Infopackets Reader Doug D. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I get a lot out of your newsletter, and hope you can help me. I recently read that I can control the number of programs that 'autostart' themselves when I start my computer, thereby speeding up my boot time dramatically. I've used the built-in Microsoft utility for editing Startup programs, called MSConfig, but there are so many things listed, I don't know what is legitimate and what is not.

Some programs that are listed in my Startup have been uninstalled and no longer exist on my computer -- but the names still appears on this startup list (I'm not sure why). I have uninstalled some programs already using add / remove and also used a freeware Registry Cleaner, but they are still on the startup menu. How do I remove these empty and unnecessary listings? "

My response:

Surprisingly, about 90% of all things in the Startup are removable -- but the trouble is knowing which ones to remove. Thankfully, there is a superb web site called Pac's Portal which has a listing of common Startup programs with explanation.

Simply compare what is in your Startup to the Pac's Portal web page and remove the ones you don't need. For Windows 2000 users who don't have MSConfig (the Startup editor), I highly recommend Mike Lin's Startup Control Panel. The StandAlone version on of StartupCPL comes in .ZIP format; if you don't know how to unzip a .ZIP file, you can simply download StartupCPL (unzipped) from the infopackets web site. Also note that Mike Lin's StartupCPL is compatible with Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, NT 4.0, and XP, so it is definitely worth checking out as a viable MSConfig replacement.

One other tool you may find helpful is called Registry Mechanic: it gets rid of all the dead links in your registry (and Startup), plus it corrects potential registry errors which can severely deteriorate PC performance. Registry Mechanic is an exceptional tool, and a free download. More info here.