Panayiotis Christodoulou
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How to prevent Windows startup programs from
loading
How to update a Microsoft Windows computer
Determining how much RAM is installed and available
Do I need a Windows Registry cleaner?
How do I backup and restore the Windows Registry?
How do I open and edit the Windows Registry
How do I add a Windows Registry key?
How to automatically repair problems in Windows
How to identify what startup programs are safe to
disable
Opening port for program or game in Windows
Firewall
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Windows 8 users can disable startup
programs from the Windows Task Manager.
Press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys at the same
time.
Click on Task Manager.
In the Task Manager, click the Startup tab.
Right-click on any startup program you want
to disable and click Disable.
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Most Windows users can use
the msconfig utility to disable startup
programs by following the steps below.
Click Start, then Run.
Type msconfig into the text box.
Click on the Startup tab.
Uncheck each of the programs you don't want
to load upon startup.
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Another location startup programs are placed is the
Windows Startup folder. To view this folder, follow the
steps below.
Click Start, Programs, Startup, then locate the program you
want to remove. You can then right-click the program and
select delete from the drop-down menu that appears. This
action will prevent the program from loading automatically
upon startup.
If you see the program you want to remove, but
have Windows 95, click Start, Settings, and then Taskbar &
Startup Menu. Click the Start Menu programs tab, click
the Advanced button, click the Programs folder, and then
click the Startup folder. Highlight the program you do not
want to startup automatically and press delete on your
keyboard.
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The Windows Registry is another common location to locate programs
loading up automatically. If you are unfamiliar with the Registry and its
potential dangers, see the Registry help page.
Once you have familiarized yourself with the Registry, follow the steps
below.
Click Start, Run, type Regedit, and then press Enter.
Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Click Software
Click Microsoft
Click Windows
Click Current Version
Click Run
Within the Run folder, locate the program(s) you don't want to boot upon
startup.
Once located, highlight the file and press Delete.
Exit out of the Registry and reboot the computer.
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Microsoft Windows can also automatically load a
program through Windows services. Follow the
steps below to check the services currently setup
on your computer.
Note: User must have administrative rights to
perform the steps below.
Click Start, Settings, and then Control Panel.
Open the Administrative Tools and click Services.
Locate the service you want to disable
and double-click it.
Change the Startup type from automatic to
disabled.
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Although not as common as the previous recommendations, with
early versions of Windows the win.ini can also contain programs
that load automatically. The win.ini, like most initialization files,
can cause issues with the computer if not edited correctly. Follow
the steps below for instructions on how to remove programs
from the win.ini file.
Tip: We recommend that you write down what ever is deleted in
case it needs to be added back into the win.ini.
Click Start, Run, and then type win.ini into the text box.
Towards the top of the document you should see a run= line.
Verify that nothing similar to the program that is loading at
startup is after run= line. If this line appears to contain
a command line pointing to the program that you are
experiencing the issue with, delete everything after run=.
Since the introduction of Microsoft Windows
98, Microsoft has greatly improved the way
users can update their computer. Below are
steps on how to perform these updates, as
well as additional recommendations to help
update your computer.
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Microsoft Windows Update
If you are running Microsoft Windows 98 or later, at
least some updates should be available for your
computer. In most cases, automatic updates and the
latest drivers are available online. To update your
software through Windows, follow the steps below.
Note: Users on a corporate network or running an
illegal copy of Microsoft Windows may be unable to
perform Microsoft Updates. If you are on a corporate
network, contact your administrator if you are
concerned about updating your computer. If you are
running an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows, we
recommend you purchase Microsoft Windows.
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Visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.
On the Microsoft Windows Update page, select the option Scan
for updates. If prompted to install a plug-in, click Yes. Not
installing this plug-in will prevent you from scanning for
updates.
Because this feature must query your computer, Microsoft will
gather information from your computer allowing the software to
know what it needs to update. There are several urban legends
about Microsoft attempting to inspect your computer for illegal
software, install unwanted the programs, and steal your private
information. None of the practices are true. Unless otherwise
stated in Microsoft's Privacy statement, Microsoft collects
information from your computer during this process. Collected
information includes:
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your operating system version
your product key
what version of Internet Explorer you are
using
version numbers of any other programs you
have installed which Microsoft provides
updates for
ID numbers of the hardware devices installed
in your computer
your region and language settings
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After Windows Update has completed scanning, you
should be able to view the available updates for your
computer. It is highly recommended that you first
install all critical updates and service packs that are
available. In some cases, you may only be able to do
a few critical updates or service pack updates each
time.
