| How to Control Startup Programs If your computer is running slower than ever it could be because of Startup Programs using up system resources. As the name implies, Startup Programs are the programs that start automatically every time you turn on your computer. Some of these startup programs will be visible in the System Tray (lower right hand corner of your computer). Many startup programs, particularly malicious Spyware and Adware will not be visible in the System Tray. |
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| Instead, the Startup Programs will be running in the background eating into your system memory and causing your computer to run slower. Many Startup programs are critical to running your computer - don't disable them unless you know for sure they're not necessary. Here's how I check the Startup Programs Running on my computer: Go to Start (lower left corner) Click on Run Type in msconfig Hit Enter or OK You will now see a screen called the System Configuration Utility like the picture below. You should be on the General tab so click the Startup tab to see what programs are scheduled to run at startup. If you have had your computer for quite some time and never checked on your Startup Programs before you'll probably be shocked to see how many are running. |
| If the programs are checked then they run at Startup. The pictures are from Big Geek Daddy's old computer and show which programs I have enabled and what I haven't. Disabling Startup Programs is an easy way to speed up your computers boot time and improve overall performance so give it a try. If you're finding Spyware, Adware, Malware or any other malicious programs in Startup then go to Free Virus Scan and Removal to find the resources you need to remove the malware. Unchecking these malicious programs in the Startup panel probably won't stop them from running as they'll just enable themselves again the next time you start your computer. I suggest using Malwarebytes and running a Full Scan of your computer just to be on the safe side. You can go to the Startup Control Panel site if you want to use a program to help manage the Startup items and learn more about them. It was created by Mike Lin, a MIT graduate, and yeah, he's much smarter than Big Geek Daddy. Finally, to prevent programs from enabling at startup without your permission install the Free WinPatrol 2009 You can also use WinPatrol to remove the startup programs instead of using the msconfig method. Another nice feature of WinPatrol is that it will allow you to move some items to a delayed startup. The reason you would want to delay startup is to speed up your computers start time by delaying for 3-5 minutes when certain startup programs would begin to run. I have Mozy, Google Update (for the Chrome Browser), ScreenPrint 32, and Windows Sidebar all on a delayed status so my Vista PC starts faster. |
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