As the name implies, Startup Programs are the programs that start automatically every time you turn on your computer.
Some of these programs will be visible in the System Tray (lower right hand corner of your computer). Many of them,
particularly the bad ones like Spyware and Adware will not be visible in the System Tray. Instead, they will be running in the
background eating into your system memory and causing your computer to run slower. Many Startup programs are
critical to running your computer - don't disable them unless you know for sure they're not necessary.
Here's how I check the Startup Programs on my system:
Go to Start (lower left corner)
Click on Run
Type in msconfig
Hit Enter
You will now see a screen called the System Configuration Utility like the first picture below. You should be on the General
tab so click the Startup tab to see what items are enabled. If they are checked then they run at Startup. The pictures are
from Big Geek Daddy's computer and show which programs I have enabled and what I haven't.
If you need help determining whether a Startup Program should be enabled then these are the sites I use:
Windows Process Information Center
Startup Applications List
Startup Applications Knowledge Base
If you're finding Spyware, Adware, Malware or any other malicious programs in Startup then go to the
Protection page to find the resources you need to remove them. Unchecking them probably won't cut it as they'll
just enable themselves the next time you start your computer.
You can go to the Startup Control Panel site if you want to use a program to help manage the Startup items and learn
more about them. It was created by Mike Lin, a MIT graduate, so yeah, he's much smarter than Big Geek Daddy.
Finally, to prevent programs from enabling without your permission go install the Free WinPatrol 2008
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