Caring for your computer necessarily includes cleaning the RAM from unnecessary programs that consume resources and slow down the system. Most of them are launched by the user, but often they start working without his conscious participation. This also applies to programs in the "Startup" list. How to configure "Startup" in Windows 7, read our article.
What is "Startup" in Windows 7 for?
The system uses autoload to launch critical components such as drivers for installed devices or update tracking modules. In addition, antiviruses are also placed here, which must run simultaneously with the system to prevent viruses from infecting the computer.
Startup is also one of the ways to customize your computer. With its help, you can launch daily used work applications, antiviruses, communicators, etc. It is a handy tool for running background programs such as torrent agents or disk emulators. Autorun is often used to work with "heavy" programs that take a long time to start.
And this is where many applications ask, when installing "just in case" keeping a checkmark in the "Run automatically", as well as malicious programs.
Editing "Startup"
Using the msconfig command
You can find out which programs run on your computer when you turn it on using the command line. To do this, press the Win keys (the button with the Windows flag) and R at the same time. In the Run window that opens, in the input line, type the msconfig command and press OK.
Enter the msconfig command and click "OK"
In the "System Configuration" window that opens, go to the "Startup" tab. A list of automatically loaded applications will open before us.
Removing unnecessary check marks
To remove unnecessary ones, it is enough to remove the mark in the line with the name of the program. To save the changes, you must click the "OK" button, after which you can restart your computer.
Start Menu
The list of automatically loaded programs can be viewed by sequentially opening the menu items "Start - All Programs - Startup - Open".
Open "Startup"
Applications are marked with labels, unnecessary ones can be deleted. All that remains is to reboot.
Using a search query
Open the "Start" menu and enter the shell: startup request in the search bar at the bottom, then press Enter.
To do the same for all users, enter C: \\ ProgramData \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ Start Menu \\ Programs \\ Startup in the search box.
All changes made will take effect after reboot.
Through the register
Press Win + R, then in the "Open" line, type the command regedit.
Launch Registry Editor
In the "Registry Editor" window that opens, we are interested in the following sections:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER \\ Software \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER \\ Software \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ RunOnce
Removing unnecessary applications
To change the "Startup" list for all users of this computer, edit the sections:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SOFTWARE \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SOFTWARE \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ RunOnce
Video instruction: where is the Startup list and how to remove programs
How to add programs
Open the list of automatically loaded applications according to the already known algorithm "Start - All Programs - Startup - Open", after which you need to right-click and select "Create", then "Shortcut" in the list that appears.
Create a shortcut for the desired application
After selecting the "Shortcut" menu item, click "Browse ...", and in the opened list of the "Browse files and folders" window, select the desired program and click "OK".
Choosing an application
The same result can be achieved through the search queries discussed above in the Start menu. By typing shell: startup, we get access to the "Startup" of the current user, and Startup (C: \\ ProgramData \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ Start \\ Menu \\ Programs \\ Startup) makes it possible to do the same for everyone registered on this computer. Changes will take effect after reboot.
Video tutorial: how to add a program to the startup list
What to remove and what to leave?
The main rule for editing the Startup list is to know what you are doing. Before removing the label, you need to find out what the corresponding application is doing and whether removing it from automatic launch would harm the system. The easiest way to do this is to use online search services.
- It is dangerous to delete: device drivers, antiviruses, system applications. This can lead to poor system performance.
- It is undesirable to delete: modules for checking for updates of important components, communication applications, the main browser. As a rule, these programs need to be run regularly, so after removing them from Startup you will have to do it manually.
- You can delete: applications previously added by the user, application applications.
Be sure to leave the firewall in the list. As for torrents, it all depends on the user's activity on this network. If downloading and sharing files is one of your daily activities, then you can let the torrent download along with the system. Otherwise, it is worth deleting it, since this is a rather resource-intensive application.
Nowadays, it is rare to find users who do not use the Internet daily. Therefore, browsers (Opera, Google Chrome and others) should be included in Startup for ease of use. The same applies to communication programs (Skype, Viber and others).
