Windows XP Performance Tips – How to Remove Programs From the Startup Folder

Every time your computer starts, it automatically starts some programs. You may not know about this. Take a quick look in the All Programs from the Start menu and you’ll notice a folder called Startup.

The Startup Folder contains programs that start automatically when Microsoft Windows XP does. Exactly what you will find in there depends on what programs you’ve got installed on your computer. Sometimes real programs are stored in the Startup folder and sometimes it is just a shortcut to a program elsewhere on your system.

Some programs may not be as useful to you or you might not use them frequently enough to need them starting automatically, so you have an option of removing them from the Startup Folder. However, rather than simply removing them from the Startup Folder, it is a good idea to store them in a new folder on your desktop first, just in case your PC needs them in order to operate correctly. If at a later stage you notice no negative effects, you can delete the new folder from the desktop. If your computer stops working correctly, you can replace the items back into the startup folder.

Follow the step by step instructions to begin cleaning your startup folder and notice a faster windows start up time.

Step 1

Right click any where on the desktop select New and then Folder. Rename the new folder to MyStartUp.

Step 2

Click on Start menu and go to All Programs and then Startup. Select the program you would like to remove, click and hold the item and drag it from the Startup Folder to the desktop.

Step 3

From the desktop you can now drag the item into the new folder you created in step 1.

Step 4

To restore an item back into the Startup Folder, open the folder into which you originally placed it and then drag and drop it back into the Startup Folder in the Start menu. If you hover the dragged item over the Startup menu, you can access All programs and then Startup folder.

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