by Daniel Alden

Created on: December 16, 2010   Last Updated: December 17, 2010

Windows users frequently find their computers starting slower, extra programs running, and a general slowdown in overall system performance. Many of these problems are caused by programs that opened during Windows startup. Some programs are rarely used and do not need to be kept open. The user can go through and close each program one by one, but this is simply inefficient and must be done each time the computer is started. A much easier solution is to disable these programs so they do not start up automatically. The disabled programs can still be used, but will no longer bog down Windows when they are not needed.

There are several ways to disable programs from opening during Windows startup, but each varies slightly based on Windows version. The easiest solution is to download a freeware program called “CCleaner” made by Piriform. It is compatible with Windows XP and later. The program can be found for free at Piriform's website (www.piriform.com). Once CCleaner is downloaded and installed, the user should open the program. Regardless of Windows version, CCleaner will look the same. Along the side, there should be four options: Cleaner, Registry, Tools, and Options. For disabling startup programs, the user should click on “Tools.” Upon clicking on the button, a menu will appear to the immediate right. From this menu, the user should click “Startup.” When this is clicked, a list of all programs that open during startup will be listed. The programs are listed by their name under “Program” on the list. The user can simply click on the program that they do not want to open during startup and click “Disable” along the right side. Disabled programs can easily be re-enabled by clicking “Enable,” which is right above “Disable.” There is another option, which is “Delete.” This will disable the program and remove it from the list preventing it from being enabled again. Users should be careful when using the delete option as programs may have to be reinstalled if the user changes their mind. Once the user has selected and disabled the programs they no longer wish to start with Windows, they can simply close CCleaner. The next time Windows is started, the selected programs will no longer open automatically.

While there are several other ways of accomplishing this task, CCleaner makes the entire process simple. It also makes things easy if the user changes their mind and decides to re-enable a certain program. Overall, the method for disabling startup programs in Windows is not difficult, but it can make a huge difference in regards to system performance.  

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