how do you edit/delete the programs that automatically load when windows m.e. starts?

i think my ram is being taxed by too many programs running in the background.

thanks!

One thing you can do is right click on all the icons in the system tray and if they have an option to "run at startup", you can change them not to run at startup. You have to be careful because you may want some of them to run.

After doing that, restart your system and after it loads do a ctrl-alt-del to see what processes are listed as running. This will give you an idea. It doesn't list everything, but it's a good place to start.

Start/Run
type msconfig

startup tab  uncheck everything you dont want to startup   :"leave explorer and systray alone"

Lets see if I can remember this..... In 98 anyway its start/programs/accessories/system tools/system information/tools (in toolbar)/systen configuration utility/startup Then just uncheck what you dont want. The only two things you HAVE to have are system tray and Explorer

Go with the peashooter method it does the same thing. I havent fooled with windows in quite a while. I be a Linux man

Whoa! that is too cool, which os's have that? I'd been regediting for years to kill automatic stuff that wasn't in the startup folder. this 98 latptop had it but the 2000 box (local admin user) in the other room didnt. I hope 95 didn't have that cause if it did I probably have about a half a year of wasted life owed back to me by microsoft for not telling me about that.

thanks guys!

i used peashooter's method...worked like a charm. i had to do this on another box, and had used tc6969's method...but forgot the path to get from a to b (old age sucks!).

tc, i'l be a DOS man, myself...but some fool decided this windoz crap was going to be the gold standard...i think that "fool" is some rich guy named billy g.!

thanks again!

While true msconfig.exe will edit your startup configuration there are some things posted that I disagree with.You don't necessarily have to have System Tray running in all cases.I have ran mine with and without this enabled.You also should be aware that if you are running say a DSL connection with an external USB modem that there are certain programs connected to this that must be loaded at startup.Look at the file extensions of the programs in the startup list then try and make a determination if the listed programs are essential to the operation of your PC.Most should be obvious but you may have to experiment with some trial and error.

molitas, that's what freaks me out about windoz. with so much file sharing, i'm afraid of disabling/deleting a file that's used by another program.

doing a regedit freaks me out. damn! i used to crank into the guts of dos (i still run a dual boot box with dos 6.22) without fear. billy's latest code just blows my mind.