Ask A Geek

Q: I am running Windows XP and when I boot up my computer I have several programs start that I have no need for. How do I go about stopping these applications from starting when the computer boots?

A: The first place to look for items that are starting automatically on your PC would be in the Startup folder. If you click on Start > Programs > Startup you can see some of the items that are starting automatically. If you delete an item from this folder, it will no longer start automatically.

If there are items that are still running automatically at startup or if they were not listed in the Startup folder, then you need to review your startup items with the System Configuration Utility. Click on Start > Run and type msconfig, then click OK. When the utility opens, click on the Startup tab and you will see a comprehensive list of items that are running when your PC boots. If there are any items there that you recognize and would like to stop, uncheck them and they will no longer automatically start. If there are items in the list that you are unsure of, you can do a Google search for the file or application name. You will be able to research the items and determine if they need to start up automatically. When you are done disabling items, click OK. The next time you reboot, the items you disabled will not automatically run.