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I understand that in order to speed up your system, it helps to eliminate unnecessary programs in the startup tab of msconfig. How can I learn which of the two or three dozen items listed, are unnecessary? Any website with lists of .exe files and their description? Thanks!

mharden
2011-02-15 11:34:00
wow, a thousand thanks to all of you, i'll have to print this and make it a long rainy weekend project. Great web site!
Aibek
2011-02-17 05:13:00
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You might also want to check out our latest Windows Speed Up Guide that was published couple of days ago.Windows on Speed: Ultimate PC Acceleration Manualhttp://manuals.makeuseof.com.s3.amazonaws.com/MakeUseOf.com_Windows_on_Speed.pdf
FIDELIS
2011-02-15 08:40:00
Hello, this link contains a really long list of startup programs. They are organized alphabetically and it tells you how they appear on msconfig. http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.phpIf you are looking for a startup manager you can use Win patrol. It offers a free version and it is compatible with xp, vista and windows 7:http://www.winpatrol.com/Win Patrol also has the ability of starting applications on a delayed start, like soluto.
Aibek
2011-02-15 06:03:00
If you don't have much knowledge about the processes appearing in the startup menu I wouldn't mess up with them. Why don't you try Soluto instead? this program will tell you which programs/processes are safe to disable. See following review of Soluto on MakeUseOf,.Use Soluto To Improve Your Windows Boot Up Timehttp://www.makeuseof.com/tag/soluto-improve-windows-boot-time/
Mark O'Neill
2011-02-14 21:52:00
My own simple rule of thumb is to leave anything Windows-connected well alone and not touch them. Anything else, I need to know exactly what program it is before I disable it. If I don't recognise it, I either Google it or leave it. Only mess around with the ones you are sure about (such as programs you personally installed).ALWAYS err on the side of caution, otherwise you could well end up killing your system and having to reinstall.
2011-02-14 19:25:00
The recommended is using services.msc go to run and type services.msc then right click on each item and choose the right option. (CAREFUL) shutting a servies can deteriorate windows. BE WIZE-Themes- reduces memory consumption by about 10-15 mb-Remote Registry- -Automatic Updates- -Fast User Switching-Disables the welcom screen if you turn this off-Secondary Logon-no need for this unless your a developer-Help and Support-You have to be sure that shutting some process will not deteriorate windows use. Also you have to tell more regarding your windows os version.for startup listehttp://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.phpfor instance NVIDIA Driver Helper Service (saves time at the shutdown of Windows) and the TuneUp WinStyler Theme Service can be turned off.you can also delete startup item from regeditDELETING STARTUP ITEMS FROM THE REGISTRYHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun????HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionRun????HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsMSConfigstartupregHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftShared ToolsMSConfigstartupfolderBe careful: deleting is permanent, you can't recover deleted keys! If you feel better, first make a backup of the registry by exporting the keys to a .REG file, which you can easily import again by double clicking on the file.This script can remove your startup item (go to line 4 in the web page)http://www.paulsxp.com/tweaksvista.htmlto understand msconfig:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560Try Solutohttp://www.soluto.com/also you can use AppboosterThis will help you to create profiles that you can use in order to shutdown unnecessaey applications and to get some boost http://www.appsmaker.com/files/product.php?prodID=1&detailsfor a review go herehttp://www.techishare.com/tech-i-share-giveaway/create-windows-environment-with-appbooster-2/If you want to dig deeper:Try Autoruns from the MS Windows SysInternals site:http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/ProcessesAndThreads/Autoruns.mspxAutoRuns will show/list all apps/etc. that load/run when you first boot(Boot Execute tab),when you logon (Logon tab) and other programs that load (grouped by labeledtabs) for easy viewing.It also provides the ability to selectively allows you to stop (CAUTION) any program that you don't want to load. You can undo any changes you have made. To get additional details on an item in the list you may need to highlight the item (right click) and use the 'Search Online' option to get the details, especially useful for the more obscure items in the list.
Mike
2011-02-14 18:14:00
You can find a huge list under the following link: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/It also helps to look at the Command to identify the startup item since the location path often has a more useful name in it.In general anything in the Startup tab can be disabled without causing major problems. Most the items are for convenience (e.g. Battery monitor on laptops and stuff) or add additional functionality.Another helpful utility is MSConfig Cleanup:http://www.get-in-control.com/msconfig-cleanup/