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Home > Forums > Desktop Software > PC Operating Systems > Microsoft: Windows > FAQs

Microsoft: Windows FAQ

WinXP Tips

Stop running unnecessary programs at startup by rjkrash
faq779-1393
Posted: 23 Dec 01

You can use msconfig.exe to troubleshoot and see what programs are starting when Windows XP starts but when you restart WinXP after using msconfig you are running in "Selective Startup" mode rather than "Normal Startup".  Once you have determined which program(s), if any, you want to stop loading you can do either or both of the following.

A. Uninstall the Program - Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs

1. Select the program from the list of Installed programs and Click the Uninstall button. Folow the instructions from there...

or

B. You may not want to uninstall a program, you just don't want it to always start at bootup.  Then you Edit the registry ...

1. Start Regedit.  Start > Run > type "regedit", without the quotes, in the Open box.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
3. Once there, entries on the right (Name column) identify the program(s) that are running at startup and
    (Data Column) the path to the executable.  
4. Right click on any entry that you don't want to startup and select Delete
5. You may also want to navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Runonce and
     HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run to see if apps are being started there
7. Delete unnecessary entries.
8. Reboot your computer.

Warning: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. One cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

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