Besides ensuring that your computer has adequate memory, one of the next best ways to improve your subjective experience of Windows' speed is to make the logon process faster. The logon process can be greatly slowed by large numbers of programs that are launched automatically upon logon; the desktop and Start menu don't respond until all of the login programs have been activated.

Keeping the list of startup programs short is a constant struggle, however. To hide the fact that many common programs are poorly written and bloated in size, software vendors have taken to stealthily having Windows start them up when you log on, where they remain hidden. If you later launch the application, its window pops right up, because it was actually already running in the background. The software vendors fool you into thinking that its product is fast, and that it's the Windows logon process that is slow. What's even worse, because you have to wait for their clunky software to start up every time you log on, even if you rarely actually use the application, over time they waste hours of your time to make their program start up 10 or 20 seconds faster. And, like virus authors, they usually have their software rigged to keep adding itself back as a startup program even after you've told it not to, especially after software updates. It's shameful, and what's amazing is that the vendors that practice this include large companies like Apple (Quick Time Player and iTunes), Microsoft (Windows Messenger), and Real Audio (Real Player).

So, to avoid ongoing theft of your time, you need to know how startup programs are run, how to find them, and how to manage them.

There are several places to specify programs that are to be run upon logon:

• Shortcuts in the Startup folder in the All Users Start Menu folder, usually C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Startup

• Shortcuts in the Startup folder in your personal Start Menu folder, usually C:\Documents and Settings\your logon name\Start Menu\Startup

• Values in Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

• Values in Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

• Values in Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

• Values in Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

• Values in Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

• Values in Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

• Entries under the [run] section in \windows\win.ini (these are a holdover from Windows 3.1. Run entries in win.ini now would come only from truly ancient applications or viruses)

• Commands in logon scripts specified through Group Policy or Local Security Policy, on Windows XP Professional

You can manually scan through all of these locations using Windows Explorer and the Registry Editor, or you can use the msconfig tool described in the next section. In some cases the program being run will be obvious but in other cases you will need to do some research to determine what the startup program is. I've found that a Google search on the name of the .EXE file (for example, something like ssmmgr.exe) will usually lead me to a clue, although there are now dozens of fairly useless websites that simply contain pages for all known programs, with advertising and links to very dubious "antispyware" products. Another good site to check out is www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php. There you can search a database of known good and bad programs.

Some programs definitely should be run at startup. These include special purpose printer monitors, certain backup applications, antivirus and antispyware user interfaces, PDA synchronizers, and such programs. Even programs like Apple's Quicktime player startup program qttask.exe might be worth allowing to remain active as startup programs if you use these applications during nearly every logon session.

Some programs can be cajoled into at least temporarily removing themselves as startup programs. QuickTime Player, for example, has a Preferences setting under its Browser Plug-In category called "Quick Time System Tray Icon." Unchecking this removes the qttask.exe startup program for a while, usually until the next update to QuickTime Player.

You should still check the Run Registry entries after doing this, as some programs still leave a startup entry in place in order to check with the manufacturer for software updates; if no updates are found, the program quits without creating a System Tray icon. But this stealth tactic takes up a significant amount of your time every time you log on, so if you find that a program keeps its Run startup entry after you've disabled its "quick start" feature, delete the Run enTRy (and send a complaint to the software vendor).

If you decide to manually eliminate a startup program, it can't hurt to make a note of the corresponding entry before you delete it, in case you want to manually restore it later. Deleting startup programs requires deleting shortcuts from the Startup folder (or moving them out of the Startup folder), or deleting specific Registry values using the Registry editor.

msconfig

To quickly see what programs are run when you log on and to test what happens without them, use msconfig, a little-known system configuration utility provided with some versions of Windows; I'll describe the XP version here.

To start msconfig, log on as a Computer Administrator, click Start, Run, and then enter msconfig. To run it from the command line, type start msconfig. If you are not currently logged on as a Computer Administrator, open Windows Explorer and browse to \Windows\PCHEALTH\Binaries. Right-click msconfig.exe and enter Administrator credentials.

The program's main window is shown here. On the General tab, you can select what sets of programs Windows starts up at boot time and when you log on:

• boot.ini controls which version of Windows is run at boot time, and what diagnostic options are enabled.

• System Services are started when Windows starts.

• Startup Items, are run when you log on, from Registry values and Startup folder shortcuts.

• win.ini and system.ini entries are also processed when you log on; usually these contain only entries inserted by 16-bit Windows applications.

The Diagnostic Startup mode loads an absolute minimum number of drivers and services. Selective Startup lets you individually control which programs and Services are run at startup and logon.

Individual Services and startup programs can be disabled using check boxes on the other five tabs. For a minimal startup that preserves the ability to perform maintenance, Microsoft recommends that you do not disable the following services:

• Cryptographic Services

• Event Log

• Logical Disk Manager

• Help and Support

• Plug and Play

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

• System Restore Service

• Windows Management Instrumentation

msconfig does not permanently disable services or delete entries that initiate startup programs. It simply inhibits them temporarily, and in fact when you log on while items are disabled, you will see a dialog box warning you of this. msconfig is meant to be used to identify which services or startup programs are causing specific problems by process of elimination, so that you can then disable or delete the service or program by the usual means, and use msconfig to restore "normal startup" operation.