STARTUP files

[Wayne]

While this may have been asked before, sorry, pls for the repeat.

What is the minimum set of files that should be made available in the
STARTUP folder (RUN/MSCONFIG > STARTUP Tab)

I realize that some/many are unique to me like the APC Battery Backup system
(live in FL!), etc.

There are files with names that contain the SQUARE symbol only. Are these
legit? Needed?

Per earlier post, machine runs much faster now that a cleanup, defrag, etc
was executed. Now BOOT time is the last tackle "WINDOWS LOADING", seems
to take forever. The there is printer (Brothers) stuff. Really needed?
And the like. There are TWO (2) [Norton] labeled GhostStartTrayApp.

When I uncheck: Acrobat Assistant and Microsoft Office, at boot time a msg
tells me I am not in the Normal StartUp mode. Thee are MANY
"HKLM\SOFTWARE|Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" entries. What can be
sifted out?

Regards,
Wayne

 

[Malke]

What is the minimum set of files that should be made available in the
STARTUP folder (RUN/MSCONFIG > STARTUP Tab)

I realize that some/many are unique to me like the APC Battery Backup
system (live in FL!), etc.

There are files with names that contain the SQUARE symbol only. Are
these
legit? Needed?

Per earlier post, machine runs much faster now that a cleanup, defrag,
etc
was executed. Now BOOT time is the last tackle "WINDOWS LOADING",
seems
to take forever. The there is printer (Brothers) stuff. Really
needed?
And the like. There are TWO (2) [Norton] labeled GhostStartTrayApp.

When I uncheck: Acrobat Assistant and Microsoft Office, at boot time a
msg
tells me I am not in the Normal StartUp mode. Thee are MANY
"HKLM\SOFTWARE|Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" entries. What
can be sifted out?

No one can answer this. As you have observed, while there are normal
startup programs/processes that are native to Windows, many other
non-native programs/processes may be legitimate and required for your
particular computer. The entries with the rectangular boxes can be
unchecked.

You definitely don't need Acrobat Assistant and Microsoft Office to
start with Windows. The "Normal Startup" mode is a misnomer; your
computer will not be running in an "abnormal" mode if you uncheck an
item in Startup (as long as you don't need it!). As always, it is best
to stop a program from starting with Windows from within the program
itself. Look for "Options" or "Preferences". If the program doesn't
have a way to set the option not to start with Windows, use the System
Configuration Utility (msconfig).

Do not disable services with msconfig.

The way to tell what needs to run and what doesn't is to Google each
item and/or look them up on one of these many links:

http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm - What loads at Startup?
http://castlecops.com/StartupList.html
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/
http://www.windowsstartup.com/wso/search.php
http://www.processlibrary.com/results/

Malke

 

[Wayne]

Thank You Malke!
Wayne

What is the minimum set of files that should be made available in the
STARTUP folder (RUN/MSCONFIG > STARTUP Tab)

I realize that some/many are unique to me like the APC Battery Backup
system (live in FL!), etc.

There are files with names that contain the SQUARE symbol only. Are
these
legit? Needed?

Per earlier post, machine runs much faster now that a cleanup, defrag,
etc
was executed. Now BOOT time is the last tackle "WINDOWS LOADING",
seems
to take forever. The there is printer (Brothers) stuff. Really
needed?
And the like. There are TWO (2) [Norton] labeled GhostStartTrayApp.

When I uncheck: Acrobat Assistant and Microsoft Office, at boot time a
msg
tells me I am not in the Normal StartUp mode. Thee are MANY
"HKLM\SOFTWARE|Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" entries. What
can be sifted out?

No one can answer this. As you have observed, while there are normal
startup programs/processes that are native to Windows, many other
non-native programs/processes may be legitimate and required for your
particular computer. The entries with the rectangular boxes can be
unchecked.

You definitely don't need Acrobat Assistant and Microsoft Office to
start with Windows. The "Normal Startup" mode is a misnomer; your
computer will not be running in an "abnormal" mode if you uncheck an
item in Startup (as long as you don't need it!). As always, it is best
to stop a program from starting with Windows from within the program
itself. Look for "Options" or "Preferences". If the program doesn't
have a way to set the option not to start with Windows, use the System
Configuration Utility (msconfig).

Do not disable services with msconfig.

The way to tell what needs to run and what doesn't is to Google each
item and/or look them up on one of these many links:

http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm - What loads at Startup?
http://castlecops.com/StartupList.html
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
http://www.liutilities.com/products/wintaskspro/processlibrary/
http://www.windowsstartup.com/wso/search.php
http://www.processlibrary.com/results/

Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User