In case the
title didn’t give it away, this remaining section applies to Users of all
Operating Systems. To be on the safe side you should backup your existing
registry now. In Windows 9x/Me click on Start, Run type in scanregw
& hit Enter, when prompted confirm that you wish to backup the
registry. In Windows 2000/XP click
on Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools then Backup.
Select the Welcome tab then Emergency Repair Disk (Backup
Wizard in XP).
Click on Start, Run, type in regedit
& hit Enter. Open the following key
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
(The programs listed here are loaded at every users startup). The other Run keys
- Run-, RunOnce (Only run at the next System boot up, & never
again), RunOnceEx, RunServices (Services run at System boot up
before User logon) & RunServicesOnce (A Service to be run at System
boot up before User logon, then never again) should also be checked for
programs. NOTE – Some of the listed registry keys here may not be available in
Windows 2000/XP.
You should also check [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
(& Run-, Runonce). Delete any unnecessary or duplicated
entries by comparing with msconfig (Windows 9x/Me/XP) you can delete any Unticked
items. Be careful not to delete entries that are Ticked in
msconfig as this will disable them from loading at Startup. NOTE – This
key only contains program startup options related to the Current logged on user.
Deleting items here will also remove them from being displayed in msconfig.
Once again, for a great listing of Programs
that can be loaded at Startup Check
out this page. This should help you decide on what else you can Delete
if you aren’t too sure about some of them. Once you have finished this close
regedit. You will need to Restart your system for any changes to take
effect.
As you can see, using regedit you
can clean the programs listed in the Startup tab, e.g. from the original
list of several programs Msconfig now only displays 1.
By now you should have successfully
configured your system for an optimal boot time & initially reduced memory
usage as a result. Windows 2000/XP Users would also be well advised to check out
our Windows 2000
& Windows XP
Services Guide which will take you through configuring the Services to minimize
the amount of Services loading, which reduces boot time & memory usage, as
well as better securing your system. You should also take a check through our BIOS
Guide & Other OS
Guides to further optimize your system. If you’re having any problems check
out our Forums for a quick response.
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