Hidden startup programs

[dbuelke]

I try to keep my start-ups to a minimum using both msconfig and also CCleaner, but there seems to be an array of programs that slow the boot process and flash by on Windows Task Manager. I've tried to identify some of these individually, but it's an onerous task and I often still don't know if they are essential or not. Is there some way to ferret these out to speed the boot process?

[S Templar]

Hi very little needs to run at startup, you may find they are Windows Services which are best left alone.
What do you have ticked in msconfig?

http://sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
http://www.netsquirrel.com/msconfig/msconfig_xp.html
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

[jholland1964]

DON'T use msconfig OR CCleaner to stop start up programs.
Download CodeStuffStarter
or Mike Lin's StartUp Control Panel to control auto starts. CodeStuffStarter will show programs AND services running on boot. They can be disabled using that program. Mike Lin's program is also very simple to use and startups can also be disabled using that program.
msconfig should only be used for trouble shooting. Personally, have never used CCleaner to control start ups.

[ailema]

well i have the same situition as dbuelke , all i do is defrag all the time but its not enough thanks for the info

[syxguns]

well i have the same situition as dbuelke , all i do is defrag all the time but its not enough thanks for the info

Basically, a system defrag just defrags your HDD. The standard windows system defrag is actually a pretty lousy defrag program. It is based off of a great program but does not have the advanced options.

I did some research on FREE defrag programs and found two that I really liked. (Unapproved link removed by Admin)

However, running a system defrag will not remove startup programs. (Unapproved link removed by Admin)
This program will show you what is currently running on your system. You have the option to end the startup program, but be careful when doing this. You do not want to end a program that is a system file or a standard startup program that you may have on your PC. My best friend is google, and you may type the name of the file that you are not familiar with and it will display the results of the program running.

CCleaner is more or less a basic registry cleaning tool. It will not stop startup programs from running. The other thing is that if you start your computer in standard mode, all startup programs will start. You have to identify the problem program and then eliminate the program. This is best done in safe mode if you are going to catch the bad guys, if you have trojans on your machine.

There are some free programs that you may use to help identify rootkits, and remove them as well as spyware.

[Jerry Burkhe]

You can try {unauthorized link removed} of PC Optimizer Pro. It will help you to boost the Start Up process and will increase your booting speed. Good Luck.

[cauzomb]

PC-optimizer is not very popular and looks to be a "subscription" FEE based application. I don't recommend stuff like this that costs money as you can do the steps yourself for free and there are FREE applications that do pretty much the same stuff if you can't do it yourself.