Which programs automatically load at startup?

[larryq22]

I have a laptop, 1.7GHz, 2 G ram, Vista Home Premium. Can you tell me:
-how to find which programs automatically load at startup?
-how to stop programs from automatically loading at startup?

Thanks,
Larry

 

[mep916]

Click start -> type msconfig -> press the enter key -> select the startup tab

Be careful with what you choose to deselect. Many of these programs, especially those used by Windows, are required at startup to run properly.

 

[Carlton]

Autoruns is a nice little freebie you can get from Microsoft. It will show you a lot of info about what's running and let you easily disable what doesn't need to be there.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx

Black Viper has a good site that will explain what many services are and whether or not it's safe to change services default setting.
http://www.blackviper.com/WinVista/servicecfg.htm