Over time, as you use your computer and install new software, more services and programs will start along with Windows and run in the background. If you take a look at your system tray, the area on the task bar where the clock is located, you will see an array of icons. Each of these icons represents a software application that is waiting to be used. Applications ‘pre-load’ like this, and run in the background, so that they can start up faster when you want to use them. But computers are now so fast that this is no longer required, and as the list of background applications grows the amount of required memory and CPU cycles also grows and can begin to slow down a system.

There is a way to combat the growing list of applications loading when your computer starts - the Microsoft Configuration utility, MSConfig.

To open MSConfig click on the Start button and then click Run. In the Run dialogue box type ‘msconfig’ without the quotes.

When MSConfig has loaded go to the ’startup’ tab where you can find a list of all of the applications that start when your computer does. In the startup tab it is safe to disable most of the items, this will simply prevent those applications from starting. Although, you would not want to disable your antivirus or any other security software that you are using.

Next to each item is a check box, to disable an item remove the check and click apply. In the image below you can see that MSN Messenger, along with software from Adobe and Apple has been disabled from starting up. If you are unsure about an item you can safely disable it and reboot the computer, if you find a desired application no longer opens simply re-enable that item in MSConfig and reboot your system.

Microsoft recently purchased an application called Autoruns, an application similar to MSConfig but a lot more powerful. If you are more of a power user and require more information about start-up items you should give Autoruns a try. Click the ‘Logon’ tab where you can deselect programs that you don’t wish to start when you log into Windows.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2007 at 3:13 am and is filed under Quick Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.