Decrapifying Your Windows Machine

[billroper]

My Vista machine that I built last year has the annoying habit of occasionally starting up badly so that you can't access the Internet. The reason why has been pretty much a mystery and I've tried lots of things to fix it. And as of today, I have a new theory.

The problem is that every damned piece of software that you install seems to want to add a program to sit in your tray and run at startup time. Some of them are useful. Some of them are complete crapware. Some of them are useful when you choose to run them, but don't need to be in there messing up your Windows startup sequence.

And if you want to get them out of your Windows startup sequence, you can do it with the MSCONFIG utility. Here's a handy web page that explains how to do it.

Now, isn't that better? :)

Comments

[rdmaughan.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I have not done that in ages and could not remember what the program was.

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

Thanks Bill! I was actually trying to figure out how to take stuff out of the start menu just last week.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

I'm tempted to say that a good way to decrapify a Windows machine is to install XP instead of Vista, and that a better way is to install Linux ;)

[unkbar.livejournal.com]

I'm fond of a free utility called "Autoruns" to manage the stuff that tries to run when my XP system starts up. You can de-crud your registry with one called "EasyCleaner", and "WinDirStat" makes it easy to see just exactly what's using up all your disk space.

[mbumby.livejournal.com]

Thanks!