If our PC is slow, there can be many causes but almost certainly the main one is represented by the programs that start automatically when we turn it on. These programs do not require user actions and are placed, often without realizing it, running in the background, occupying RAM, CPU and in general the operating system resources.
The more we use the PC and install new software, the more the Windows startup time can get longer because of the programs that are automatically running.
In this article we will see how to solve the problem and disable the automatic start of programs on Windows, both by using the tools made available by the operating system itself and by using programs to be installed, which can effectively manage the auto-start of processes as well more hidden.
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We must make a necessary premise: some legitimate programs need automatic startup when you turn on the computer so that it can work immediately, without the user having to worry about doing it every time.
The most striking example is the antivirus (except in the case in which we use the integrated one), which must always remain active and which launches automatically when Windows starts.
For many other software, on the other hand, automatic startup is useless, it increases the PC's on time and wastes resources during its use, remaining in the background at all times.
In many cases we can disable the automatic start directly from the program settings, looking for the option Start together with Windows, Start at Windows startup, Start at login or it can be something like " Automatic Startup " or " Autorun ".
Now let's see how to disable the automatic start for those processes or programs that do not show any configuration interface or that are placed without permission among those authorized to start alone.
1) Disable automatic startup programs on Windows 10
In Windows 10 Microsoft has made it much easier to get to the list of programs that start automatically, thus leaving full control to the user.
To check the list of programs in auto startup on Windows 10 just right-click on the bottom bar, then click on the Task Manager item.
If the simple manager window opens, we click on More details, then go to the Start tab.
We will see a list with all the programs that start themselves together with Windows; we can sort them by Startup Impact by immediately clicking on the column of the same name, to immediately have a subdivision based on their "heaviness" on the system.
We recommend disabling all programs that have a system impact classified as High (except for cases where the app is really essential to work or to protect the PC), and we carefully evaluate all those that are evaluated as Medium and Low .
To disable a program from automatic start, right-click on it and click on the Disable item; the next time the computer is restarted, that program will no longer be present in auto-start, speeding up the execution of other programs or Windows startup.
Although with few differences, the same steps can also be performed on Windows 8.1, i.e. the previous version of the Microsoft operating system, although we strongly recommend upgrading all copies to Windows 10 for greater security and new functions -> Switch to Windows 10 is still always free.
2) Disable automatic startup programs on Windows 7
If instead we have a PC with Windows 7 operating system (still widely used in offices and workstations), we will be able to disable programs in automatic start "the old way", that is by opening the internal tool called MSConfig, which allows you to quickly see everything has placed itself in automatic execution at startup and, if necessary, disable unnecessary programs.
To open MSConfig, open the Start menu, type " msconfig.exe " in the search bar (without the quotation marks) and open the homonymous entry that will appear in the search results.
In the new window that will open we click on the Start tab at the top, so as to immediately have the list of programs that start together with Windows 7.
To disable one or more programs, simply remove the check mark on the side of each item (be careful not to disable indispensable programs or useful programs), click on Apply and then OK, then restart the PC to make the changes effective.
If we want to disable everything that is present in this screen, we can also use the Disable all button, present at the bottom: drastic, but effective for really slow PCs.
As explained in another article you can solve problems and change many things with MSConfig, not just the startup programs, so better not to be careful and not to touch anything different than the procedure described in this article.
3) Programs to manage Windows auto-start
To get a more complete overview of all the programs and processes that are activated automatically when Windows starts, we can instead use dedicated programs to better manage the startup of the operating system.
One of them is the popular CCleaner, where the program manager starting with Windows is included among the tools; to reach it, click on the Tools menu, then go to the Start sub-menu.
In the right part of the window we will find all the programs, tools and processes that start together with the operating system; to disable one, just select it and click on the Disable item.
If, on the other hand, we want to remove an entry from the auto-start (perhaps because the original program has been uninstalled, but there are "traces"), we will only have to select it and use this time the Delete entry (be careful not to delete useful things, since which is difficult to restore! Better to deactivate than to delete).
Another very practical, useful and well-functioning tool is Autorun Organizer, which can be installed for free on any PC with Windows installed (even older versions such as Windows 8.1 and Windows 7).
Once installed, we start the application to see the list of all the programs and processes that are starting, with a very useful indication of the system loading times, visible as colored bars next to each item.
Once you find the applications that slow down Windows, just right-click on them to disable an application from startup or, if we really want to clean up, remove it completely from the list.
Among the other very useful features we point out the possibility of adding programs to the automatic execution list or delaying the execution of some of them, so as to leave more resources when the PC is started or when other programs are running simultaneously.
Autorun Organizer also provides tips for optimizing Windows startup, provided based on data collected by other users who have used the tool.
This program is really excellent so to optimize your computer with a single click, just accept the advice of Autorun Organizer (if you are not satisfied then you can always go back and restore what the program has optimized).
Alternatively we can use many other programs to manage automatic startup in Windows and the computer.
