Disable Programs Running in Startup?

Infopackets Reader Doug D. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I get a lot out of your newsletter and hope you can help me. There are many files listed in my Windows Startup, and some of the names appear more than once. I even have programs listed on my computer which no longer exist! How do I remove any unneeded listings? I removed the programs from the register using a RegCleaner, but they are still listed in the Startup. "

My Response:

I get asked this question quite often, and have commented on it before in the newsletter.

The truth is that many of the programs listed in the Startup can be removed safely without repercussion. Before disabling a program, be sure to check out Pac's Portal web site; it lists and explains programs which run in the Startup:

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm

To clean your registry, use Jv16 to manually remove the entries (programs) which no longer exist:

http://www.jv16.org

Side note: Always backup your registry before making changes.

I have also written an article on MSConfig, a program which allows can enable / disable programs from running in the Windows Startup. The article below also has links to freeware MSConfig replacements for Windows 2000 users who do not have MSConfig installed on their systems:

MSConfig Startup for Windows 2000 users