Stop an Application from Opening at Startup on a Windows XP PC

Don't you hate that stuff popping up automatically when you log in? Well, here is a simple solution.

Steps

Using the Start Menu

  1. Press the start button.
  2. Go to All Programs
  3. Go to Start up
  4. Right click on what you don't want to automatically open.
  5. Choose Delete.
  6. There will be a popup, click Delete Shortcut
  7. If you want to remove more, go back to step 1. Optional

Using the System Configuration Window

  1. Click Start and then click Run.
  2. Type MSCONFIG and tap <enter>. The System Configuration window will pop up.
  3. Click the Startup tab.
  4. Uncheck the programs you do not wish to run on startup, and click OK.
  5. Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

Using the Registry Editor Application

This method will permanently delete start-up items

  1. Select "Run" from the Start menu
  2. Type REGEDIT and click OK.
  3. The registry editor application will open. Use the tree view on the left to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\.
  4. Check the subkeys Run and RunOnce for a path to the application you wish to stop starting automatically at startup. If you find such a path, right click the individual path and click "Delete" from the pop up menu.
  5. If you choose to delete a value, a dialog will result to confirm the deletion. Click "Yes" if you really wish to delete the selected value. Note: The above steps assume that the program is running for every user on the computer. HKEY_CURRENT_USER contains the same path and keys for the currently logged on user.

Tips

  • Try one of freeware programs available on the Internet. For example, Online Solutions Autorun Manager. This can help if above methods fail.
  • Also works on windows 2000 and up.
  • Also works on Professional edition and server edition computers

Warnings

  • This will only work on Windows; if you want to do it on another platform you need to do it a different way.
  • If you have a virus, spyware, adware, or some other application that persistently runs at start-up, you may need to make sure the application is not running and/or remove the offending program from your computer. Otherwise, the start-up item may just be set again right after you remove it.
  • Some items, such as those shared by other users of the computer, may require you to have administrator access to delete.
  • Editing the registry can cause Windows or an application to stop working. Don't edit the anything in the registry, unless you know what you are doing.
  • First method may not work in some cases.

Things You'll Need

  • A Windows XP computer or a Windows 2000 or up

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