Deleting start up programs in start folder

jongru · 14th February 2004

Hi All,

Need a little help with start menu folders. Are all the programs, which in my case, seem to be every program I have on the computer, just icons that can be deleted? What is the effect on the click and start routines? Will the clicking on the file extensions still start up the program.

What is negative side of having every program shown in the start up program folder? Does it use a lot of memory, slow down the comupter? I would appreciate any answers...jongru

**markp62** · 15th February 2004

Everything in Start\Programs\etc should be a shortcut, not the programs themselves.
If the file extensions are working properly, the files will start the programs.
Doesn't use a lot of ram, shouldn't slow it down, they are just files.

gammaepsilon · 15th February 2004

jongru

markp62 has just about covered your questions but your terminolgy is slightly off.

In your post heading you say “Deleting start up programs in start folder” and in the post you say “start up program folder”.

In the Start menu there is a folder called StartUp. As with all the other Start menu entries these are shortcuts to programs but these programs are actually run at start up; all the other entries in the Start menu are passive.

Some of these start up programs may do some work then close down. Some may stay around and put an entry into the System tray (bottom right) and may take up a lot of RAM and may slow your computer down if they working in the background; perhaps when the computer is idling, like a diagnostic program, and perhaps all the time, like a firewall program when you are online. Some will have hardly any effect on performance - they just sit there waiting to do some work; like a clipboard manager.

I'm pretty comfortable with my start up programs but an awful lot has gone in and given their marching orders over the years!

jongru · 15th February 2004

Thanks mark62 and gammaepsilon for the information. I thought that was what they were. I think I will leave well enough alone and don't mess with the programs shown in the start Folder.

Thank you for your input...jongru