Alter Startup Programs in Windows XP

If you've been using Windows XP for a while, you may have noticed that your computer is taking longer to boot up. This is because programs are adding themselves to your start up, and they all have to load before you can start using the computer. Just follow the simple steps below and your computer will start a lot faster!

Steps

MSConfig

  1. Open Microsoft's System Configuration Utility (called MSConfig). Go to START -> Run, and enter msconfig. Hit enter to start the program. The following window should appear.
    • Choose Selective Startup.
    • If Run is not found in the Start Menu, to add the "Run command": Right click Start -> Properties -> select tab "Start Menu" -> Customize -> Customize Start Menu -> check the Run box -> Apply -> OK .
  2. Click on the 'Startup' tab. Here, you will see a list of programs that is similar to the one below:
  3. Uncheck any programs that you do not want Windows to run at startup.
  4. Click 'OK'. A new window will appear, asking you to restart your computer.
  5. Click 'Restart.'

Windows Defender

  1. Download Windows Defender from Microsoft.
  2. Click on the Start menu. Click All Programs and then select Windows Defender.
  3. Choose Tools and the Software Explorer.
  4. Click the names of the programs in the Name column that you want to disable. When you are finished, click Disable.

Registry Editor

  1. Open the Start menu and click Run. Type regedit into the field.
  2. Locate 1 of the following registry keys:
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
    • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
  3. Find the program that you want to remove from the startup sequence. Delete that one program from either or both of those registry keys.
    • Caution: Do not delete other items in regedit that you see. Many may be unknown, peculiarly named system files. You could easily disable program associations, needed services, make the system fail or to be unstable.



Tips

  • If you are unsure which programs are slowing your computer down, disable all the startup programs in Windows XP by clicking the Disable All button on the Startup Tab window. Restart your PC and, if the speed improves, then start adding programs back in one at a time until you discover which program is slowing down your startup.
  • If you are unsure whether or not to leave a program running, search for the file name on ProcessLibrary.com to see whether a particular startup process should or should not be removed.

Warnings

  • Back up your registry before you alter it, just in case you make an error.
  • Some programs are essential to system stability, such as ctfmon.exe, cmd.exe, and svchost.exe. Do not disable these processes.

Things You'll Need

  • PC with Windows XP
  • Windows Defender (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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