The second way you can add a program to startup in Windows XP is to create a scheduled task that runs the program. Go to Start, then Control Panel and click on Scheduled Tasks. Click on Add Scheduled Task to create a new task. The wizard will start. Go ahead and click Next. The first thing you have to do is choose the program you want to run at startup. Startup Manager window contains following items: Programs that run on Windows startup, or on user login. What are Startup entries Startup entries are programs (exe or dll) that are launched by Windows automatically. What is enable, disable and delete If the startup entry is enabled it will be.
Some applications or services cause system errors or freezes when running concurrently with Adobe applications. Services are specialized programs that perform functions to support other programs. Before starting your Adobe application, disable other applications, including startup items (items that start automatically with Windows), and services using Selective Startup.
Important: When you deselect Load System Services in Selective or Diagnostic Startup, you permanently delete all restore points for the System Restore utility. If you are concerned about deleting your restore points, keep this option selected, and then test the problem. It's sometimes necessary to turn off System Services eventually to fully test the issue.
Note: The commands in these steps can vary slightly depending on your system configuration.
Disable startup items and non-Microsoft services
![Programs Programs](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125603213/491553530.jpg)
- Choose Start > Run, and type msconfig in the Open box. Click OK.
- Write down all deselected items under the Startup and Services tabs.
- Click the General tab, and choose Selective startup.
- Select any startup items that are essential for testing the problem. If you are unsure whether an item is essential, leave it deselected (disabled).
- Click the Services Tab, and select Hide All Microsoft Services
- Enable any services required to troubleshoot your issue.
Important: Reenable the FLEXnet Licensing Service if you are troubleshooting an Adobe CS2, CS3, or CS4 product. The FlexNET Licensing Service is required for most Adobe products. When it is not enabled, your Adobe product doesn't launch. Adobe CS5 products and later do not use the FLEXnet Licensing Service.
- Upon restart, you see a message saying that the System Configuration utility has changed the way Windows starts up. Click OK. When the System Configuration utility appears, click Cancel.
- Right-click icons in the Notification Area (called the System Tray in earlier versions of Windows) to close or disable any startup items that are still active.
Note: When you restart are notified that the System Configuration Utility has changed the way that Windows starts up. Click OK, and when the System Configuration Utility appears click Cancel.
- Choose Start > Run, and type msconfig in the Open box. Click OK.
- Choose the General tab, and select Normal Startup.
- Deselect any items that you wrote down in Step 3 above.
- Click OK, and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
For details, search for these topics in the Microsoft Windows Help system:
- (Windows XP) “How to troubleshoot configuration errors by using the System Configuration utility in Windows XP” (Article ID: 310560)
- (Windows Vista) “How to use the System Configuration utility to troubleshoot configuration errors in Windows Vista” (Article ID: 950093)
- (Windows 7) “Run Selective Startup using System Configuration'
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There are different ways a program can automatically load when Windows first starts. Below is a full list of where to find startup programs and how they can be disabled.
Windows 8 and 10
Users of Windows 8 and 10 can disable startup programs via the Windows Task Manager.
- Press the Ctrl+Alt+Del keys at the same time.
- Click on Task Manager.
- In the Task Manager window, click the Startup tab.
- Right-click on any startup program you want to disable and click Disable.
Windows XP, Vista, and 7
Most Windows users can use the msconfig utility to disable startup programs by following the steps below.
- Click Start, and then Run.
- Type msconfig into the text box, and then press the Enter key.
- In the System Configuration window that appears (shown below), click on the Startuptab.
- Uncheck each of the programs you don't want to load upon startup.
Windows Startup
Another location startup programs are placed is the Windows Startup folder. To view this folder, follow the steps below.
- Click Start, Programs, Startup, then locate the program you want to remove. You can then right-click the program and select delete from the drop-down menu that appears. This action will prevent the program from loading automatically upon startup.
- If you see the program you want to remove, but have Windows 95, click Start, Settings, and then Taskbar & Startup Menu. Click the Start menu programs tab, click the Advanced button, click the Programs folder, and then click the Startup folder. Highlight the program you do not want to startup automatically and press delete on your keyboard.
Windows registry
The Windows registry is another common location to locate programs loading up automatically. If you are unfamiliar with the registry and its potential dangers, see the registry help page. Once you have familiarized yourself with the registry, follow the steps below.
- Click Start, Run, type Regedit, and then press Enter.
- Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- Click Software
- Click Microsoft
- Click Windows
- Click Current Version
- Click Run
- In the Run folder, locate the program(s) you don't want to boot upon startup.
- Once located, highlight the file and press Delete.
- Exit out of the registry and reboot the computer.
Windows Services
Microsoft Windows can also automatically load a program through Windows services. Follow the steps below to check the services currently setup on your computer.
NoteUser must have administrative rights to perform the steps below.
- Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel.
- Open the Administrative Tools and click Services.
- Locate the service you want to disable and double-click it.
- Change the Startup type from automatic to disabled.
Windows win.ini
Although not as common as the previous recommendations, with early versions of Windows the win.ini can also contain programs that load automatically. The win.ini, like most initialization files, can cause issues with the computer if not edited correctly. Follow the steps below for instructions on how to remove programs from the win.ini file.
TipWe recommend that you write down whatever is deleted in case it needs to be added back into the win.ini.
- Click Start, Run, and then type win.ini into the text box.
- Towards the top of the document, you should see a run= line. Verify that nothing similar to the program that is loading at startup is after run= line. If this line appears to contain a command line pointing to the program that you are experiencing the issue with, delete everything after run=.
Additional information
- See our startup definition for further information and related links.