Time to Complete (in minutes): 30
- Question:
- How can I prevent a program from starting when Windows XP/Vista/7 starts?
- Answer:
-
Disclaimer: These instructions, or part(s) of them, are out of date and no longer supported by 4Help. For more information, see
Currently Supported Versions.
To prevent a program from starting automatically:
- Remove the program's shortcut from the startup folders.
- Click the Start button.
- Select All Programs.
- Right-click the Startup folder.
- From the drop-down list, select Explore.
- For each program listed that you do not want to start automatically, drag the icon to the desktop.
- Close the startup window.
- Click the Start button.
- Select All Programs.
- Right-click the Startup folder.
- View all users.
- In XP/Vista, from the drop-down list, select Explore All Users.
- In 7, from the drop-down list, select Explore all users.
- For each program that you do not want to start automatically, drag the icon to the desktop.
- Close the startup window.
- Restart your computer.
- Disable built-in startup features.
- For each program you want to prevent from automatically starting, disable the built-in startup feature, if available. If you are unsure about how to do this, contact the program's manufacturer for details.
- Restart your computer.
- In XP, clean up the autoexec.bat file.
- Click the Start button.
- Select Run....
- In the Open: text box, type: sysedit
- Click OK. The System Configuration Editor window will open. The C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT window will be the foremost window.
- If the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT window is empty, close the System Configuration Editor window.
- If the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT window is not empty:
- For each program you want to prevent from automatically starting:
- At the beginning of the line with the name of the program, type: REM
- Press the space bar key.
- From the File drop-down list, select Save.
- From the File drop-down list, select Exit.
- Restart your computer.
- Edit your system registry.
Caution: Editing the registry can cause your computer to malfunction. Take extreme care when following these instructions. If you are uncomfortable with performing these steps, contact a computer professional for assistance.
- Click the Start button.
- Start the registry editor utility.
- In XP:
- Select Run....
- In the Open: text box, type: regedit
- Click OK.
- In Vista/7:
- Your cursor will be automatically placed in the text box.
- Type: regedit
- From the list, select regedit.
- Confirm starting the registry editor.
- In Vista, click the Continue button.
- In 7, click the Yes button.
- Back up your registry. For instructions, see Backing Up Your Registry in Windows XP/Vista/7 (http://answers.vt.edu/kb/entry/2708/).
- In the left pane, double-click the HKEY_CURRENT_USER icon.
- In the left pane, double-click the Software icon.
- In the left pane, double-click the Microsoft icon.
- In the left pane, double-click the Windows icon.
- In the left pane, double-click the CurrentVersion icon.
- In the left pane, select the Run folder.
- For each program you want to prevent from automatically starting:
- In the right pane, right-click the file that corresponds to the program.
- From the drop-down list, select Delete.
- Click the Yes button.
- From the File drop-down list, select Exit.
- Restart your computer.
