Disable programs from running at startup
That’s right. We’re not talking about the task manager anymore. In Vista, there is a different way to find out what kinds of software run at start-up, and what kinds of software is running at the moment. Although this feature is similar to viewing the processes tab in Task Manager, please do not confuse the Software Explorer with it, because they are not the same. This is a good tool to know more about the software that is running on your PC. But the task manager is still the ultimate tool since it displays every single process running on your PC, whereas, but please remember the Software Explorer only displays processes recognized as pieces of software.
Below, you are only able to view the process name and a short description. Often times, the description and names are so vague, you are unable to tell what the program is.
Luckily, Vista has a feature that displays much more:
To access it, click on the Start Pearl > All Programs > Windows Defender.
Once you’re at the Windows Defender window, click on tools at the top.
Then select the Software Explorer button.
And we’re there! The menu allows you to select different kinds of categories that displays programs corresponding to them.
In addition, you can choose to remove the program from the list, or click on disable to disable them at startup. Disabling too many programs from running at startup can result in faster startup time for your computer.
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July 8th, 2007 at 3:42 am
I can open Windows Defender and see the list of programs that run at startup. But when I highlight and select a program, the button to DISABLE the program is grayed, meaning I am unable to click it. How do I disable startup programs when I can’t click the DISABLE button?
July 19th, 2007 at 10:54 am
Albert, I had the same problem. If you click on the show all users (or something like that) option, the enable/disable buttons won’t be greyed out and can be used.
Now, can someone tell me where to find what I have disabled please? As I think I stoofed up, am afraid to trun the computer off in case I have made a terminal error.
Thanks in advance.
September 25th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
right click on the windows defender icon and select “run as administrator” that should do it
March 12th, 2008 at 1:35 am
[...] Disable programs from running at startup [...]
April 27th, 2008 at 1:41 am
FOR DISABLED/GREYED ICONS…..Click “all users” on the bottom left hand corner (at the opposite end of the disabled options)…..THIS SHOULD ENABLE YOUR OPTIONS!
May 19th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Great help, thanks a bunch
July 27th, 2008 at 9:21 am
The problem with windows defender for vista is you do not get the option to disable all start up programs. For a list to see all programs, you must go to msconfig. To get to msconfig the process is as followed. start>>all programs>>Accessories>>command promp>>, and in command promp write msconfig. In this program you can go search through all start up programs and decide what you would like to enable or disable.