ICQ/RealPlayer startup NOT

  • Thread starter Thread starter ncSkeet
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ncSkeet

I occasionally use ICQ4 Lite and RealPlayer. Is there any way to prevent
them from automatically attempting to insert themselves into my Windows
Startup folder every time they run? I don't use them often, and I sure
don't want them starting and wasting memory whenever I start my
computer. As it is, I have to go through this whole process of denying
them access to, or removing them from, the startup folder each time I
run them.

Thanks...ncSkeet
 
I occasionally use ICQ4 Lite and RealPlayer. Is there any way to
prevent them from automatically attempting to insert themselves
into my Windows Startup folder every time they run? I don't use
them often, and I sure don't want them starting and wasting memory
whenever I start my computer. As it is, I have to go through this
whole process of denying them access to, or removing them from,
the startup folder each time I run them.
Click to expand...
Which windows version?
 
I don't see them going into the startup folder.
Instead, they add a registry entry in either
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

You need to delete those. Note that QuickTime does the same
thing. I wrote a VB script to remove it. You could modify it to
remove the unwanted Real Player or ICQ entries.

--- cut here ---

' Removes the unwanted "QuickTime Task" item from:
' HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

' The offending item is:
' "QuickTime Task"="\"C:\\Program
Files\\QuickTime\\qttask.exe\" -atboottime"

Option Explicit

Dim WSHShell
Dim regkey
Dim X

Set WSHShell = Wscript.CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
On Error Resume Next

regkey = "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\QuickTime Task"
WSHShell.RegDelete regkey

X = MsgBox("Done", vbOKOnly, "Done")
Set WSHShell = Nothing

--- cut here ---
 
Margrave said:
I don't see them going into the startup folder.
Instead, they add a registry entry in either
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
or
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

You need to delete those.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but how would this prevent the programs from re-installing
everything each time they ran? I was hoping there was something I was
missing in each program that would stop the obnoxious behavior. I guess
that's what the VB script you wrote is for, but I know almost nothing
about editing the registry or VB script.
_______
ncSkeet
 
The voice of "ncSkeet" drifted in on the cyber-winds,
from the sea of virtual chaos...
I occasionally use ICQ4 Lite and RealPlayer. Is there any way to
prevent them from automatically attempting to insert themselves
into my Windows Startup folder every time they run?
Click to expand...


Can't help you with ICQ (it should have an option to NOT run at
startup), but I can help ya with "RealCrap"...

First, using a Reg Editor (like RegEdit) navigate to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and
delete RealPlayer's realsched.exe entry. Next, with RealPlayer still
closed (did I mention that?) seach for "Realsched.exe" on your HD and
rename it "Realsched.old".

That'll fix things untill the next time you update. }:8P
 
Maxx said:
First, using a Reg Editor (like RegEdit) navigate to the key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and
delete RealPlayer's realsched.exe entry. Next, with RealPlayer still
closed (did I mention that?) seach for "Realsched.exe" on your HD and
rename it "Realsched.old".
Click to expand...

Thanks. Although "realsched.exe" wasn't in the registry (at least in the
location you mention, or under Current User), just renaming it on my HD
got rid of the startup mess. As for ICQ, I found "Launch ICQ on startup"
in the registry under "Mirabilis" and changed its value, and then just
deleted it when that didn't work...still no go. And I've again looked
all over the program itself (ICQ) trying to find a way to prevent it
from putting itself in startup, but it's either not there, or I'm
overlooking it somehow.
_______
ncSkeet
 
ncSkeet said:
Thanks. Although "realsched.exe" wasn't in the registry (at least in
the location you mention, or under Current User), just renaming it on
my HD got rid of the startup mess. As for ICQ, I found "Launch ICQ on
startup" in the registry under "Mirabilis" and changed its value, and
then just deleted it when that didn't work...still no go. And I've
again looked all over the program itself (ICQ) trying to find a way
to prevent it from putting itself in startup, but it's either not
there, or I'm overlooking it somehow.
_______
ncSkeet
Click to expand...

You may want to try a program like Jackass JoeJoe's StartRight.
It is meant to manage your startup programs and one of its features is
that it lets you exclude programs of your choice to run at all at
startup.

http://www.joejoesoft.com/sr.php
 
The voice of "ncSkeet" drifted in on the cyber-winds,
from the sea of virtual chaos...
... As for ICQ, I found "Launch ICQ on startup" in the registry
under "Mirabilis" and changed its value, and then just deleted
it when that didn't work... still no go.
Click to expand...
And I've again looked all over the program itself (ICQ) trying
to find a way to prevent it from putting itself in startup, but
it's either not there, or I'm overlooking it somehow.
Click to expand...


Did a quick search tonight and found this:
http://www.icq.com/help/pages/category_how_2_1683.php

It's on how to set ICQ to run on startup, but you should be able to
"reverse" the setting... I don't run ICQlite here (Trillan for now),
so I'm not sure what you're trying to prevent fom starting.
 
Maxx said:
Did a quick search tonight and found this:
http://www.icq.com/help/pages/category_how_2_1683.php
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the first thing I did after I installed the program, and is
why I was so baffled by what was happening. But after fiddling with it
some more, I've finally figured it out. Whenever I would start ICQ,
Microsoft's Anti-Spyware program would report that "ICQLite.exe" was
installing itself in my startup registry, and I would then use Winpatrol
to remove it. Apparently, what ICQ is actually installing is something
called "trayboot" that most likely checks for updates when ICQ is
launched. So the ICQ program itself doesn't start when I boot up;
rather, it's silently checking for updates in the background when I
start ICQ after signing onto the internet (I'm currently on dial-up).
So, thanks again for your help with this. Now I'm working on preventing
this "trayboot" crap from doing its thing. I emailed ICQ about it, and
am still waiting to hear from them.
_______
ncSkeet
 
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