 | By Woody Leonhard Some of the programs that run automatically every time Windows starts can be more than a little cantankerous. In the past, you may have used Msconfig or Windows Defender to rein in problematic autostart apps, but there’s a better way — one that will hold you in good stead when (need I say “if”?) you switch to Windows 7. |
Policing the programs that start with Windows
My column of Sept. 4, 2008, described some of the lesser-known capabilities of Windows Defender, Microsoft’s antispyware tool. As befits a spyware catcher, Windows Defender can identify and block troublesome autostart programs. The utility’s clean interface makes it easy to view the autostart programs on your computer and — at your discretion — disable or delete them.
If you use Windows XP, you must download Windows Defender from Microsoft’s Download Center (WGA validation required) and install it manually; however, it’s baked into Vista. To open the program, click Start, All Programs (Programs in XP), Windows Defender. Once you’re in Da Big Defender, click Tools, Software Explorer. Now you’re ready to disable the autostart programs you want to muzzle.
Microsoft has another startup blocker that’s part of the System Configuration utility (AKA Msconfig). That tool’s interface isn’t as glitzy as Windows Defender’s, but it covers the bases. To open Msconfig, click Start (Start, Run in XP); type msconfig; and press Enter. Click the Startup tab and uncheck the entry for any program listed to prevent it from starting automatically. (See Figure 1.)
Figure 1. Msconfig lists the autostart programs on your system.
The things Software Explorer and Msconfig miss
Software Explorer and Msconfig dutifully list the autostart programs that reside in the better-known regions of Windows. In particular, they show programs in the Startup folders and the Run and RunOnce Registry keys.
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