It's important to understand that some auto-launched programs may be necessary for the proper functioning of your Windows® configuration or applications installed on your system. Always make sure that you know what a program is for before you delete its entry - it's best to deactivate it first and see if everything is working properly before you remove it permanently. This is particularly important with programs that are part of Windows® itself.
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Click on the Entries button in the Welcome screen to display the Entries screen, which lists all the auto-launch entries found on your computer.
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In the main window of the Entries screen you will see a list of entry headings similar to the example on the left.
Each heading (1) represents a different auto-launch category. In the default configuration all categories are shown, even if they are empty. You can change this in the Options screen. Categories containing entries are identified by a + symbol to the left of the heading (2). To display the entries in the category just click on this symbol. |
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When you open a category it looks like the example on the left, which shows the entries in the Startup Folder (1) for the current user.
Activating and deactivating entries: Each entry has a check box (2) to the left of it, which indicates whether it is currently active. To deactivate an entry just click in the check box to clear the x symbol. In the example the entry for the Encoder Agent application (3) has been deactivated. To activate an entry just click in the check box again so that the x is displayed. IMPORTANT: You must exit and restart Windows® to apply your changes. Deactivating an entry does not terminate the program in your current Windows® session! |
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Checking an entry's properties:
Clicking on the Properties button displays the Windows® Properties dialog with the properties of the file referenced by the selected entry. This is very useful for finding out what an entry is for. Click here for details. Identifying Windows® system entries: Click on the Version tab in the Properties dialog and check the various items displayed. If the company name is Microsoft and the Product name is something like "Windows xxx Operating System" then this is almost certainly a Windows® entry that you should not delete. |
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Deleting entries:
To delete an entry select it in the list and click on the Remove button beneath the list. If you're not sure what the entry is for it's best to just deactivate it first (see above) and run your system for a while to make sure that everything is working OK. Backups: Backups of all entries you delete are created automatically. The only exception is entries in the WIN.INI file - for technical reasons it is not possible to save backups of these entries. This mean that deleting WIN.INI entries is permanent, so it is probably better to disable them rather than deleting them! |
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Functions for Experienced Users:
Please don't use these functions unless you understand what you are doing! Adding new auto-launch entries and editing existing entries can cause errors and system malfunctions if done incorrectly! Always store a copy of the original command line (for example in a text file) before making changes so that you can revert to the original version if you make a mistake. | |
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Adding new entries:
Click on the Add button. A dialog is displayed in which you can select the type of entry you want to add and edit its parameters. For experienced users only!. |
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Editing an entry's command line:
Select the entry you want to edit by clicking on it in the list. You can then edit the contents of its command line in the Command Line field below the list. When you are finished just click on Edit to store the changes. You are prompted if you want to update the commandline. For experienced users only - this function requires a good understanding of Windows and command line syntax! |