Putting things in order in Startup is important and useful. Although it is a time consuming process, faster system boot up and faster computer performance are worthy compensation for the work.
No matter how much Microsoft cares about accelerating the loading of Windows, as announced in versions 8.1 and 10, there have been no revolutionary changes in this regard since version 7, alas. Plus, Windows 8.1 and 10 are constantly updated and do not know how to apply updates in any other way, except how to do it in the pre-boot mode of the system. What could be more annoying than a full screen window, they say, wait, Windows is updating when you need quick access to computer data. But if you can't get away from this moment in any way, then the internal processes that affect the speed of loading Windows can be controlled.
By themselves, Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 do not load for long, the process of loading them is complicated by the launch of the software installed on the system. Many programs, if they themselves do not write to startup by default, then write their background services to it. Not all background autostart services can be disabled by removing them from Windows startup. Well, launching various messengers like Skype together with the system is a must for many people who need to always be in touch. For instant messengers, other programs and their background services, which are registered in Windows startup, you can assign a lazy load. This will systematically allocate computer resources and speed up the boot process.
Delayed launch of programs can be implemented with the standard functionality of the Windows system. System Task Scheduler allows you to postpone tasks associated with Windows startup. But in this article, we will consider a way to implement a delayed start of startup programs using a third-party tool - using the AnVir Task Manager program.
1. Download and install AnVir Task Manager
The AnVir Task Manager program provides a wide variety of functionality that can be useful to system managers and experienced computer users. The program for the most part is an advanced system task manager with a lot of different possibilities for monitoring and managing Windows processes. In addition to the main feature, AnVir Task Manager also offers system tweaks and plays the role of an anti-virus utility, with which you can scan files, active processes and programs for threats through the Virustotal.Com Internet service. And all this is in the free edition of the program. AnVir Task Manager also exists in a paid edition, but, in particular, the free edition can successfully handle the organization of delayed startup of startup programs.
After downloading the installer of the program, when installing it into the system, you will be able to choose the Russian language. The portable version of AnVir Task Manager available for download will have an English-language interface.
2. Assigning delayed startup to startup programs
After installing and running AnVir Task Manager in the program window, switch to the "Startup" tab. All programs that start when Windows boots are displayed here. Unchecking a particular program will simply remove it from startup. And in order to assign a delayed launch to the program, you need to open the context menu on it and select "Add to delayed loading".
In the additional window that opens, we will see the delayed launch settings. By default, AnVir Task Manager provides a delayed start interval of 1 minute for all programs. That is, the startup programs will start one minute after Windows boots. In our case, an interval of 1 minute is used only for one of the programs. For other startup programs, we will assign a different start time, respectively, and set the interval to 2, 3, 4 minutes, etc. The launch of instant messengers such as Skype and ICQ can be postponed for 5-10 minutes. In this way, the programs will run in a planned manner. To set a different lazy load interval, activate the "Special interval" column and set the minutes.
Other options are available for delayed startup of startup programs. Individual programs can be launched not every day, but either only on weekdays or on weekends. This is a handy feature for software that is used for business purposes. In this case, lazy loading can be supplemented by setting the option "From Monday to Friday", and professional software on the computer will not run on weekends when it is not needed.
The other two settings for Delayed Start are to run programs with administrator privileges and set priority. The latter setting is unlikely to matter when you set different intervals for programs to start.
Having set the necessary parameters of lazy loading, click "OK".
AnVir Task Manager itself removes from Windows startup programs for which delayed loading is assigned, however, just in case, it warns that you may need to manually disable the startup of the program in its own settings.
If AnVir Task Manager itself has not been added to startup before, then a notification about such a need will follow. After all, it simply needs to start up with Windows on condition to provide lazy loading of other programs. Fortunately, AnVir Task Manager is a lightweight program, and its effect on Windows boot speed is negligible. We press "Yes".
