A major cause to system slow down is the number of programs that get loaded when first starting your computer. It seems that every time a new program is installed it wants to set itself to run at startup. They also want to place a shortcut on your desktop. This is very convenient for programs that you use EVERY time you turn on your computer. For programs that get only occasional use, it is a waste of system resources.
The place to start is the "Task Bar Notification Area" next to the clock. The default location is the lower right hand corner, however, the entire task bar can be repositioned. Not every icon here represents a background program. The icon labeled as "Network Notification", for instance, is a system notification that warns of unconnected network cards. These usually come and go like the icon you get while printing. The "Volume Control" icon allows easy access to volume control settings, the one shown here indicates sound has been muted. The rest of the icons here DO represent background programs that are started automatically at boot time.
If your "Notification Area" has more than four or five icons and your computers performance is suffering its time to stop some of these programs from automatically starting. This is an area that gets neglected by inexperienced users. We have seen 15 - 20 icons here and on occasion even more. The more automatically started programs you have the longer you have to wait for your computer to finish booting. Also, the more things running at the same time the slower your applications will run.
Your Anti-Virus should always run as installed. If you have DSL or cable modem Internet connections the firewall should run as installed because these connections are always "on". With a dial up connection, you could, perhaps, reset the automatic start up of the firewall. Be warned though, if you forget to turn it on and then log on to the Internet it will be only a matter of minutes before your computer is infected. Also, if your computer does not load a firewall at boot time Windows XP Security Center will nag you about it.
To change system startup settings you can use the "System Configuration Utility" that comes with Windows. It can be accessed by clicking the "Run" item on the "Start" menu. When the "Run Box" opens type "msconfig" into the space labeled "Open:". When this utility opens click the "Startup" tab.
Unfortunately, this utility is displayed in a window that can't be re-sized. You can expand the columns in this window to show all the information. Move your mouse pointer into the Title Box. As you move the pointer from one title toward the next it will turn into a "Move" cursor. When this happens you can double click your mouse and the column will expand and a scroll bar will appear toward the bottom. If you don't recognize the "Startup Item" name expand the "command" column. This gives you a full path to the item in question and a much better clue as to what that item happens to be.
Shown above is the System Configuration Utility with the Command column expanded. The selected item represents the icon in the Notification Area that was labeled "Desktop Utility". To change the startup setting for this program just clear the check box next to its name. When all startup changes have been made click the "Apply" button and the "OK" button changes to a "Close" button which needs to be clicked next.
The changes made do not take affect until a system restart and immediately after the System Configuration Utility closes a restart "nag" screen will appear. Whenever you do decide to restart the System Configuration Utility will be set to run on startup. When Windows finishes re-booting you will be faced with the following screen.
It would be self defeating to turn off one program only to have another take its place. To keep the System Configuration Utility from starting every time you turn on your computer click the indicated check box then click the "OK" button. After adjustments have been made, Windows tends to be slower at start up. The next time you restart, once you've turned off the System Configuration Utility, you should notice a quicker start period depending on how many background programs have been re-configured.
The tabs across the top of MSCONFIG that haven't been mentioned do not give access to the Notification Area start up programs. These let you examine system initialization files in the case of system.ini, win.ini and boot.ini. With these files a "look all you like but don't touch" approach is advised, changes made here can cause a major catastrophe for new computer users. By comparison, changes on the "Startup" tab will not leave you with an expensive paper weight. The services tab is really for informational purposes. The preferred way to tweak services is to use the services console. Information on services tweaks have been covered in a separate article. Services Tweaks
There are other ways to accomplish start up tweaks. If you have SpyBot Search & Destroy then check out the next page.
Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Windows, Windows XP and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Other names have been included in the above text that are trademarks of the respective companies.
