Where is the Startup Folder ?

Hi
Could anybody please tell me where the Startup folder or its equivalent is located in XP Home as i would like to put some selected items in it to start with win XP .
many thanks in advance for any help.

 

Should be in C:\documents and settings\your user name\start menu\programs\startup. Change the c: to the appropriate drive letter if you have XP installed to a different drive.

 

You could try going to the startbutton>Programs>Startup folder link and right click on it and select "open ". This will open your startup folder, "your" meaning which ever account you are logged onto at this time. There is also an "All Users Startup folder ". This is also available with the right click Open option. Zander's path will get you there also. I just thought I'd give you a choice.

For that matter you could right click on the startbutton and select "explore ". Open the programs folder>open the startup folder and drag any shortcut you want into it.

I could name a few more such as using the "sendto" folder but the above will do it.

 

And to further simplify the process, thanks to the wonders of the Windows GUI, you can drag any item to the Start Button, then when it opens, to the All Programs area, and when it opens on to wherever you would like it (StartUp menu, e.g.). Release and a shortcut will be placed where you selected. BTW, the Startup menu area mentioned actually represents the Startup folder for the logged on user. Mess it up, just right click and delete it. Also you can remove items from the Startup menu by right clicking and selecting Delete. That's the same as removing them from the logged on users Startup folder. Too easy, what?

 

A bit confusing.

alboy

Are you possibly refering to something that you want to load and run when Windows does ?

If so, I believe that may be something a bit different than the Start Button. Or Startup Menu.

surferdude2

Your suggestion does work great in moving things around And combining several like things into one folder.

I believe the name for this is " Drag-N-Drop "

BillyBob

 

Are you possibly refering to something that you want to load & run when Windows does

Thanks for the replies it seems that i did not make myself very clear i did mean the folder where you put shortcuts for programs that you want to load when windows starts up

 

Well, I wasn't confused but now I am. I thought that was the "Startup Folder's" purpose.

 

If you are referring to the only Startup Folder I can find which is under Start/Programs then I do not know what to think.

The only thiing in it ( on my XP Pro machine ) is 1 out of 10 (an ANCIENT Win95 program ) items that load at boot. Nothing else shows there. Msconfig shows all 10 items. But I believe MSCONFIG ( and Startup Cop also ) get their their info from the Registry not a folder.

PLus I do not believe that just draging and droping things into that folder would do the desired job anyway.

Isn't all/most of that stuff controlled by settings in the program itself ?

I just looked at of some of the items that show in Startup Cop under details they all show as being loaded from "Registry ( Machine Run ) section.

BillyBob

 

HI BB,

But I believe MSCONFIG ( and Startup Cop also ) get their their info from the Registry not a folder

Don't know, but putting a shortcut into that folder will create a reg entry.

PLus I do not believe that just draging and droping things into that folder would do the desired job anyway.

Yes it will, I've done it.

Isn't all/most of that stuff controlled by settings in the program itself ?

Apps can do that if there is the option in the program, obviously there are a lot of startup locations, this is one that the user directly controls.

I just looked at of some of the items that show in Startup Cop under details they all show as being loaded from "Registry ( Machine Run ) section.

The app that I put in there to start at bootup has no "native" option to do that. It also shows up in msconfig and in StartupCop.

Regards - Charles

 

HMMMMM !!!

Something new for me to investagate..

I am getting bored anyway so I need something new to mess with.

BB

 

I start nine programs from my startup folder, and Startup Cop shows every one of them as starting from the folder. Startup Control Panel, from Mike Lin, shows the same.

For those not be familiar with these two little gems, Startup Control Panel provides more information than Startup Cop, and has the added advantage of being free. Startup Cop, a PC Magazine utility, is not.

 

The hammer that hits the nail on the head.

 

Not the same

I ran both Startup Cop and Start Up Control Panel.

As you can see from the Screen Capture they are not the same.

The SSwitch is not in the same place as it is in Startup Cop.

But I believe the bottom line here is that we all have DIFFERENT machines and setup of same.

By me putting XP overtop of SE may have something to do with things also.

I dragged a couple of items to the Startup Folder ( where the SSwitch is )that I have and they did not start when Windows was restarted.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob:

You are looking in the wrong folder in Mike Lin's program.
Look in Startup(user) and you should see that shortcut.

The Startup folder under Documents and Settings (your user) will start every time that user starts up.
Anything in the (All Users) should start for all users.

 

BillyBob ...

I never said that Startup Cop and Startup Control Panel were the same. Obviously, they display information in different ways.

In Startup Cop all programs are displayed on a single page, and there are two ways to find where they're run from.

1. You can look at the details for the program (either by highlighting the program and clicking the Detail button or by right-clicking the program and selecting Detail from the context menu).

2. Note the priority of the program and look up Startup Item Locations in Startup Cop's Help file.​

In Startup Control Panel, the programs are found on tabs indicating where they're started from. Because Startup Cop indicates that your Ssswitch shortcut is priority 6, you should find it on the Startup (common) tab in Startup Control Panel.

I don't know what you added to your Startup Folder, but are you quite sure they didn't start? I discovered, after installing SP2, that not all programs running in the background place icons in the systray, as they did before I installed SP2.

 

Hi BB,
Keep in mind BillyBob, that you may have made and added (through programs, security permissions and manual edits), many control tweaks, all in the quest to "control your computer rather than allow it to control you ". Somewhere along the way you may have managed to stop, block or botch the function of either the startup folder and/or anything that may be in there. Not a bad thing if this works for you.

 

OK. I am seeing more of the reason for differences.

It does take a while to learn to drive a new car.

I will do some more checking into adding items to the Startup folder.

But right now I need to get out of here and go get at least the coffee made before my Wife gets home.

BillyBob

 

Many thanks

Many thanks for all the replies i hope i haven't opened a can of worms were all friends here after all .

 

Hi Alboy,
No can of worms....Adult debates or discussions, conducted in mature manner by family members who respect each other. One wishing to share, one wishing to learn, all wishing to share the ride. Sometimes they end in an agreement to disagree but what fun these rides can sometimes be.

 

The 2nd Hammer has hit the mark.

That is one reason I mentioned that we may have different machines. And as goddez1 so rightfully stated. ( indirectly ) " One ( what we may think little ) change may well make a BIG difference. "

BillyBob