Where do I go to change the settings for what programs start at computer start up?  I seem to have forgotten...

Thanks Gunny, I knew it was something like that, I just couldnt remember what came after 'ms' lol

That's common, 1 week ago I forgot command was command

COMMAND is for native 16-bit applications, which CMD cannot run.

However, COMMAND cannot support long filenames, such as "C:\Program Files\xxx\yyy" and nor does it have a way to quote them.

The bottom line is actually quite simple: use CMD unless you know you need COMMAND for compatibility with some older 16bit program. And even then, if you try and run a 16 bit program in CMD, it will typically run it within COMMAND for you anyway, so you may not need to know or care.

Jon 8)

Edit: Terrible spelling!

THE START REGISTRY: VERY IMPORTANT

After a system has been installed and all the software is in, typically your system will have a-lot of programs starting with Windows boot you DO NOT NEED. There are programs/drivers that MUST start in order for them to function correctly such as video drivers, sound drivers and a few other items.

This is an area which can be dangerous because if you are not experienced with the Windows registry or do not know what is critical and must stay, and what can be removed without issues you can end up with problems that cannot be fixed without reinstalling the software that was crippled.

The goal is to remove as many items as possible that show in the MS System Configuration Utility on the STARTUP tab without hindering the system or needed boot items. Also, kill as many tray apps as possible you do not need unless you use them at boot.

Many people go to that utility and uncheck items, leaving them in the list but set to not run. This method is fine for doing diagnostic tests to find out what is safe to delete and what is not, however:

UNCHECKING ITEMS FROM THE SYSTEM CONFIGURATION UTILITY DOES NOT KEEP THE ITEM FROM LOADING INTO THE MEMORY. IT ONLY STOPS IT FROM STARTING UP. IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND OUT WHAT ITEMS CAN BE REMOVED SO THE SYSTEM IS CLEAN AND NOT RUNNING IN DIAGNOSTIC START MODE WITH ITEMS SIMPLY UNCHECKED.


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BACKUP BEFORE EXPERIMENTING:
There is a method to help protect yourself when you are experimenting with removing startup items which requires backing up the registry keys…

Keep in mind... once you delete a registry key, it’s gone. There is no recycle bin for registry keys so to protect yourself, do the following:

You can back up the start registry by opening regedit and browsing to these locations:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Right click each RUN folder and select EXPORT. Simply name the files RUN1.reg and RUN2.reg  

They can be used to restore the original start registry at any time.

Then browse to:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR ACCOUNT NAME\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

If there are shortcuts inside those folders, make a backup copy of them so you can put them back if you find a problem during the cleanup process you can easily replace the deleted shortcut.

If during the cleanup process you delete a registry key you should not have deleted, simply double click the RUN1 and RUN2 registry backups you made and try again.

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Click START – RUN in the box type: MSCONFIG

The system configuration utility will appear. Click the STARTUP tab. You will be presented with a list of items that are starting up on your system at boot. UNCHECK items which you do not think you need to run at boot.

These are common startup items that SHOULD NOT be stopped:

ATICCC or anything that has to do with the ATI video adapter
amd_dc_opt (AMD Dual Core processor optimizer)
NvCplDaemon (NVIDIA driver boot)
NvMediaCenter (NOTE: if you use another control panel for Nvidia products this can be deleted)
PCLEPCI
SoundMan
PinnacleDriveCheck
SpeedTouchUSB (or any USB device that must boot with windows)
54MB Wireless (or any NIC driver that must boot with Windows)
Rundll32 = You MUST be careful with these entries. They can be garbage or they could be critical. That entry is Windows way of running a DLL file as an application. The DLL could be driver support so when in doubt, leave it alone.

Any entry for Anti Virus software should be left alone.



Typically, these common programs DO NOT need to run when Windows is started and CAN be deleted:

nvwiz   (NOTE: if you use multi-monitors and switch rotations in the Nvidia control panel, leave this program alone)
jusched
qtask
msmsgs - (NOTE: You can boot MSN Messenger manually when you need it by placing an icon on the desktop)
Via RAID Tool
Microsoft Office - (NOTE: This is typically a shortcut in one of the startup folders mentioned above)
Adobe Reader - (NOTE: This is typically a shortcut in one of the startup folders mentioned above)
NeroFilterCheck
Registry Mechanic
Adobe Products
Bittorret
Most HP printer garbage and tray tools
ctfmon - (NOTE: Must be disabled using process outlined below)

ANYTHING BY REAL PLAYER, kill it


Assuming you do not use alternate user input services for MS Office such as speech recognition, ctfmon can be shut down permanently but it must be done using this method:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. In the Control Panel, double-click Text Services. NOTE: In Windows XP, click Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options, and then click Regional and Language Options. On the Languages tab, click Details.

3. Under Installed Services, select each input item that is listed, and then click Remove to remove the item. All items must be removed, one by one, except the following input service:

English (United States)- default Keyboard United States 101

4. Click Start and then click Run.

5. In the Run dialog box, copy/past the following command into the box:

Regsvr32.exe /u msimtf.dll

6. Click OK.

7.  In the Run dialog box, copy/paste the following command into the box:

Regsvr32.exe /u msctf.dll  

6. Click OK.

Reboot... CTFMON should now be properly uninstalled and gone


The list I provided above is just a few examples of start items that can be eliminated. Every system is different and you should use the System Configuration Utility – STARTUP tab to go down the list and see what programs are starting. Many programs you have installed may have settings in them to DISABLE the option to start when Windows boots. You should identify as many programs as possible in the startup list, open the program, go to the settings area of it to see if there is an option to not allow the program to run when windows is booted. That will eliminate the item from the list.

Some programs do NOT have the option available in their settings and that is the point where you must decide if the software needs to be started automatically and if not, eliminated it.

Many programs place startup shortcuts in the following areas:

C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR ACCOUNT NAME\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

You should identify those programs and delete the shortcuts from the folder which are not required to start and run when Windows boots. OFFICE is NOT needed along with many other software titles such as Adobe Reader. They will run just fine when they are booted manually.

AGAIN, if during the cleanup process you delete a registry key or a shortcut you should not have deleted, simply double click the RUN1 and RUN2 registry backups you made earlier and try again. You can also restore a startup folder shortcut from the backups you made as well.


Once you have a list of items that can removed safely and you have tested the system with them disabled in the System Configuration Utility, you can delete the item permanently by:

START – RUN, type REGEDIT and browse to the following keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

Find the item in right pane, right click and delete it.


Your startup system is now optimized.

Always remember that whenever you install a new program you should always check and see if it installed a startup file. If that file is not needed, delete it. Real Player and a-lot of other software titles install startup garbage that is absolutely not needed. It is always best to use the registry key and startup shortcut folder backup method I describe before removing new start items so they can be restored if it is found they are needed.

I said to not remove AV. I did not say anything about not shutting it down before game play.

My post was about removing un-needed startup items perminantly from the registry so no MSCONFIG editing is needed, at all.


And as a side note...  I fly with NOD32 enabled. NOD32 AV will not interfere with FS9 performance.

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