Delete programs in startup

[Hoagy]

Hi,I have too many programs in my startup menu box,so it takes a while to
download. I go to msconfig.exe then startup but I cant decipher the programs
to delete,is it possible to delete them all and reload startup with windows
essentials if so how.cheers

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi,I have too many programs in my startup menu box,

Despite the number of people who repeat this, there's no such thing as
"too many programs" starting automatically. What's significant is not
how *many* programs you start, but *which*. Some such programs can
have a big impact on performance, but others have almost no impact.

so it takes a while to
download.

"Download"? Download what? Downloading isn't involved here. Are you
saying it takes a long time to boot?

I go to msconfig.exe then startup but I cant decipher the programs
to delete,

is it possible to delete them all and reload startup with windows
essentials if so how.cheers

First, note that there is no such thing as "Windows essentials."
Windows doesn't need any programs to start automatically. But you
might need some programs to start automatically. One such example is
your anti-virus program, and other security software.

Yes, it's possible to delete them all, but I wouldn't do so. First,
post their names here, and let us get a look at what they are and give
you some advice.

 

[Ron Badour]

Use google.com to determine what an entry is or check here:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm

While Ken is correct in his statement about what programs are running and
not how many are running, I see it a little differently. I don't want
anything running unless it is needed. I look at the cumulative effect of
programs running and even if there is one with minimal impact, there is some
impact so why waste resources on something that is not needed? I also avoid
annoying little problems that can occur from clashes in programs running in
the background. Finally, I have more than enough icons residing in the
systray even with a lean startup tab.
--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP
Windows Desktop Experience

 

[Hoagy]

Despite the number of people who repeat this, there's no such thing as
"too many programs" starting automatically. What's significant is not
how *many* programs you start, but *which*. Some such programs can
have a big impact on performance, but others have almost no impact.




"Download"? Download what? Downloading isn't involved here. Are you
saying it takes a long time to boot?





First, note that there is no such thing as "Windows essentials."
Windows doesn't need any programs to start automatically. But you
might need some programs to start automatically. One such example is
your anti-virus program, and other security software.

Yes, it's possible to delete them all, but I wouldn't do so. First,
post their names here, and let us get a look at what they are and give
you some advice.

RUNDLL32exe-NvCpl RUNDLL32-Mixer.exe-ALCMTR.EXE-hope this helps you cos it
doesnt me cheers

 

[EC]

I have followed, in effect, Ron Badour's advice in the past. Unfortunately,
I have, on occassion, deleted one too many program, with disasterous results.
I agree with culling programs and unused files, etc., but this has been the
bane of my history with computers. Thanks for the question and answers.

Regards,
Ed Cohen, old fart

 

[Hoagy]

Use google.com to determine what an entry is or check here:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm

While Ken is correct in his statement about what programs are running and
not how many are running, I see it a little differently. I don't want
anything running unless it is needed. I look at the cumulative effect of
programs running and even if there is one with minimal impact, there is some
impact so why waste resources on something that is not needed? I also avoid
annoying little problems that can occur from clashes in programs running in
the background. Finally, I have more than enough icons residing in the
systray even with a lean startup tab.
--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP
Windows Desktop Experience
Hi Ron,What I would like is a lean startup tab like yours cheers.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Use google.com to determine what an entry is or check here:
http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm

While Ken is correct in his statement about what programs are running and
not how many are running, I see it a little differently. I don't want
anything running unless it is needed.

I don't have any real disagreement with that, Ron. I don't want
anything running that I don't need either.

But my point is that the objective should be to get rid of what hurts
you (and what you don't need), not just to reduce the number. Just
reducing the number can get rid of the wrong things and have no
noticeable effect.

I look at the cumulative effect of
programs running and even if there is one with minimal impact, there is some
impact so why waste resources on something that is not needed?

It's true that there is always *some* impact, but there are often
cases of a background program using so little resources that its
effect on performance is unnoticeable.

As a single example of this, I run a little background program called
Allchars. This lets me type many common special characters (many of
these are used in other languages) by pressing the ctrl key followed
by a two character mnemonic combination.

I actually use Allchars very seldom, but it's very handy to have ready
to use whenever I need it. It uses a tiny amount of memory (most of
which is probably paged out most of the time) and uses zero CPU when
it's not actually being used. One would be hard-pressed to see *any*
difference in performance when it's loaded.

I also avoid
annoying little problems that can occur from clashes in programs running in
the background.

That is certainly true, and can sometimes be a factor.

Finally, I have more than enough icons residing in the
systray even with a lean startup tab.

Yes, system tray clutter can be a factor. However note two things:

1. Not all background programs manifest themselves by an icon in the
tray.

2. Even for those that do, many such programs have an option to hide
the tray icon. Allchars is again an example of such a program.