1. Click the Start button and select Run…
2. Next, type in “msconfig” (no quotes) and hit OK.
3. The System Configuration Utility should run (please note that not all computers have it installed).
4. Click the Startup tab.
5. You’ll see a listing of all the stuff that starts itself when your computer does. Just uncheck the programs you don’t want to have running. You’ll probably see more stuff there than you bargained for. I would advise exercising a little caution while unchecking, especially if you’re not sure about what program(s) you’re suppressing. Stuff like “Scan Registry” and “System tray” are probably best left alone. If you see other stuff that you recognize as being non-essential software, than uncheck it. Also, unchecking this stuff doesn’t remove it. The idea behind having these programs start when the computer does is to give you fast, easy access to them. However, having too many of these programs running at the same time can hit you hard in the system resources department. I personally make sure anything I don’t need isn’t running. If I need it, I’ll click on it’s shortcut.