Many of us have experienced problems that crop up when
programs auto-start as soon as we boot our PC. The system slows down during
start-up and at times we even get error messages. These programs usually get
into the system during installation or might be remnants from incomplete
uninstallations. New systems also can come preloaded with programs configured to
autostart. The Windows startup manager (or MSConfig) may not be able to show all
of them and these might also be hidden from the task manager.
Direct Hit! |
Applies to:
All Windows users |
USP:
Know and control the programs that autostart when your PC boots up
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Primary Link:
http://sysinternals.com |
Google keywords:
autorun manage
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On PCQEssential CD:
Utilities
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Sysinternals has a tool called Autoruns for managing such
items. With this, you can get a comprehensive list of all the programs loaded
during start up and their locations in the registry, as well as other locations,
so that you can either disable or delete them. It also warns you before deleting
any registry key. The steps to start using Autoruns are as given below.
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After downloading and running Autoruns, you will get this window that tells you what programs and DLLs are being loaded automatically. Uncheck an item to disable it |
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Right click on an item and select Delete if you are sure that it is not to be autorun at all. This will permanently remove it from the startup list |
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Click on the Services tab to see all the running services. Uncheck to disable a service or right click and delete it |
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Use the Verify option to validate the digital image signature of a program by Microsoft or other listed vendors |
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Abe Kurian