Slow start

[Gainesy]

How can I access which progs run on start up? Seems to be two or three running, I suspect virus checkers or something running in the background but it takes a good few mins before I'm able to do anything useful.

[Saab Dastard]

In XP, you can use MSCONFIG -

Start > Run > MSConfig.

You can see which programs are launched, and how.

I assume that Vista has something similar.

SD

[Mike-Bracknell]

Start -> Run -> MSCONFIG <and then press enter>

This will show you what is starting up and you can then edit it (carefully) to remove items which might be slowing you down.

be careful though. If in doubt, post up here what you see, and we'll guide you as to what's doing what, and what looks suspect.

[Sprogget]

I would add be careful what you switch off in msconfig or svs.msc. I installed a wireless connection on my mates laptop a while back. For the life of me I couldn't get it to connect, then as a last resort, I looked in services, where I found he had randomly turned about 50% of the machine off, 'because it was running slow'.

Damn thing was like Hal

[BOAC]

Mike Lin's Home Page

[Keef]

MSCONFIG is the first port of call. That's the easiest place to turn stuff off and on.

If you mess with "Services" you can be more refined about how you do it, but if you screw up in there, you can cause yourself serious heartache.

The other place to look is "Task Scheduler". I had a very persistent bit of software that I thought I'd turned off, but it kept creeping back. It had put an entry in Task Scheduler to check every so often to see if it was enabled, and to turn itself on again if it wasn't. Sneaky, that was!

(Win 7, click "Start", type "Task Scheduler" in the box, click on "Task Scheduler" at the top of the box. When it opens, click on "Task Scheduler Library".)

[Rossian]

Why not?

I learn quite a lot in here by trying hints to other folks. So I went start> run?? where in Vista?
Type "msconfig" in "search" box, nada, nil, zip "nothing found". Am I being dull - again?
The Ancient Mariner

[green granite]

Should have worked ok, try a different route <control panel><administrative tools><system configuration> will open it for you. Don't forget to click on the "selective start up" button when you change the settings.

[BOAC]

Rossian - have you 'unmasked' your OS files?

click Start>Computer
then Tools>Folder Options
then click the "View" tab, scroll down and uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (recommended)"
Say "yes" to the warning

You should then find msconfig

If it is not there.....................upgrade to XP

You could try my link above too.

[taxydual]

Ah, the elusive 'Run' command.

Not all systems show it. To enable the 'Run' command,

Right click Start Button > Left click Properties > Click Start Menu tab > Click Customize > Then scroll down until you spot the Run command. Click OK and then the Start button and Voila, the Run command appears.

Hope this helps.

[Rossian]

I knew it.....

Thanks chaps - found it. Now why would they go from a situation where it was easily visible and hide it so deep??
The Ancient Mariner

[Jofm5]

In vista you dont need the run menu option.

As soon as you open the start menu you can type either the name of something on one of the menu's to narrow down the list above or you can just type the executable name you wish to run - in this case msconfig.

Also rather than using the start menu - you can hold the windows key and press R for the run dialog (this applies to XP also).

[taxydual]

Ahhhh. I learn something new every day! Windows Key + R. Spot on.

What a cracking site this is.

[Gainesy]

Thanks all. prob solved. It was trying to do a full system virus scan on start up.

[WallyWumpus]

Dirty Laundry?

I thought that I would take up an offer earlier in this thread to bare my dirty laundry (Startup Tab in MSConfig) in the hope of getting some advice in how to chop down the list and speed up my 10 minute boot time in XP.

I have been foxed, however, at how to copy and paste the list from MSConfig to here. Any advice would be warmly welcomed.

Wally.

[Sprogget]

There isn't an obvious way to do that - hit the print screen button, open paint & click edit/paste the copied image will appear in there. Save it as a jpg. Then upload it to pprune as you would any ordinary image.

[Ancient Observer]

Start up

I am not a techie, but the guy who set up my computer was. (XP,3. Avoiding Vista). He set it up and with great confidence told me that nothing should be ticked in my list at msconfig/start up. I can't recommend this for your pc - it may well be the wrong thing to do for yours, - but it works fine for mine.

Annoys the hell out of the kids as their prog.s aren't pre-started. That's good news as it makes them use their own pc.s

[Jofm5]

sprogget:

hit the print screen button, open paint & click edit/paste the copied image will appear in there.

If you have MSConfig as the active window and size it to just what you want to show then hold down ALT when hitting print screen it will only grab the active window so there is no need to edit it down for size etc.

[Sprogget]

Well, I did not know that. Cheers & up the mighty Yids.