Although Microsoft does provide some driver updates
for hardware devices, it is important to realize that
they will not have all the latest drivers. You may want
to consider updating the drivers directly from your
computer manufacturer. See the computer
drivers page for a listing of computer hardware
manufacturers and a link to their drivers page.
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Microsoft Windows XP and later users
Users of Microsoft Windows XP and later
versions can have Microsoft Windows
automatically update their computer.
Other hardware drivers
To get the best performance from your
computer, it is recommended that you make
sure you have the latest drivers for the
hardware devices in your computer.
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Unable to view Windows Update page
Below are some reasons why you may be unable to view the
Microsoft Windows Update page.
If you've just installed Windows XP, 2000, or older version of
Windows the update page is no longer compatible unless you're
running the latest service pack. See KB 2497281 for additional
information and links to the appropriate service packs.
Your time, date, or year on your computer is not set properly.
See our page forsetting date and time on a computer.
You are trying to access the Microsoft Windows Update page
through a web browser other than Microsoft Internet Explorer.
If you are on a Corporate Network, your administrators may have
disabled this feature. If this is the case, you should receive a
message indicating that the Windows Update feature has been
disabled.
You are using an illegal copy of Microsoft Windows.
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Every time I run the Windows Update my
computer has problems
Although Microsoft tests the updates before they
are
released
with
numerous
computer
configurations, you may have issues after
running an update. Usually these problems are
caused by other software programs, a unique
computer or software configuration, or thirdparty drivers.
If you have already ran an update and are have a
problem not documented try uninstalling the
updates
through
the
Add/Remove
Programs or Programs and Features in
the Control Panel.
Below are recommendations for helping to prevent problems.
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Temporarily disable any virus and spyware protection programs.
Disable any disk software utilities or performance tools running
on the computer.
Let the updates run without using the computer. Step away from
the computer while updates are being installed.
Clear your Internet History and Cache.
If you are encountering problems after installing driver updates,
we recommend you try updating the drivers from the hardware
manufacturer's website instead of through Microsoft. A listing of
driver manufacturers can be found on our drivers page.
If the update is not a critical update, do not run the update
immediately after it has been released. In some rare cases,
Microsoft discovers issues with its updates after they are first
released that may cause your computer issues.
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How do I know if my computer has all the
Windows updates?
If you're uncertain if your computer has all the
Microsoft Windows updates installed on your
computer,
visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/ and
have your computer scanned for any available
updates. If no updates are found, your computer
is up-to-date.
Alternatively, you can download software utilities
such as Belarc Advisor that will list the updates
installed on your computer and any critical
updates you may be missing.
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Find how much RAM is installed and available
in Windows 8 and 10
From the Start screen or Start menu type ram
Windows should return an option for "View
RAM info" Arrow to this option and press
enter or click it with the mouse. In the
window that appears you should see how
much installed memory (RAM) your computer
has.
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Note: If a memory chip is not being recognized by the
computer, it will not be included in the amount of
memory listed under "Installed memory (RAM)" in the
System Properties window.
View used and available resources
To determine the amount of available system
resources, including memory, as well as what is
currently being utilized, open the Task Manager. On
the Processes tab, you can see which programs are
running and using resources. On the Performance
tab, you can see an overall picture of all the system
resources. You can see how much memory is
available next to the Available label.
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Find how much RAM is installed and available
in Windows Vista and 7
From the Desktop or Start Menu, right-click
on Computer and select Properties.
In the System Properties window, the system
will list "Installed memory (RAM)" with the
total amount detected. For example, in the
picture below, there is 4 GB of memory
installed in the computer.
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Note: If a memory chip is not being recognized by the
computer, it will not be included in the amount of memory
listed under "Installed memory (RAM)" in the System
Properties window.
Or
Click Start
In the Search box, type "ram" without quotes and click
the Show how much RAM is on this computer.
Or
Click Start
Click System and Security
Under System, click View amount of RAM and processor
speed.
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Finding RAM information in Windows 95, 98, ME, NT4,
2000, and XP
Open the Control Panel
Double-click the Systems icon.
On the General tab, the amount of RAM currently installed
and detected will be listed.
Note: If a memory chip is not being recognized by the
computer, it will not be included in the amount of memory
listed under "Installed memory (RAM)" in the System
Properties window.
or
Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP users can also run the
System Information (msinfo32) program that comes preinstalled on the computer.
