Hi FP,
Rather than ditching programs,look for a utility called Autoruns (
FileHippo.com - Download Free Software is a good place to look). Run it and you will see everything that boots when your computer starts the tab you will want to look at is "logon". Every item has a check box against it - checked, boots. Unchecked, does not boot. Its a great utility.
If you are not sure what something is, probably best to leave it.
Nedrover