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Windows XP Start up

E

emodx

Banned
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
5,481
I want to change the start up properties of XP. My girlfriends XP box is starting really slow and I think the culprit is all the crap that is loading in the back ground of XP. I know how to change the startup in 98, but it looks like XP is different. Does XP have a nice grapghical way of doing this as I don't feel like making long edits. Is there a recommended shareware that people trust?

Emo
 
I've used this for troubleshooting. It seems to do what you want.
 
That did the trick. Now is there a shareware taht does the same thing, but also allows you to tweak the order of startup? hmmmm.....
 
go to start, run

type "msconfig"

click startup tab

uncheck all the chit you don't need. seems to work on this puter, no problem, lots of items gone, runs much better

:thumbs:
 
Sunward said:
go to start, run

type "msconfig"

click startup tab

uncheck all the chit you don't need. seems to work on this puter, no problem, lots of items gone, runs much better

:thumbs:
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That's the ticket. Now what file is being edited when I change the proerties in the "startup" tab. I have a bunch of $h!t in there I want to delete to keep that file small and manageable. Thanks.

Emo
 
emodx,

Theres no actual one file being changed. To get them out of your startup the program running the process will need to be removed from your system. Some programs will actually ask if you want it to be added to start-up. Others just assume you want it there. Regularly checking msconfig is a great way of keeping them in check.
 
As I mentioned in a PM I had this similiar conversation earlier this week with our company technical guy and here are a few suggestions that he made to me. The worked on one computer, now for the next one.

"Ad-ware". There is a free software program "Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition" that will detect this type of stuff, that will cause your computer to act "funny". You can download it from here : http://www.lavasoft.de/

McAfee has a program "Stinger"
(http://vil.mcafeesecurity.com/vil/averttools.asp ) that will search for all the TOP viruses known.

If you can connect to the internet you can go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and run their free scan of your system.

I had luck with these.

Phillip
 
PSTAN said:
As I mentioned in a PM I had this similiar conversation earlier this week with our company technical guy and here are a few suggestions that he made to me. The worked on one computer, now for the next one.

"Ad-ware". There is a free software program "Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition" that will detect this type of stuff, that will cause your computer to act "funny". You can download it from here : http://www.lavasoft.de/

McAfee has a program "Stinger"
(http://vil.mcafeesecurity.com/vil/averttools.asp ) that will search for all the TOP viruses known.

If you can connect to the internet you can go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and run their free scan of your system.

I had luck with these.

Phillip
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My girlfriends puter has McAffee on it already. I used the sprware/virus tool, then rand adaware, then ran Bazooka. That got rid of everything except 1 instance. That's why I wanted the start-up editor. I wanted to get rid of all the crap that comes with her intslling $h!t. I know not to add stuff to start up, but she doesnt. Thanks for all the help guys.

Emo
 
Another trick is instead of turning off your computer, put it hybernation.

Just click "start", then "turn off" and if hybernate isnt listed, put your curser on "stand by" and then hold the shift key and the "stand by" icon changes to hybernate. Hybernation keeps all the running programs in memory and when you turn it back on it will boot up quicky and your desktop will be like it was before.
 
Be sure to run adaware. It may be infested with a bunch of spyware...
 
Sunward said:
go to start, run

type "msconfig"

click startup tab

uncheck all the chit you don't need. seems to work on this puter, no problem, lots of items gone, runs much better

:thumbs:
[snapback]189411[/snapback]​
Click to expand...

msconfig is intended to be used for troubleshooting. You may want to use msconfig to disable the programs' startup strings from the registry to see if it helps speed up the computer. But you shouldn't leave msconfig in that configuration. You should remove the programs that you have determined (through msconfig) to cause the system to slow. Or, if the programs are not expendable, you should configure the programs to not load at startup. Also, here is nice little article that goes through the most common steps, and he suggests an alternative startup editor.
 
I used to use Ad-aware, not anymore. It's not finding the stuff that's out there now, even with regular updates.

I use PC-cillin and Microsoft Anti Spyware Beta, works like a champ for me....

It's also a good idea to defrag your hard drive once a week, not doing so makes the drive work much harder than it needs to and shortens the life of the drive.
 
Leebo8-9-8 said:
It's also a good idea to defrag your hard drive once a week, not doing so ... shortens the life of the drive.
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That's an interesting point. I've never heard or thought about that, but actually, I guess it can't not be true.

(sorry for the double negative, but I think it means more here than to say "it must be true") ???
 
I just thought of something else (to play off of Leebo's post): I would imagine that defragmenting your laptop's harddrive regularly (while the laptop power cable is plugged in) should also extend your battery life (giving you longer active time before needing to recharge). Just a thought.
 
I use adaware, bazooka, and McAfee's proggies for adware. I really am not worried about spyware right now. I just wanted to diasble start up programs running in the back ground. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Emo
 
Or you could take the advice of Intel's CEO:

Pressed about security by Mr. Mossberg, Mr. Otellini had a startling confession: He spends an hour a weekend removing spyware from his daughter's computer. And when further pressed about whether a mainstream computer user in search of immediate safety from security woes ought to buy Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh instead of a Wintel PC, he said, "If you want to fix it tomorrow, maybe you should buy something else."

...echoed by others

:)

Before you flame, please read this.
 
The true trick to deleting that spyware startup crap..after running AdAware, and Spybot S&D and Microsofts Anti-Spyware (all free), is then dig thru the following directories with *show all files* selected..ie..ya can't have hidden files..

1. Documents and settings\*user*\local settings\temp >delete all files
2. Documents and settings\*user*\local settings\temporary internet files\ >delete all files.
3. Windows\ *sort by date modified* go to the most recent end..look for executable files.. get the properties for each file.. the version will tell you if it's a microsoft file or some other company you recognize. If all it tells you is how big it is..delete it. In the old days, the "product version" of spyware=$
4. Windows\system32\ same as #3.
The files you delete in steps 3,4 from Windows\ and Windows\system32 are re-installers that NO anti-spyware progs delete.
5. My computer-properties-sytem restore: turn it off.
6. as mentioned before, Start-run-type: msconfig <enter> go to the startup tab, uncheck any crap.
7. Restart
8. My computer-properties-sytem restore: turn back on.

Removing spyware is 50% of my workday. When I return to the same machine a 2nd time...I let em know they should read a book and get off the net..3rd time, I have a talk with their manager. :sign:
 
Horse said:
Removing spyware is 50% of my workday. When I return to the same machine a 2nd time...I let em know they should read a book and get off the net..3rd time, I have a talk with their manager. :sign:
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I hear you there. ;)

My problem is that it's mainly the managers I have to fix.

I give them 2 clean/fixes before I become hard nosed. :angry2:

When I have to visit them a third time, I just pull down a new image to their system, telling them it's the only way. We already have the users locked to a specific desktop and all files are saved to the network.

So, they only lose some personal settings that they (not we) have to set up. It takes them more time to set up their Outlook signatures, personal distrubution lists and such than it take to re-image the system.

Somehow, I just seem to forget they have those signature files and lists. :whistling:
 
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