Letting you fully decide what to start with Windows

May 27, 2015 09:59 GMT  ·  By

In those two seconds before your desktop is fully prepared, all required services and programs are automatically started by Windows so you don’t have to.

The Windows 8 Task Manager got fitted with a Startup manager that lets you forcefully disable programs you don’t want to start automatically. This gives your PC some space to breathe and makes for faster and better startup.

However, there’s a lot more behind a simple executable enlisted in the task manager. The following app provides a lot more management options in this regard.

Managing every startup item

Step 1: Download, install, and start AutoRuns with administrator privileges.

Step 2: Browse through Everything, which is the default tab.

Step 3: Switch to other tabs to configure Logon, Explorer, Internet Explorer, Scheduled Tasks, Services, Codecs, Drivers, and more.

Step 4: Write down the name of the item you’re looking for in the Filter text field from the upper toolbar, and press Enter.

Step 5: Right-click an item in the list to Delete it from startup, or Check Virus Total to see if it’s harmful.

Step 6: Click on the Options menu, and choose to Hide Microsoft, Windows, or Empty entries just to be on the safe side.

Step 7: View and manage startup items for other local accounts by selecting it from the Users menu.

Overall, Autoruns is an advanced manager that needs to be used with caution. If you’re not sure about some entries, don’t hesitate to right-click and search online, or simply ignore it if it’s not of any harm.

Advanced Startup Manager (3 Images)

A lot of startup items
Browsing through items and categoriesVirus check and switching users
Open gallery