Control which programs run at startup vista

Some of these programs can be set up to automatically configure themselves to run when you log on to your computer. To modify the list of programs that run when you start Windows, choose one of the following methods. Click Tools , and then click Software Explorer. Click the application name in the Name column that you want to disable, and then click Disable.

By default, Windows Defender is installed as part of the Windows Vista installation. For more information about how to use Windows Defender to scan for spyware and for other potentially unwanted software, visit the following Microsoft Web site:. Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly.

Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:.

To do this, follow these steps:. And while this may seem like a hole in the security of startup system it's not. As you'll remember, I stated that security system designed to protect your computer from a malicious program sneaking into the startup folder or run registry key.

However, since malicious programs are not able to create tasks in Task Scheduler without triggering some other security system, there is no way that a malicious program to sneak into the system using this technique. To test your new setup, restart your system.

When you log on, Task Scheduler will immediately run your UAC restricted program without any intervention from you. Delivered each Friday, TechRepublic's Windows Vista Report newsletter features tips, news, and scuttlebutt on Vista development, as well as a look at new features in the latest version of the Windows OS.

Automatically sign up today! Greg Shultz is a freelance Technical Writer. Previously, he has worked as Documentation Specialist in the software industry, a Technical Support Specialist in educational industry, and a Technical Journalist in the computer publishing industry. Figure A When Software Explorer recognizes a UAC restricted program in the startup sequence, it blocks it and displays a warning message To resolve the issue and run the blocked program, Microsoft recommends that you click the Blocked Startup Program icon in the Notification area, select the Run Blocked Program menu, and then click the program's icon, as shown in Figure B.

However, for most programs, starting them at boot-up just wastes resources and extends startup time. This tool is available and can be used to disable startup programs in Windows 7, Vista, and XP.

NOTE: MSConfig can be used to configure several things other than just startup programs, so be careful what you do with it. As you type, results display. Click the Startup tab on the System Configuration main window. A list of all the startup programs displays with a check box next to each one. To prevent a program from starting up with Windows, select the check box next to the desired program so there is NO check mark in the box. Click OK once you have made your choices.

A dialog box displays telling you that you may need to restart your computer for the changes to take affect. Click Restart to restart your computer immediately. If are not ready to restart your computer, click Exit without restart. Windows 8, 8. The free PC-cleaning utility CCleaner also has a tool that allows you to disable startup programs. In CCleaner, click the Tools button on the left side of the dialog box and click Startup to see the list of startup programs.

The Enabled column indicates whether each program is set to start with Windows. To disable a program that is enabled, select the program in the list and click Disable. You can also enable programs that have been disabled. However, there is a free version available as an installable version and a portable version. Note that some applications need to be configured to stop launching themselves when the computer boots, or they will just add themselves to the list of startup programs again.

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