Member Avatar for Rob2570

I was just wondering how I can remove old start up files from MSCONFIG.
I'm running Win XP Pro

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This thread covers removing stale startup entries shown by msconfig on Windows XP Pro. is right that identifying what each entry is helps; is also right that msconfig mainly disables items rather than permanently removing every leftover record. The practical approach is to locate where an entry actually lives and remove it from that location while taking basic safeguards first.

Places to check (common sources msconfig aggregates):

  • User and All Users Startup folders: C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\Start Menu\Programs\Startup and C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup.
  • Registry Run keys: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run (also RunOnce and legacy RunServices keys can appear).
  • Services: HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\<ServiceName> and the Services MMC.
  • Scheduled Tasks (Control Panel -> Scheduled Tasks) and occasional Explorer or shell extensions.

Practical safe workflow:

  1. Create a System Restore point and export any registry keys before editing.
  2. Use the startup list to note the exact item name and its command/path.
  3. Remove shortcuts from the Startup folders if present.
  4. For registry entries, export the key then delete the matching value under the Run/RunOnce keys.
  5. For services, set to Disabled in services.msc and, if safe, remove with sc delete ServiceName or by deleting the service key after uninstalling.
  6. Reboot and verify; restore if something breaks.

Tools and cautions:
Autoruns (Sysinternals) gives a complete view and safer controls than msconfig for permanent removal. HijackThis can produce logs (as mentioned) but needs careful interpretation. If an entry is unknown, verify its publisher/path and scan for malware before deleting.

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Member Avatar for Temmu

open google.
open msconfig.
one at a time, type in the word in the "startup item" column into the google query. search.
you now know what you have.
unistall that program if you wish.

happy hunting!

Member Avatar for caperjack

i think the question is how to remove from msconfig the programs listed that have all ready been uncheck and stopped from starting up!!.i don't know the answer as i don't use msconfig to stop the programs i don't want starting up ,i use hijackthis to do that

Member Avatar for Temmu

my answer answers that... if you uninstall them, they are no longer listed.

i would not want to hack the registry to remove entries from msconfig; that would make it difficult to detect some running programs, unless that is your intent...

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