility.

Once it opens, select the Set a Manual Restore Point option. If you ever need to use one, you select the other option to use a Restore Point. Then click Next.

One the next page just follow the steps to name the Restore Point. Lets say you do one before installing CCleaner, just write down, Installed CCleaner. Then, if, for some odd reason something goes wrong, you can just select that name, as you know it was set right before you downloaded and installed that program, and follow the steps.

In a few short pages you will have created your own manual Restore Point for use in the future if ever needed. See how simple and easy it was to create it? If you do that everytime before you make any changes you know you are safe from anything going wrong. If you can't boot into normal mode to use System Restore to undo anything that went wrong, you can always boot into Safe Mode to do it, very simple.

Good luck and a very happy holiday season to you and your's.

Answer 2

go to start/all programs/run
type msconfig go to the statup tab and uncheck all programs you don't want to start automatically

Answer 3

start, control panel, task bar and start menu