How can programs be automatically started in the boot process

[Michael Chare]

When a Vista PC boots it can start various applications.

Some of the applications are in Start/Programs/Startup menu (Classic Menu),
others can be seen on the Startup tab in msconfig, but my PC appears to be
starting some application (a component of the BBC iPlayer) which is not
shown in either of these locations.

So, how else can applications be started?

 

[Richard Urban]

Go here,
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx, and
install "Autoruns".

This gives you a complete listing of anything that is active on your
computer. Go to the startup tab. Remove the check from anything you do not
want to run.

Be careful! Uncheck the wrong thing and you can prevent your computer from
booting into Windows. (-:

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

When a Vista PC boots it can start various applications.

Some of the applications are in Start/Programs/Startup menu (Classic
Menu), others can be seen on the Startup tab in msconfig, but my PC
appears to be starting some application (a component of the BBC iPlayer)
which is not shown in either of these locations.

So, how else can applications be started?

Right click the Start orb and choose Explore. Note the Startup folder?
Right drag the program you want starting to the Startup folder and choose
Create Shortcut Here.

 

[Rick Ross]

Go here,
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx, and
install "Autoruns".

This gives you a complete listing of anything that is active on your
computer. Go to the startup tab. Remove the check from anything you do not
want to run.

Be careful! Uncheck the wrong thing and you can prevent your computer from
booting into Windows. (-:

and how does a beginner know what many of these files/applications are? is
there a plain english version of all this?

 

[Richard Urban]

Nope! But the O/P says he has a special startup program he wants to
dis-allow. This will make it easy for him to do so.

Need, experience, knowledge and research, enables one to know what he can
stop from loading.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

 

[Michael Chare]

Go here,
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/utilities/Autoruns.mspx, and
install "Autoruns".

This gives you a complete listing of anything that is active on your
computer. Go to the startup tab. Remove the check from anything you do not
want to run.

Be careful! Uncheck the wrong thing and you can prevent your computer from
booting into Windows. (-:

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Thanks, that does show everything. Fortunately I found the offending
program on the 'Service' tab in msconfig rather than something that appeared
in the 'Startup' tab.