Specifically, I have and have had programmes that start up with Windows, so that they automatically appear in the little system tray.
They have options to untick to stop this happening, but some appear automatically regardless. I seem to remember something deeper in Windows that allowed you to scrub these offending items, without having to uninstall them, does anyone know of a way?
go to run and enter msconfig
click the start up tab and you can uncheck items you don’t want.
services tab is helpful for finding malware. Google the various process names to find out if they are legit.
I write all the service names down after a clean Win xp install. That way I know the ones used by the system. I update my list after installing new software.
You can look in windows defender as well under
Tools -> Software Explorer -> Show for all users (lower left)
If you use msconfig, make sure you right click on it and run it as administrator
Windows also starts up programs based on the Registry. There’s a “run” key to start programs, and also “services” that starts a Windows service. However, msconfig and other end-user utilities are the safest way to modify these, so I’m not going to point to the actual location of these Registry keys. If you really want to know, Google it.
Sysinternals (now part of Microsoft) have an incredibly thorough freeware program (Autoruns) on their site which will show absolutely everything that runs on your computer at startup. As warned in the documentation though, such a powerful program should not be used by a novice, or used with the greatest caution. Removing the wrong item (in particular some of the root Services) could turn your computer into a doorstop and an expert would be needed to restore it.
I won’t give a link but it’s easily googled. Very useful, because it will show you absolutely everything that starts on bootup, just treat with caution and respect (and do read the documentation first).
For most people, msconfig is sufficient for actual programs. For services, you’ll want to use Start -> Run -> Services.msc. Try looking at Blackviper’s guide to know what you can safely shut off. Just pick your version of Windows from the “Popular Content” list.
Is the program in question running as a service? If so, this will let you disable them (msconfig just lists them in the service tab, but doesn’t allow you to change their startup type):
Start | Run, type “services.msc”
Here you’ll see each application along with their Startup Types. If you wish them to not start up on reboot, dbl-click one and change the Startup type from Automatic to Manual or Disabled
ETA: shakes tiny fist at BigT
Thanks all for the advice.
I’d slowly built it up before dissolving my last PC’s motherboard in a might flash of static, and then promptly forgot it all before I built up another collection of “useful” freeware programmes on the new one.