Do you know which programs load at startup? Windows likes to make it very hard for people to quickly and easily disable useless startup programs, which is why there are literally a thousand programs out there that allow you to configure and change the Windows startup programs list.
One of my favorite is AutoRuns, a freeware app that allows you to see EVERYTHING that starts up in Windows. Note I said everything, which MSCONFIG does not show. It only shows which programs load at startup. AutoRuns shows the startup programs, startup services, Internet Explorer add-ons that load up, scheduled tasks, all the drivers that are loaded, and even the print monitors.
Just un-check the box next to any item to prevent the program from starting up. By default, AutoRuns shows you everything, but you can click on Logon for example to get a list similar to the one in MSCONFIG.
Another cool thing is that you can simply right-click on any entry and choose Jump to, which will open the registry pointed to that key.
If you are not sure about a particular entry, you can right-click on it and choose Process Explorer or Search Online. Process Explorer will bring up the entry in Process Explorer, another program from the same software manufacturer that lets you analyze and monitor running processes in great detail.
Another cool feature is the ability to see all of this info for each user on the machine directly from the AutoRuns interface. Just click on User at the top and choose another user on the machine.
Overall, AutuRuns is a great tool for any system administrator or anyone who likes to dig down into their machine and control exactly which programs, drivers, and DLLs load when Windows starts up! Read my previous article on how to disable Windows Messenger from starting up. Enjoy!
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