In the future, if necessary, you can remove AnVir Task Manager from startup and re-schedule it to start with Windows in the program settings.
Delayed startup of startup programs will be displayed in a separate column in the startup section of AnVir Task Manager.
It is best to experiment with delayed start only with known programs and services. But even if the experiments ended not with the performance of working with a computer, but with the expectation of the launch of the driver of some device, this matter is easily fixable.
3. Editing the delayed start of startup programs and disabling it
Programs for which a delayed start is assigned will disappear from the view of the startup section in the system task manager and in third-party uninstallers that offer startup management capabilities. But these programs do not disappear from the startup list displayed in AnVir Task Manager. At any time, for any of the programs with delayed start, the settings can be changed. As at any time, any of the programs can be returned to Windows startup. To do this, call the context menu on the selected program and select "Edit lazy loading".
We will see the same settings window as before.
Here we either change the conditions of the delayed startup of the program, or return it to startup by clicking the option "Remove from delayed startup" at the bottom.
Have a great day!
When turning on the computer, the user starts only the operating system. All other actions are performed independently in the graphical interface. Depending on the problem being solved, a certain set of programs is launched. Moreover, each user has those that will be opened without fail. Someone first launches an email client, someone opens social networks in a browser. Not everyone knows that these routine operations can be automated by configuring autostart programs.
A clean OS will automatically start only system services. When installing programs, most users do not pay attention to the initial settings. As a result, after some time, the computer turns into a “zoo”. Several browsers "live" in it at the same time, clients of various cloud storages, optimization and file upload utilities start independently. Thus, from a useful tool, startup turns into an “enemy” of the user, slowing down the operating system.
Windows 7
In versions of Windows with a traditional Start menu, the Startup folder can be found in the general list of installed programs. At this point, it is a rendered shortcut for quick access.
The folder is actually in a hidden area of \u200b\u200buser files. Direct access to it can be obtained by calling the context menu. The items marked with frames will open the directory of a specific user in the Explorer, and those indicated by the arrows will open the system-wide one.
In order not to look for where the startup is located in Windows 7, you can use the universal command in the Run menu. Enter "shell: startup" into the text field. Clicking on the "OK" button opens the "Explorer".
At the top of the window, we see the full path to the required directory. By default, AppData does not appear in File Explorer. Therefore, if we simply open the user's folder, we will not find it until we turn on the display of hidden files.
You can go to the Windows 7 startup in this way, but you cannot fully edit it. The disadvantage of this method is that most programs that have an automation option in the settings will not be visible here. You can edit the autorun list in the configuration utility. Let's start the Run menu and type the command shown in the screenshot in the text field.
In the configuration utility window, go to the "Startup" tab. Here we see a general list of programs, the behavior of which can be controlled using the checkboxes indicated by the arrow. By removing them, we exclude automatic start. The changes made must first be applied by clicking on the appropriate button. The "Location" column highlighted in green contains the startup path for each program and we will need it later.
When we finish working with the configuration utility, we will receive a system notification. You can choose between immediate or delayed reboot.
The next way to open startup programs on Windows 7 requires intervention in the system registry. Once again we use the "Run" menu.
With the Registry Editor open, recall the green field in the configuration utility. The full paths where the autorun settings for specific programs are located are indicated there. The AIMP player was registered exactly according to the path indicated by the frame on the screenshot. To cancel automatic start for it, the key indicated by the arrow must be deleted.
So, we looked at several ways to find and clean startup in Windows 7. The most versatile is the use of the configuration utility. Only in it all the necessary data and tools are collected in one place.
Windows 10
It has become a good tradition for Microsoft to surprise users of its OS. Changes are not only external, like the disappeared Start button in Windows 8. The system changes significantly internally. We just found a universal way to clean up startup programs. We apply it in Windows 10 and see the picture shown in the screenshot. There is a configuration utility, a tab is also on it, and the control menu has "moved". Thanks to the company's engineers who pointed out where the startup in Windows 10 is, rather than forcing users to search for it on their own. Click on the hyperlink indicated by the arrow.
