Disable Startup Programs in Windows 7, Vista, and XP In older versions of Windows, system configuration windows is the best place to locate and disable startup items. To access system configuration, press Windows+R keys and type “ msconfig ” in the “Run” dialog. Click Start, type Gpedit.msc in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Allow. Under Computer Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Windows Components, and then click Autoplay Policies. Every time an attempt is made to power up and start a Windows PC running Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8, the startup procedure begins normally but once Windows has begun to load or just as the Windows startup screen and bootloading process is about to complete, the PC suddenly restarts. The Windows logon prompt is shown on the Screen. After a user logs in the rest of the keys continue. Notify - This key is used to add a program that will run when a particular event occurs.Events.
Disable Programs at Startup Windows XP. There are many reasons why it’s sometimes useful to disable programs at startup in Windows XP. For example, if your computer is freezing up or you want to identify potential issues with system performance, then it’s sometimes helpful to turn off programs at startup as a part of the troubleshooting process.
Disable Programs at Startup Windows XP
There are many reasons why it’s sometimes useful to disable programs at startup in Windows XP. For example, if your computer is freezing up or you want to identify potential issues with system performance, then it’s sometimes helpful to turn off programs at startup as a part of the troubleshooting process. Other reasons for turning off programs could be to free up memory to increase system performance or to simply eliminate potential conflicts that might arise. There are other reasons not listed here.
Here are simple steps to disable programs at startup
1. Click on Start.
2. From the Start Menu Options choose Run.
3. Type “msconfig” without quotes and click okay. This will bring up System Configuration Utility.
4. System Configuration Utility >> Click the tab called Startup.
6. Now you can uncheck any programs that you do not want running upon startup.
7. Once you are done unchecking Click Okay and you will be prompted to restart your computer.
The image shows the System Configuration Utility in Windows XP.
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Here is how to use MSCONFIG in Windows XP to disable some of the unnecessary programs that automatically load on start-up. Disabling these programs will help your computer boot faster and crash less. [For step-by-step instructions on how to use MSCONFIG in other versions of Windows, please visit my main How to Use MSCONFIG page.]
1. In Windows XP, go to Start > Run
2. Type MSCONFIG in the 'Open:' box and then either press enter on your keyboard or click on the OK button.
3. This launches Microsoft's System Configuration Utility. Click on the Startup tab (the tab at the far right).
4. This takes you to a page with a list of 'startup items.' Startup items are programs that are automatically loaded every time you turn on your computer. Some startup programs are absolutely necessary, others are simply a waste of RAM.
In Windows XP, all of Windows' essential programs are loaded through something called 'Windows Services.' This means that most of the startup items you see in XP are completely optional and can be turned off. However, a good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on. Or, better still, check out Paul 'PacMan' Collins' huge 'Startup Applications' list at http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_search.php. This list of over 25,000 startup items you may encounter in MSCONFIG tells you which items are absolutely necessary, which items are optional, and which items you should definitely uncheck.
Here's a good example. On my computer I have a mess of MP3s and I listen to those MP3s with a program called WinAmp. For some reason or other, WinAmp decided that it should always be running on my computer even when I am not using the program. That's silly. To prevent WinAmp from automatically starting every time I boot my computer, I ran MSCONFIG and unchecked 'WinampAgent.' That's it.
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Remember, disable only those programs that you recognize and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.
5. Click on the OK button.
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6. A message will pop up telling you that you must restart your computer before these changes will take effect. Click on 'Yes' and your computer will automatically reboot.
7. That's it! Your computer should now boot faster and crash less.
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And if you ever want to turn on any of the startup items you disabled with MSCONFIG, just run MSCONFIG again.
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