Friday, December 16, 2011

PC Slow on Startup? Check What Programs Start When Windows Starts

Windows Start ScreenDoes your PC seem to be dragging its feet on startup?

If so, it may be time to take a peek at what programs are set to run when Windows starts up and disable the unnecessary junk.

Often times we tend to blow through the installation process and inadvertently allow programs to run on startup by completely missing the opportunity to uncheck the “Start program when Windows starts” box.

Then again, some programs tend to help themselves by not presenting any start related options at all during installation and simply set a list of items to fire up once we power up our machines. (*cough* AdobeCreativeSuite*cough*)

Thankfully it’s not difficult to remove these privileges and you don’t have to rummage through the preferences for each and every single piece of software on your computer in order to do it.

All you need to do is launch Windows System Configuration Utility (msconfig.exe).

Disable Unnecessary Programs in Windows Startup


To access the Windows System Configuration Utility (in Windows 7), do the following:

  1. Click the Start Menu orb.

  2. In the ‘Search programs and files’ box, type msconfig and select the ‘msconfig.exe’ option.

  3. Click the ‘Startup’ tab in the System Configuration window that pops up.


MSConfig Window

In the ‘Startup’ tab, you will see a list of applications that are currently set to start when Windows loads.

You can disable programs from launching at start-up by unchecking the checkbox next to the appropriate application.  Just be sure that you don’t disable any antivirus or firewall applications, otherwise your PC will be vulnerable to attack.

When you’re done making changes, hit ‘OK’ and select whether or not you want to restart now or manually restart later. The changes made will take effect the next time you restart your PC.

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Photo Credit: acidpix

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