Ever load a program and get some of those pesky startup items driving you nuts in the background? Worse yet, ever install one of those programs, only to find that it doesn't have an uninstaller, or that the uninstaller for the application is broken? You may have used a utility called MSCONFIG to disable these startup items. Did you know that by doing this, you can set yourself up for leaving behind pointers in the registry which will call the very item you are trying to disable? How about doing away with the item once and for all so you don't have to see it again? This article will focus on doing just that.

The first step is to locate the place from which the item is starting. Often this is going to be either in the Startup group on your start menu or in the Run key of the registry. Assuming it is from the startup group on the start menu, you can just click on Start and then go to Programs and then Startup, right click the item and delete it. *

So you don't find it in the startup group. Now what? Well, if you happen to be using Windows XP, you're in luck. Open MSCONFIG and click the Startup tab. Do you notice that under the location header, it gives you the location in the registry? This is also the same location in Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Pop up your registry editor by going to Start > Run and typing in "regedit" (without the quotes). Browse to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run Highlight the folder (also commonly referred to as a "key") and look to your right. Wala! There's your startup group. Now before you go on a killing rampage with those startup items that have been bugging you for weeks, right-click the RUN key and choose Export. Save the key to a place where you can easily find it should you make a mistake. Once you have backed it up, delete the values on the right which point to the pesky startup items.

All done? Close the registry editor and reboot your computer to test your work. If you've done it correctly, those startup items will be gone! As a side note, it wouldn't be a bad idea to download a spyware removal utility such as Adaware or Spybot. You might be surprised at what you'll find...

* Note: If you are using Windows 2000 or XP and can not seem to get the item to stop appearing in your startup group on the start menu, it is possible that it has been placed in the "All Users" group's startup list. To remove it from this location, browse to c:\documents and settings\all users\start menu\startup and delete the item.