Windows Start Up programs

[Mike Cork]

What do we really need in our windows start up?

Is there a program out there that can clean my start up and remove EVERYTHING that I don't absolutely have to have?

I've tried reading up on this and it's all french to me. I figure like everything else there is an app for that. Maybe one of you 'puter gurus can point me in the right direction?

[SteveTX]

Mike years ago there were programs for that one we used a lot was called End it All. Over time processors and memory have become so much faster and more efficient we quit trying to kill off things that drained resources as the resources became more abundant.

If you are just trying to clean up your machine I have found no way better than the slow methodical process of taking it one program at a time and decide if I use it or do I really need it, if no it gets uninstalled. After going though all your stuff a free program like ccleaner can clean up the registry. I believe ccleaner may have a shortcut to kill startup programs as well but i cant recall.

Are you having a specific issue with your pc?

[Mike Cork]

No not having a specific issue other than start up is taking a long time. Throughout the day it's running great. Even start up isn't that bad, it's more when it comes out of sleep mode, seems to take it several minutes to wake back up and be ready to rock and roll.

[Smallie_Stalker]

To be honest I'm not sure about waking up from sleep since I never do that with my computers. Couple things though.

CC Cleaner used to be a good program but now it is full of malware and PUPs. All the major tech sites and forums say don't use it.

It sounds to me from your question that you are not really talking about needing to remove programs just that startup times are longer due to things that run at startup that you might not necessarily need until you want to use them?

If that is the case Task Manager is a quick and painless way to do it.

1) Right-click the key with the Windows logo on it.
2) In the list that pops up left-click Task Manager.
3) When Task Manager opens look at the row of tabs along the top. One of them will say Startup.This will
    give you a list of all the programs that run when your PC boots.
4) Go through the list one at a time and as you come to a program you don't need click it, then go to the
    bottom right and click disable. This will stop it from running at startup the next time you boot up.

There is another tab called Processes but I don't recommend poking around in there. most of those are system related items and could cause you some serious headaches or disable your machine if you shut down the wrong one.

Hope that helps. 

[DonM]

I set mine with Task Manager.  Right click Windows icon, select Startup tab at the top of the page and change what you don't want to start up automatically.  It's easier than it used to be!

[Mike Cork]

Thanks guys, I've worked this and got it down as well as I can.

There are things that are using up a lot of CPU and I have to wonder if they need to be running. I've check several with the WWW and apparently they are mostly tasking from windows it's self. These aren't all in my start up though. I have things like Skype Bridge taking up 16 mg and Skype at taking up 20 mg. I know it's not a lot but it adds up. I haven't skyped ever?

Guys I should, I could talk to BK cheap, I think... But there are a ton of things running in the back ground like this that I just don't use...

[BarryFL]

Go to Tom's Hardware Review or something close to that and he has a matrix for recommended processes settings and start ups.

~Barry~

[caddyjoe77]

Thanks guys, I've worked this and got it down as well as I can.

There are things that are using up a lot of CPU and I have to wonder if they need to be running. I've check several with the WWW and apparently they are mostly tasking from windows it's self. These aren't all in my start up though. I have things like Skype Bridge taking up 16 mg and Skype at taking up 20 mg. I know it's not a lot but it adds up. I haven't skyped ever?

Guys I should, I could talk to BK cheap, I think... But there are a ton of things running in the back ground like this that I just don't use...

sorry just saw this -- you can remove skype -- it can be a pig. 

Also, browsers are the new "king of the big swing" regarding memory usage.