I cannot remember the steps to get into Startup and change it. Help?
Okay, so you want to change your startup programs I take it? There are a couple of different ways to do this, so I’ll take you through my favorite techniques.
Managing Startup with MSCONFIG
Despite its odd name, the System Configuration utility (msconfig) is easy to use. However, it’s hard to remember the name. Think of it as “Microsoft Configuration” and it might help. If you have Windows XP, go to the Start button and click on Run. Type in msconfig and press the Enter key. If you have Windows Vista, type msconfig into the Start button’s Search bar and wait for the msconfig.exe icon to appear. Click the icon.
This opens the System Configuration utility. Now, click the Startup tab. Here, you’ll see a list of all programs that have been enabled to startup automatically with Windows and their current status (enabled or disabled). Remove tick marks to disable any item that you do not want to load when you turn on your computer. Pay attention to details as you disable items. For example, you wouldn’t necessarily want to disable your antivirus program unless you had two such programs installed and use one as a secondary service only. Likewise, research any unfamiliar programs to be sure that they are not essential for your computer.
Managing Startup with Windows Defender
If you have Windows Vista or have downloaded Windows Defender on your XP machine, you can use Windows Defender to manage your startup programs. Go to Tools > Software Explorer. Choose Startup Programs in the Category dropdown. Each program is listed and grouped by manufacturer. In addition, each startup program shows a classification which gives you clues about its relative safety and current setting. I like this tool because if you click an item that you’re unsure about, details appear in another pane. Among the details are:
- File name
- Display name
- Description
- Publisher
- Digitally signed by
- Classification
- SpyNet voting
- And other details
Startup choices for individual startup items include: Remove, Disable, and Enable.
Managing Startup with Windows Explorer
Finally, you can use Windows Explorer to manage startup programs, too. Right-click the Start button and choose Explore. Windows Explorer will launch. It should launch directly to the Start Menu folder, but if it doesn’t navigate to: Users\User Name\App Data\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu. Once in the Start Menu, click on Programs > Startup. You can drag and drop shortcuts into and out of this folder. This is a much more basic choice than msconfig.exe or Windows Defender and it is limited in its use. It’s fine for quickly dragging a shortcut to your favorite program though.
