All programs that run when your computer starts reside in a specific folder on your hard drive. When the operating system is started, all shortcuts in this folder will run their respective applications. The management of automatic execution of programs when Windows 7 starts is similar to that of its predecessors. This guide shows you how to edit the list of autorun programs.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Add a Shortcut to the Startup Folder
Step 1. Go to the 'Startup' folder in the Windows 'Start' menu
Select the Windows 'Start' button, then choose the 'All Programs' item. Scroll through the list to locate the 'Startup' folder.
- Select with the right mouse button the 'Startup' folder, then choose the 'Explore users folder' item to access all the user folders on the computer.
- Select the 'Explore' item to access the folder relating exclusively to the user with whom you are currently connected to the computer.
Step 2. Create a shortcut to the program or file you want to run when your computer starts
Select the program icon or file with the right mouse button, then select the item 'Create shortcut' from the context menu that appeared.
- The link will be created in the same folder where the original file or program resides.
- The items that can be placed in the 'Autorun' folder can be both files and programs. For example, you can have a Word document open when your computer starts.
Step 3. Drag or cut and paste the link created in the previous step into the 'Auto Run' folder
The related program will run automatically the next time you restart your computer.
- To cut and paste an element, select the icon of your shortcut with the right mouse button, then choose the item 'Cut' from the context menu that appeared. At this point, move to the window relating to the 'Automatic Execution' folder and select an empty area with the right mouse button. Then select the 'Paste' option from the menu that appeared.
- Alternatively, select the shortcut icon, then press the hotkey combination 'Ctrl + X'. Now select the window for the 'Autorun' folder and press the hotkey combination 'Ctrl + V'.
Method 2 of 4: Edit the List of Automatically Run Programs Using MSConfig
Step 1. Go to the 'Start' menu and type 'msconfig' in the search field
Select the 'msconfig' icon that appeared in the results list. Through this tool you will access the 'System Configuration' console.
Step 2. Select the 'Startup' tab
You will be shown the list of programs that are automatically opened after starting the operating system.
- Note that not all autorun items appear in this list.
- By using the 'MSConfig' tool, you will not be able to add items to the autostart program list.
- To add new items that do not appear in the list on the 'Startup' tab of the 'MSConfig' console, use the method seen above.
Step 3. Select the check buttons of the programs you want to be started automatically when the computer is turned on
Instead, uncheck the check button for any programs you don't want to start automatically.
Step 4. Press the 'Apply' button
This will make all changes made to the system configuration permanent.
Step 5. Restart your computer for the new changes to take effect
A message will appear asking you to restart your computer. Select the 'Restart' button for the new configuration to take effect.
- If you do not reboot your computer, the auto-running program list will revert to its original configuration.
- After editing the list of autorun programs, your computer will boot into 'Selective Startup' mode. You can view this item in the 'General' tab of the 'System Configuration' window.
- If you subsequently decide to select the 'Normal Startup' startup mode, all the autorun items you have disabled will be reactivated.
Method 3 of 4: Alternative Method
Step 1. Change the settings of each individual program to choose whether to enable automatic start
This obviously varies from program to program, and requires you to access the 'Options', 'Preferences', 'Settings' or 'Tools' section of each individual application to locate the autorun option.
- To find out how a particular program runs automatically on startup, see the 'Help' section or search the web.
- For example, the automatic start of 'Skype', an application for making calls and video calls over the internet, can be disabled by accessing the 'Tools' menu, selecting the' Options' item and deselecting the 'Start Skype when starting Windows' found in the general settings tab.
- Another example is that of Dropbox. A software for sharing and storing files online, whose automatic execution can be disabled by selecting with the right mouse button the relative icon placed on the taskbar (the Dropbox icon displayed near the Windows clock) and then select the item 'Preferences…' from the contextual menu that appeared.
Step 2. Access your computer's registry to edit the list of auto-running programs
These programs can be manually deleted using the 'Regedit' system utility.
- To find out how to access the Windows registry you can refer to this guide.
- Editing your computer's registry should only be used as a last resort and only if you know exactly what you are doing.
Method 4 of 4: Use Programs and Databases to Identify Auto-Running Items
Step 1. Try to avoid deleting files and programs indiscriminately
Disabling the automatic start of a program without knowing its function could prevent the proper functioning of other programs or the entire system.
- Before making any changes that you are unsure of, use the 'System Restore' tool to create a new 'restore point' that you can use if something does not work properly.
- Many items listed in the 'Startup' section of 'MSConfig', or located within the 'Autorun' folder, have descriptive names, but not all. It is therefore very difficult to understand its functionalities within the system.
Step 2. Use online databases that catalog programs and processes, or search the web to identify the function of each individual element
- This procedure may take some time as it requires searching for information relating to each individual program or process.
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A list that may contain useful information is the following:
- Process Library: Winner of 'PCMAG's Top 100 Classic Website' with more than 195,000 entries.
- Pacman's Portal: an online database of self-running programs containing more than 35,000 entries.
Change Startup Programs in Windows 7 Step 13 Step 3. Use automatic software for auto-running item deletion
There are many free programs that can do this 'clean up' for you. Some are very popular and do a thorough cleanup of the system registry as well.
- These programs often use their own databases, which are updated to include unnecessary items most frequently encountered on a computer. They also come with tools that help you speed up your system.
- As always, before installing such a program, do an online search to prevent it from harming your computer.
- Here is a short list of the programs most used by users:
- CCleaner
- Virtuoza In Control
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