There are two basic ways to accomplish this. The first,
and most obvious, is going to your Start Menu -->
Programs --> Startup, and removing what's in there.
The second, more effective way is to open your registry
(Start --> Run --> regedit) and make changes there.
Typical warnings apply - use registry at your own risk,
make a backup first, set a restore point prior to making
changes, and be careful!
Once you have opened the registry, browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> Software --> Microsoft --> Windows -
-> Current Version. Look for the folders called Run and
RunOnce. Highlight the folder (on the left), and observe
all the keys that appear on the right. Many folks are
amazed (bewildered?) at everything that is loading at
startup. Especially "consumer" machines with the factory
install of the OS (Operating System).
To prevent a program from running at startup, simply
select the key (on the right), and delete it. Follow the
same path as above, only starting at HKEY_CURRENT_USER -->
Software --> Microsoft --> Windows --> Current Version -->
Run (and RunOnce - programs in RunOnce are meant to so
just that - run at a startup, then remove themselves -
I've seen things get stuck in there before though, so best
check it).
The next obvious question is: "What can I safely delete?"
This is where it gets a bit tricky. Some are obvious, some
aren't. If you installed a program like Norton, there will
be many, many programs running at startup (and
subsequently, many keys listed - with NV in the name or
path). Some aren't so obvious (like ctfmon.exe). Your best
bet is doing a Google search on suspect keys, and seeing
what they are and they can be safely deleted. Not only
will you feel more confident about deleting certain keys,
you'll learn more about the inner working of your machine!
As a side note - personally, I remove absolutely
everything from the Run menu (even the ACPI stuff if
necessary). In all my years, I've never had any problems
doing this. Technically, nothing needs to be in there,
just be aware that some of your apps might not work after
doing this. Do your research.
If there was a lot of stuff loading at startup, and you
removed a lot of keys, your computer should boot much
quicker (and potentially run quicker too). Especially if
you're limited on RAM.
Good Luck
Patrick Pitre
