Stop a program opening on startup

YOURLifeChoices member Michael wants to stop specific programs from loading when his computer turns on. Drew explains how to stop programs loading on startup.

Q. Dear Drew,

I have recently converted to using Google+ Hangouts instead of Skype for video conferencing with my family. I now have no need for Skype and a few other programs which load when my computer turns on. Can you please tell me how to stop these programs from loading?

Thanks, Michael

A. Hi Michael,

What a great question! I have also been forced to close a number of programs which I no longer use every time my computer starts up. Since receiving your question, I have followed the process below and found my computer loaded much more quickly once I got rid of the previous annoyances.

Open the start menu (bottom left of your screen). Depending on your version of Windows, you either click on the ‘Run’ button located in the second panel, or click in the white space with the grey text ‘Search programs and files’ directly above the start menu key. In either version, now type in ‘msconfig’ and then press enter.

You need to be very careful with what you change during this process. At the top of the System Configuration menu which has now opened, there are five tabs. Click on the ‘Startup’ tab. The following is a list of all the programs which launch on startup. Scroll down until you see ‘Skype’ and uncheck the box to the left of the program name. At the bottom of the menu you will find the ‘Apply’ button which you need to click. Finish by clicking ‘Ok’. Finally, you need to restart you computer so click the ‘Restart’ button which appears. You will find that the program will no longer load on startup. If you ever wish to re-enable that program to load on startup, follow the exact same steps, ensuring you check the box next to the program’s name.