In the task manager, go to the designated tab of the same name. You can disable auto-start of programs in Windows 10 right in it. To do this, it is now enough to call the context menu. The required item is shown in the screenshot.
This concludes the changes Microsoft made to the automation setup. Management has been moved to the task manager, it has become more convenient and does not require knowledge of special commands. The rest of the considered possibilities are preserved. You can still remove startup programs in Windows 10 by opening the user's hidden folder or editing the registry.
Setting up autorun
On a well-tuned system, nothing should be started without the user's knowledge that is not required in the first five minutes. By cleaning the startup from unnecessary "garbage" and being guided by this rule, you can configure the startup of programs that are needed in the first place.
Autorun software
We open the settings of the selected software and look for the item responsible for integration with the operating system. If the developer has provided such an opportunity, you just need to use it. Let's take the popular AIMP player as an example.
The required parameter is present here. Therefore, we can add it to Windows 10 startup by checking the box indicated by the arrow.
Software without autorun
If the parameter we need is not in the settings, we proceed as follows. Find the program using search. We call the context menu and go to the location of the file.
In the "Explorer" window, select the icon of the desired program. We open the context and drop-down menus for it in sequence. In the second, we get to the item that creates a shortcut to the program on the desktop.
Let's use the "shell: startup" command to launch an additional "Explorer" window. To add an application to startup, transfer the created shortcut to an open directory. Now in the task manager we will find both applications added in different ways.
Using the described method, you can add a program to autorun regardless of whether the developers provided such an opportunity or not. Windows 10 is a "capricious" system, after updating an application to a new version, it may refuse to recognize old shortcuts. In this case, the operation will have to be repeated by sending the updated file to startup.
Task Manager
Using the scheduler, you can organize the forced launch of programs on a schedule. Open the wizard for creating simple tasks and follow its instructions.
As an example, let's schedule the regular start of the music player. So that you can later find the created task, we give it a name.
We choose to start at the entrance to the OS.
By default, the scheduler prompts you to create a task to run the program.
We use the "Browse" button to specify the path to the executable file.
The task is created, and the system gives us an overview window with the specified characteristics.
After completing the wizard, you can edit the trigger by specifying additional conditions.
For example, activate a due date. Using the designated area, we indicate the start and end date values \u200b\u200bfor our task.
Notebook owners should pay attention to the "Conditions" tab. In order for the task to be performed in any case, and not only when connected to the mains, uncheck both boxes in the area indicated by the frame.
The result of the performed manipulations will be the automatic launch of the player every time you enter the OS. At the same time, it is impossible to remove the program from startup using the methods discussed above. It will not appear in the task manager. To cancel a task, it must be removed from the scheduler.
Finally
Automatic launch of programs is a useful tool that saves you from performing routine actions. However, he will work "for the good" of the PC owner only if he is wisely approached. If the installation of programs is carried out according to the principle "the computer itself asked", the system will quickly turn into a "zoo", and autoloading will cause "brakes" and the main enemy of the user.
Many programs are created with an automatic shortcut added to the autorun menu. This factor is typical for software that must run in the background. Thus, after turning on the computer, the application starts automatically.Over time, the accumulated programs can affect the performance and performance of the Windows 7 system (it is worth noting that the startup of Steam and Skype applications can significantly increase the load of the operating system). If, after turning on the system, only one antivirus is functioning in the processes, then the computer works without loss of performance, but if several applications are running, various problems may occur, including general slowdown and instability of the PC, which is especially noticeable on ordinary or weak computers.
Removing a program from the startup folder
To get rid of the existing problems and improve the overall functionality of the PC, Windows 7 autorun is configured. There are several methods for controlling applications that are integrated into the OS during installation. By default, shortcuts to Windows 7 startup programs are located in the main menu, familiar to every user. To find this section, you need (Fig. 1):- On the desktop, click on the button Start.
- Then select the subcategory "All Programs".