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Registry cleaners are designed to help
remove invalid references in the Windows
Registry which point to a resource which no
longer exists on the computer. These
resources may include DLLs, programs, fonts,
uninstalled programs, or system information
that is out of date. These references can be
left behind when a program is not uninstalled
properly, the uninstaller is poorly written, or
the system has crashed in the past causing
these invalid entries.
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Although these utilities can make the
Windows Registry clean, the overall potential
benefits are greatly outweighed by the
potential harm they could cause. We suggest
users do not install or use Windows Registry
cleaners on their Windows computers.
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Can running a Registry cleaner cause
problems?
Yes. Any Registry cleaner that is poorly
written and removes or changes the Registry
improperly can cause issues with programs
and in some situations cause Windows to
stop working.
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If you do not suggest Registry cleaners what should I
do?
There are several things that can be done to resolve
computer issues before attempting to use a Registry
cleaner on your computer. If you are experiencing
issues, we suggest you try the below suggestions
before resorting to a Registry cleaner.
If you are getting errors, search for the error. Many
errors can be fixed without Registry cleaners.
Run through the basic troubleshooting steps for
Windows.
Run a antimalware and antivirus scans on the
computer.
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How to repair or fix the Windows Registry
without a Registry cleaner?
If you knew what you were trying to fix you
could open the Registry, find the Registry
key and fix or delete the key manually.
However, an easier and often better solution to
Registry problems is to use the Windows System
recovery tool to restore the Registry back to an
earlier date. This is helpful if something was
installed that caused problems in the Registry.
Alternatively you could reinstall Windows, which
would fix any bad Registry settings by
overwriting entries in the Registry.
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What do Registry cleaners report to fix?
These programs have been known to fix one
or more of the below situations.
Fix errors caused after program uninstalled
Files or shortcuts associated with uninstalled
programs.
Slow boot times
Overall computer response time
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I still want to run a Registry cleaner, which one
should I use?
If you have tried the above suggestions and still
encountering problems there are dozens of
Registry cleaners available today. Below is a list
of a few of the programs we recommend.
Ccleaner
Glary Utilities
EasyCleaner
Note: When running any Registry cleaner we
always suggest using the utilities backup Registry
feature first in case issues arise after the clean.
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Do I need to run the Registry cleaner in Safe
Mode?
No. These utilities should be deleting keys
that are not in use and therefore should not
encounter issues if ran in Normal mode.
However, if you are encountering problems
that prevents you from getting into Normal
mode or you get errors while in Normal
mode, we suggest running them from Safe
Mode.
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The Registry cleaner found xx amount of problems,
now what?
After Registry keys or other system settings have
been found, use the utility to delete or clean those
keys. Often you need to select all found items and
click a clean or delete button.
After running a Registry cleaner my computer or
programs no longer works.
If you are encountering new problems after running a
Registry cleaner, boot the computer into Safe Mode if
Normal mode does not work, and run the utility to
restore the backup made.
If you did not make a backup of the Registry, try
using the Windows System Restore feature.
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Backing up the Windows 7, Vista, and XP Registry
Microsoft Windows XP and all later versions of
Windows include a new feature known as System
Restore. This great feature enables a user to backup
and restore their important system files from an
earlier day. By default this feature automatically
creates a backup of the system each day. If you want
to create a restore point of your system follow the
steps below.
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
System Restore
Select the option to Create a restore point
Click Next and follow the remainder steps.
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Restoring the Windows 7, Vista, and XP
Registry
To restore the system back to an earlier point
follow the steps below.
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System
Tools, System Restore
Select the Restore my computer to an earlier
time option (as shown in the picture below)
and click Next
Select the day and the restore point you want
to restore and click Next.
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Caution: Before editing or changing anything in the
Microsoft Windows Registry, it's recommended that
you backup the Registry. We also highly recommend that
anyone new to the Registry become familiar with all
the Windows Registry basics.
To open the Windows Registry, follow the steps below.
Click Start
In the Start Menu, either in the Run Box or Search box,
type regedit and press Enter.
If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes to open the
Registry Editor.
Once opened successfully, you should be in the Windows
Registry Editor window, similar to the example shown
below.
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How to browse the Windows Registry
When most users need to edit their Registry,
they're given the location or path of where the
Registry value is located and what to change.
Below is an example path for a commonly
accessed Registry subkey. To browse to this
location, you first start by opening
the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key (folder). Once in
this key, you should see theSOFTWARE folder,
then
the Microsoft folder, Windows folder, CurrentVers
ion folder, and lastly the Run folder.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Wi
ndows\CurrentVersion\Run
Tip: Each backslash ("\") in a Registry path
represents another folder in the Registry, with
the name of that folder following the backslash.
