Take Control of Your Startup Programs & Fight Spyware

Thanks to all of the spyware we're so lucky to get from surfing the 'net, most computers take a while to startup and run even slower when they're up and running. Computers that act slow are usually the result of software that always boots upon startup. If you know your programs well, using the add/remove program options in the control panel may do the trick when you're sure you won't need some software. Going through Start-->All Programs-->Startup may help, but doesn't go far enough. Spyware doesn't always appear in the add/remove software window, and even when it does and you select "remove", it may not be fully removed.

How do you see what software boots when your computer does? For the last 5 years, I've used this very small program called Startup Control Panel. Basically it reads through your registry for any and all programs that run when you turn on your computer. CNET's review argues that while the program is useful, it doesn't give additional information about the programs, nor does it let you do a direct uninstall of a listed program. While it's true you have to have some idea of what the program is (or like me just take an educated guess) this program is so simple and so small that it should be on every computer. If you accidently delete a program's startup entry, it's not gone until you remove it from the "Deleted" tab. When spyware won't go away, this is incredibly handy so you may disable it and remove the annoyance. It should be noted that the file is accessed in the control panel. For removal and more info, checkout the official site below:

http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml