Startup Programs

What programs are really needed on the startup menu for Windows XP Home Edition? I mean why do I need an icon for like compuserve as I have an icon on the desktop or for interactual player when I don't and never have used it.
Why do these programs decide to add themselves to the startup menu.
I read an article on one of the help websites called I think "Clean and Mean" where the guy said he only had 2 programs that ran at startup systray and his anti-virus program. That he could just navigate to any other programs he wanted to use.

 

There is no rule that applies to everyone.

It really depends on what you have installed, and how you use the PC.


Unfortunately, a lot of programs add themselves repeatedly to startup, QuickTime being the most annoying.

 

>> What programs are really needed on the startup menu for Windows XP Home Edition? << Im1sneakysnake

Great webpage devoted to this subject:
Start-Up Applications: Do You Really Need All of Them? ​

I use Autoruns which clearly shows users [in great detail] not only the programs which are configured to run during system bootup or login, but also shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them.

If you’re just looking for something far more basic; I recommend Startup Control Panel Standalone v2.8 or the tiny utility called StartUp both of which are standalone programs that require no installation. StarRight is also good for basic stopping of startup programs at boot up. All of these are freeware and available in the "Admin Tools" section at major geeks. That section also lists many very useful utilities to help with system "administration."

Note: I often use the webpage called Startup Applications List which allows you to search for any entry in startup that you cannot identify or do not know what to do with.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks. You gave me many good places to look and I appriciate it.

 

>> Thanks. You gave me many good places to look and I appriciate it. << Im1sneakysnake

Oh, anytime. My pleasure, really!

I forgot to note in my post that although the Autoruns utility [mentioned above] is a great tool; you should take a little time to learn more about and 'get used to' this utility, before you decide on disabling any startup entries which you are entirely unfamiliar with. If you decide to try it out, you should be VERY careful whenever disabling some of the "necessary" startup programs - like your anti-virus and firewall, for example.

And in particular be very cautious about disabling any "Windows Services" especially if you are not familiar with what they do or what may happen if you disable them. Many of these 'unseen' services running in the background at start-up may seem 'benign' but are actually needed and your system can function erratically and/or become unstable without them.

That being said; AutoRuns is very comprehensive and efficient utility that displays which programs are configured to run during system bootup or login which can then be enabled/disabled. These programs consist of the ones in your startup folder as well as Services, Run, RunOnce, Scheduled Tasks, Winsock Providers, and Internet Explorer BHOs and more - each of them can also be enabled/disabled and other Registry keys. You can even highlight the 'registry-related' entries and click the "jump to" button to launch Regedit with the selected entry.

If you decide to try Autoruns and you have questions or problems visit the Sysinternals Autoruns Forum or the Sysinternals FAQ: Common Autoruns Issues section.

Good Luck!