After navigating to the above Registry path, you'll
see a window similar to the example below. In
this example, you can see four different string
value keys, which in this case are pointing to
each of the programs Windows runs each time
the computer is turned on or restarted.
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How to edit a Windows Registry value
To edit a Registry value, double-click the name of the
value you want to edit. For example, if we were to doubleclick the 'IntelliPoint' value in the example above, a new
window would appear that would allow us to change the
value of the Data. In this case, we could change the file
path of where the "ipoint.exe" file is located for the
IntelliPoint driver.
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How do I delete a Windows Registry value
To delete a Registry value, highlight any Registry Name
and then press the delete key on the keyboard. For
example, if we did not want the IntelliPoint program to
load each time Windows starts, we could highlight
IntelliPoint and then press the delete key.
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Caution: Before editing or changing anything in the
Microsoft Windows Registry, it's recommended that
you backup the Registry.
In the Windows Registry Editor, move to the Registry key
you want to edit. For example, to add a new entry into Run
section of Windows we would move to the below Registry
key (folder).
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Cu
rrentVersion\Run
Once in the appropriate key, determine the type of value
you want to add. The most common types of values are
the String (REG_SZ) and DWORD (REG_DWORD) values. A
listing of all the available value types and descriptions can
be found on our Registry definition.
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Caution: Do not guess the type of Registry
value to add. If the documentation you're
reading does not indicate the value type, we
suggest doing additional research instead of
guessing.
Once you've determined the value type, rightclick on a blank portion in the right-panel
that contains all the values and select New, as
shown in the picture. Alternatively, with the
Registry key highlighted, click Edit, and then
New.
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As can be seen in the picture, the New menu you'll be
given a list of Registry values that can be added, for
this example we will be adding a new String Value.
After selecting the Registry value, you'll be prompted
for a new name for the value. After entering the name
of the value, double-click the value name to edit the
values data and once completed click Ok. After all
changes have been made the Registry Editor can be
closed and we suggest restarting the computer.
If problems exist after restarting the computer, enter
the Registry again, and make sure the value's name
and data are correct. If you're unable to boot into
Windows, boot the computer into Safe Mode and edit
or restore the Registry from within Safe Mode.
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From time to time, users experience issues
with Microsoft Windows such as problems
upon startup, slow performance or error
messages. Luckily, most versions of Windows
have a built-in tools called Startup Repair or
Automatic Repair that can remedy these
issues without reformatting.
Automatically repair Windows 10
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Startup Repair - This option is for when your PC is
having issues upon startup. To access it, follow the
steps below.
Press the Windows Key, type Change advanced
startup options, and then press Enter.
Click on the Recovery tab.
On the right-hand side under Advanced startup, click
the Restart now button.
One the new screen, select Troubleshoot, Advanced
options, and then Startup Repair.
Select your account and enter the appropriate
password (if one is set).
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Reset this PC - This is your best bet for
"refreshing" Windows while still being able to
keep your files.
Press the Windows Key, type Reset this PC,
and then press Enter.
Click on the Recovery tab.
On the right-hand side under Reset this PC,
click the Get started button.
In the window that appears, select Keep my
files.
Automatically repair Windows 8
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Startup Repair - This option is for when your PC is having
issues upon startup. To access it, follow the steps below.
Press the Windows Key, type Change PC settings, and then
press Enter.
On the left-hand side of the PC Settings window,
select Update and Recovery, and then Recovery.
On the right-hand side under Advanced startup, click
the Restart now button.
One the new screen, select Troubleshoot, Advanced
options, and then Startup Repair.
Select your account and enter the appropriate password (if
one is set).
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Reset this PC - This is your best bet for "refreshing"
Windows while still being able to keep your files.
Press the Windows Key, type Change PC settings, and
then press Enter.
On the left-hand side of the PC Settings window,
select General.
On the lower right-hand side of the window,
select Refresh Your PC Without Affecting Your Files.
Click the Get Started button, and then click Next.
If prompted, insert whatever media you used to
install Windows 8.
Click the Refresh button.
Automatically repair Windows 7 and Vista
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Startup Repair - This option is for when your PC is having
issues upon startup. To access it, follow the steps below.
Insert your Windows 7 or Vista disc into your optical drive.
Restart or power on your computer and watch for the Press
any key to boot from CD or DVD... message.