- Among the abundance of various shortcuts to applications and folders, you must go to the section "Autostart".
Here, exactly those applications are opened that function from the moment the OS boots. If you delete shortcuts from this folder, they will no longer work in the background on the next boot. Thus, you can remove applications from startup. But what if the shortcut of the required program is not in this list, and the program itself is loaded with the operating system?
Several different tools can be used to customize the autorun of third-party or system software. The simplest and most understandable method is to use regular resources integrated into the OS. There are two methods of configuring applications participating in autorun - the registry and the command line (the command line is required only to run the utility msсonfig). As frightening as the second way sounds, msсonfig is a very simple and versatile utility that helps you to perform a wide variety of changes in the system with simple commands.
How to disable autostart of an application registered in the Windows registry using a convenient program built into Windows 7
msсonfig is a serious system utility with great possibilities for managing the Windows 7 operating system, but anyone can master it. You can find it in Windows by name through the usual search in the menu Start... Also you can press the keyboard shortcut Win + R, then enter its name in the line and press Enter (fig. 2).
Figure 2. Launching the msconfig utility through the "Run" window. After turning on the application, we go to the startup tab. In this menu, we carefully examine each item to determine a specific purpose. Do not disable all applications, as antivirus and similar programs must be active. Placing checkboxes in front of the applications, make the settings. The presence of a check mark means the execution of the program when the operating system boots. The absence, accordingly, deactivates it.
Setting method using msсonfig it is quite effective and relevant, since it provides a subtle, efficient and most understandable setting for autoloading and other manipulations.
How to view startup applications in the Windows 7 registry
To open the registry editor, you need to press the keys Win + R, after which in the window that opens "Run" write command regedit and press the key Enter (fig. 4).
Figure 4. Launching Registry Editor by pressing Win + R and entering regedit. The Registry Editor window that opens looks intimidating, but it actually looks like Windows Explorer.
To change the automatic start of the current session, you need to find in the list (in the left column) a folder called "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" and go along the way HKEY_CURRENT_USER \\ Software \\ Microsoft \\ Windows \\ CurrentVersion \\ Run (fig. 5).
Figure 5. Finding the required registry keys to configure startup applications.
Thus, you can easily configure the launch of applications.
List of Windows 7 registry keys where you need to search for applications registered in startup:
What do you need to add a new application to autorun?
To solve this problem, you will need to create a shortcut for the required software in the autorun folder. This is not difficult to accomplish. From the desktop, copy the shortcut of the required application along the above path, and after the next reboot the software will start along with the operating system.This is how autorun applications are debugged in Windows 7. Do not forget to save restore points so that if you do something wrong, you can return the system to its original state.
- Loading and subsequent operation of the Windows operating system consists of the general picture of, say, running applications, processes, programs. The operating system itself consists of services and individual applications that are built into the operating system and are launched as needed and also stop working when not needed. In this article I will tell you how to identify slowing down applications that slow down the loading process and subsequent use, work, all OS. We will identify by the delay time, that is, by how long a certain program or process, service, as it is convenient for you to call, is loaded.
- A wonderful utility that was written and continues to be maintained by the company of the same Microsoft operating system. The name of the Process Monitor utility and you can download it on the official Windows website at the link: Download. The official program page on the Microsoft website:
- By downloading the program and running it with administrator rights:
- Next, in the main window, select the options (option) and in the context menu that opens, start at startup (Enable Boot Logging).
- In the window, check the Generate thread profiling events checkbox and in the checkbox, a dot against Every second. Thus, you confirm the actions at the start of the system to intercept all running processes, more precisely, running processes, programs. The point on opposite Every second says that it is necessary to intercept every second, the point below against Every 100 milliseconds will be once every 100 milliseconds, but we will not set it. It will suit us in one second, there is no less why, it will be clear if the interception is every second.
