Internet Security Tips and Advice

Additional tweaks to system startup

May 7th, 2008 by Igor Pankov

The System Configuration Utility is a good starting point for configuring your system, but there are additional useful tools that can help you to get your system starting up and running even more smoothly and efficiently.

One such tool is Sysinternals’ (now part of Microsoft) Autoruns. This program offers a number of options and breaks out all start-up entries according to their type (drivers, services, Explorer components, Winlogon, Winsock, and other groups). You may find it useful to use the option to list only non-Microsoft entries, as this will limit the list of programs automatically started to those which are not part of Windows or Microsoft applications. Pay close attention to the Logon and Drivers tabs, but be careful and run a search to make sure you don’t accidentally switch off a valid program, service or driver. If you make a mistake, it is easily corrected by checking the corresponding checkmark for the application you disabled in error.

Posted in Security Tip of the Week

5 Responses

  1. Manny Carvalho

    Let me suggest that these utilities are good for troubleshooting your system but not for tweaking. The best approach to stop unwanted automatic startup programs is to either turn off the startup feature within the interface of the program or to uninstall it entirely.

    Using these great utilities just for tweaking will usually lead to errors [as indicated in the article] and leave behind orphaned registry keys.

  2. Igor Pankov

    Thank you for your suggestion. The note was never intended to use these tools for tweaking the system, but, rather, to inform of the existance of simple and handy utilities one can keep on a USB key and apply when needed to troubleshoot or remove malware from the stricken computers.

    You input is very important, thanks for your commentary.
    Igor Pankov

  3. Manny Carvalho

    And I certainly agree with that Igor. Unfortunately, the title “Additional tweaks to system startup” meant something else to me. My apologies if I read it the wrong way.

  4. Karel

    http://www.snapfiles.com/get/starter.html

    Such is best schedule for XP and that what with starts up initiation requires and knowledge starting programmes
    always be decidedly superior programme cut off in single setting programme

  5. Richard

    Good information for a non-geek, like me. Thank you Igor.