Press any key to force Windows to boot from the disc.
Choose your language settings, and then click Next.
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Select Repair your computer.
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Select the operating system you want to repair, and then
click Next.
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System Restore - Unlike the newer versions of Windows,
Vista and 7 do not have a "refreshing" option. The next
best thing is run System Restore. Use this option for
problems not pertaining to Windows starting up.
Click Start.
In the Start search box, type System Restore and press
enter.
After processing, a window appears with two buttons at
the bottom; click Next >.
The following screen usually suggests a recent restore
point and your last critical update.
◦ If you know the date your problem started, check the box next
to Show more restore points.
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Make your selections and click Next. Then, confirm your
restore point and clickFinish.
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When
viewing
startup
programs
in
the Registry, msconfig, Task Manager, or other
location it can be difficult to know what programs
should or should not be loading. This document
contains steps on how to identify startup programs
and help determine if you want it to load.
Tip: As a general rule, it is safe to remove any startup
program. Typically, most programs automatically
start because they are monitoring the computer
(e.g. antivirus) or give a hardware device additional
features (e.g. printer software). After a program has
been removed or disabled if it needs anything that
used to load at startup, it will not load until the
program is executed.
System Configuration (msconfig)
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Note: Microsoft Windows 8 and newer has moved
startup programs from the System Configuration to
the Windows Task Manager.
Open the Startup tab in the Windows System
Configuration,
which
can
be
opened
by
running msconfig from the run or search line. Once in
the Startup tab you can find the file name of the
program under the Command column. In many cases,
you need to expand the column size by hovering the
mouse over the column divider and click and drag the
column until it is big enough to see the file name.
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As seen in the above example, after expanding
the Command column we can see the command
below.
C:\Program
Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA\RAVCpl64.exe -s
In this example "RAVCpl64.exe" is the file name
and what you would use to search and identify
what the purpose of this program is on the
computer.
Tip: The startup program is almost always going
to be an executable file, which means it ends
with .exe file extension.
Windows Registry
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Note: Keep in mind that making an improper change
in the Registry can cause problems with your
computer.
Open the Windows Registry by running
the regedit command from a run or search line. Once
in the Registry browse to the path shown below.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windo
ws\CurrentVersion\Run
Once in the Run folder you should see one or more
program that is running each time Windows starts as
shown in the picture below.
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As seen in the above example, after expanding
the Data column we can see the full file path
value for the IntelliPoint.
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard
Center\ipoint.exe
In this example "ipoint.exe" is the file name and
what you would use to search and identify what
the purpose of this program is on the computer.
Tip: The programs listed in the Run folder are
almost always going to be an executable file,
which means it ends with .exe file extension.
Windows Task Manager
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With the introduction of Microsoft Windows 8, it
is now possible to view startup programs, their
impact that make to the computers boot time as
well as enable and disable the startup programs.
Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del
on the keyboard and choosing Task Manager.
Once in the Task Manager open the Startup tab,
find the startup program, right-click on the name
and click Properties.
As seen in the above example, after right-clicking on WhatPulse and
selecting Properties the file name "whatpulse.exe" is shown. Searching
for this file name would identify what the purpose of this program is
on the computer.
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When a program or game requires access to
the Internet or another computer on a
network it must have access to send
information over a network port. To help
protect a computer from unauthorized
access, a firewall blocks all unnecessary
network ports, which prevents a network
program from communicating with another
computer. Follow the steps below to open
ports in your Windows Firewall.
Opening a port in the Windows 8 and Windows
10 Firewall
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Tip: If you're trying to allow access to a
multiplayer
computer
game.
When
the
multiplayer version of the game is opened the
Windows Firewall will prompt you if you want to
allow that program access.
Open the Control Panel.
Click System and Security
Under Windows Firewall click Allow a program or
feature through Windows Firewall to open a
window similar to the picture below.
Opening a port in the Windows Vista and Windows 7
Firewall
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Tip: If you're trying to allow access to a multiplayer
computer game. When the multiplayer version of the
game is opened the Windows Firewall will prompt you
if you want to allow that program access.
Click Start, in the Search for Programs and Files box,
type: firewall and in the found programs
click Windows Firewall.
Click Allow a program or feature through Windows
Firewall on the left column to open a window similar
to the picture below.
In the Allowed Programs window, check the box for the program you want
to grant access through the Windows Firewall. If you are playing a network
game in your local network only check the Home/Work(Private). If you
need the program to have Internet access, check the Public box.