- We reboot the machine and wait until the operating system is fully loaded. If you do not start Process Monitor again, or rather open it by clicking on the startup file, the interception will work until you start it. By clicking on the Process Monitor startup file with the mouse, you will be prompted to save the data that PM (process monitor) collected:
- After you have saved the files in which information on running programs and services is collected, it may be that the file will not be one, but several Bootlog.pml and then the file name changes, at the end a number is assigned, how many files are and the designation in numbers. Let's say: Bootlog1.pml Bootlog2.pml Bootlog3.pml.
- Next, go again Option\u003e Select Columns:
- Duration, put a tick in front of this item, thereby adding a column to the table in the pm window, in which information on time will be displayed:
- Let's move on to setting up the filter in order to arrange all captured processes and programs in the pm table in the order we need. Now click Filter and filter in the context menu. An easier way to get into the filter settings window is to type the CTRL + L key combination:
- Adjusting the filter: The picture below will tell you everything, I won't describe much by numbers: 1.) Select the Duration item in the context menu. 2.) As well as choosing under the number 1 only the item more than. 3.) Set the value to 5. 4.) Press the ADD button and add a filter 5.) the well-known OK button, if you agree with everything, press it:
- Now the list (table) will display only those applications that have reached 5 seconds to complete the download (launch) or more than this time. Thus, you can understand which program takes more than 5 seconds to start the operating system. You can set your time if it seemed to you that 5 seconds was not significant or per turn.
- Follow the path in the main PM program window, Tools\u003e Process Tree, or type the key combination CTRL + T.
- The information will be displayed in a tree-like form, and for each process information about the beginning, end and duration of the process will be given:
- After the received data on the launch of processes and programs when the operating system is loaded, we can conclude what to optimize, disable, remove, update the drivers of any components that brake the system, reinstall the application or program (process). Actually, you can already understand in detail what slows down the load and draw conclusions from this, eliminating the cause.
- Startup in the Windows operating system is the place from which other programs are loaded, other manufacturers may have got there without your knowledge. When you install a program, it can get into autoload without your knowledge and will constantly load into the RAM of your computer device. From there, she will perform her assigned tasks for what she was written or created. This is fraught with the fact that your computer will boot for a long time at startup, then during operation it may slow down if the memory becomes insufficient. It's not bad if it's not malicious programs such as Utorent or Skype for example, but if it's a Trojan and you don't even suspect. Yes, and Utorent constantly downloads with the system does not make sense, if you need to download a file, so start Utorent manually by clicking on the icon downloaded from the Internet and it will also start and download. But here, plus, it will not hang in memory, taking up space and will not gobble up your Internet traffic on distribution. But here is not about how to download torrents and autoloading worries us.
- Auto download can be controlled in different ways: You can periodically go in and check four locations from which programs can be loaded at computer startup. But we will not check, but will go another more progressive way and will control the hits in the startup. If the program being installed wants to get into autorun to start at startup of the computer device. You will immediately find out about this, you will be provided with information about the file that wants to run with the system and a choice in two options, prohibit or allow. Isn't it great? And how many nerves it will save!
- You can control getting into startup programs by setting a low weight, without ads and other unnecessary functions, the 2IP StartGuard program. A well-known service for checking many functions of a computer and not only a computer but also sites, a service. The 2IP StartGuard utility, which can be downloaded from the official website, will help protect your computer device from getting unnecessary programs into startup, which grow over time and reach a large number.
- The program is not difficult to install, the downloaded file from the official site is launched by clicking the mouse and you agree with everything that is simply a program. The program will run at startup and there is nothing to remind of itself, even in the tray next to the clock you will not find it. You can see the program in action only when any other program wants to be registered in the startup of your computer device. Then you will be asked to confirm these actions already. The picture below shows a warning window about another program getting into startup and a proposal to make a choice:
- This is the only program window that shows the path in the registry to startup, the name of the program (file) that will be included in startup with your permission or not, the path to the file itself or the program (where the installed program is located). At the very bottom there are two buttons "Allow" "Deny". Now your startup will always be clean, your computer will run much faster.
