Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
August 01, 2005
Terry's Computer Tips newsletter - http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newletter for users of PC's.
Volume 1, Number 7 -- Monday, August 1, 2005
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Identifying the Programs That Start Automatically
* Controlling the Programs That Start Automatically
* Reading Excel Files
* Networking Problems with Wireless
* Shareware/Freeware Pick of the Week
* Blogging
* Unmitigated Bragging
* Just For Fun
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1. Identifying the Programs That Start Up Automatically
Windows will let you look at the Startup folder (Start / All Programs / Start). Unfortunately, very few programs put their startup commands in this folder because that makes it too easy to prevent them from auto-starting.
The second method is to examine the Windows Registry to see what programs Windows is set to automatically start. The tool for this, which is included with Windows, is REGEDIT.EXE. However, for most people, my advice is "don't go there."
RegEdit is not very user friendly. Even more important, though, is that a mistake in RegEdit may prevent your Windows from starting up the next time you try to boot! Having said that, you can use RegEdit to examine the commands and data stored in the Registry by almost all programs. The keywords for automatically-run programs are "Run" and "RunOnce." As implied, RunOnce means that the program should be run only one time -- typically this is used by a program for its first reboot after installation. The Registry keys and their data for programs that Windows starts automatically can be found in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion. Remember also that programs that Windows starts can, themselves, start other programs.
For most users, the tool of choice provided by Microsoft for identifying startup programs is called MSCONFIG.EXE. You start MSConfig by clicking on Start, then Run, typing "msconfig" (without the quotes) and pressing the Enter key. Unless you are experienced, do not touch anything except the Startup tab. This tab will list all programs that are automatically starting (but not additional programs that those programs might start), whether they are in the Startup folder or starting because of commands in the Registry.
MSConfig will show you a title, the command being executed (including the path to the command on the hard drive, most of the time) and where the command is stored (Registry key or Startup folder).
The tool I like to use to identify startup programs is WinPatrol, my Shareware/Freeware Pick of the Week. WinPatrol has an easy-to-use interface for identifying the programs that start automatically, as well as capabilities to control them.
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2. Controlling the Programs that Start Automatically Now that you have identified the programs that start automatically on your computer, how can you get them under control? You've identified the program names - which are ok or safe to prevent from starting? Which are bad and need to be removed?
The basic tool to learn more about programs that are set to start automatically, if you are using MSConfig to identify them, is your web browser (I.E., Firefox, Opera, or whatever). Use it for a visit to our favorite search engine -- Google. There, you can search for the program name. You might even want to search for the program's path, as that will sometimes help narrow the selection of answers.
My preferred tool for understanding the programs that start automatically -- and for controlling them -- is WinPatrol, my Shareware/Freeware Pick of the Week. WinPatrol's "Startup Programs" tab shows you the title, command and version of the programs being run. More importantly, there are three very important buttons at the bottom of the page. These buttons are "Info," "Remove," and "Disable." Note that the "Disable" button doesn't show up unless you have selected an individual program.
The Info button opens your web browser and takes you to WinPatrol's database of programs. If you purchase the "Plus" license, you get access to this database. Almost all the time, I have found information on the unknown program there, including a description of it, whether WinPatrol's developer considers it safe, malware, spyware, or whatever, and his recommendations (e.g., "remove it."). If you do not purchase the Plus version ($25 for lifetime license), your option is to use Google or any other search engine and pick through the websites to get your information.
When you disable a program in WinPatrol, that disables it even if you stop using WinPatrol. Once you have Disabled a program, you can Enable it by selecting the program in WinPatrol's Startup Programs tab. At that point, an Enable button will appear. Just click on Enable to make the program start automatically.
In other words, if you want to experiment or if you are not sure whether you want to remove a program or not -- Disable it. If that was the wrong thing to do (for example, if your modem doesn't work any more), you can Enable it easily.
Unless you are sure what a program does, check it out. Even if you disable or remove them from the startup list, a number of programs will set themselves to automatically start up again. Examples here are "Windows Messenger" and "RealPlayer." Both of these have options in their own program to turn off the automatically-starting function.
Taking back control of your computer from all the automatically-starting programs is pretty easy. The hard part is figuring out which programs you want or need to start automatically. You want your antivirus and firewall programs to start automatically. You probably want anything that is for your printer to start automatically. You might, or might not, want your digital camera's picture-loader to start automatically.
Continued in Part 2
Volume 1, Number 7 -- Monday, August 1, 2005
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Copyright © 2005 Terry A. Stockdale. All rights reserved.
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