Start-up Items

I think that there are too many items in my start-up menu…I believe the only ones I really need are the normal OS files, Anti-Virus and network connections. Correct? How do I go about determine which apps are there and how do I go about modifying them? I don't mind opening each Application as I actually use it. Thanks in advance.

Hi ILoveLabs,

to answer your question:
I run machines with Win98, Win 2000, WinXP Pro and Home, and Vista

All are networked via NIC adapter - Router - DSL modem - and are dial-up capable too.
I have MS Office, and the usual applications, as well as many specialty apps and communication apps.

The only thing I have running from StartUp on any of these machines is AntiVirus and Firewall.
Been that way for several years without a hitch.
________

You can get an excellent overview of your machine with the PCPitstop Full Tests
http://www.pcpitstop.com

It includes recommendations about running applications and processes that aren't necessary and includes "linked references" for additional information about the item and how to disable it.
Most can be disabled via MSCONFIG
Some require other specific steps.

You can post the TechExpress Link from your PCPitstop Full Tests back here into this thread if you would like to have assistance with reviewing the results and recommended tune-up suggestions.

Best Regards

Edit: When I first read your username, I thought of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, and thought….????
Silly me.
Then I realized that you are probably referring to the four-legged, golden colored variety of creatures who excel at using human emotion against us, and fully believe that they are entitled to be treated as citizens, family members, and partners in joint-tenancy, and mutual property ownership.

LOL…you gave me a good chuckle for the day!! I had never thought about 'Labs' in the Labratory sense. I have a one track mind, I suppose. Your description is remarkably accurate…I couldn't have said it better! Although I would modify 'golden colored variety' to read 'golden colored, black, and brown' as I have what is known as the 'Variety Pack' (one of each). Thank you so much for your reply and for offering to help me out with this. My PC seems a bit slow at times (especially when using Photoshop, Bridge, etc.). I realize these hog system resources but with 2 RAM, I would expect it to be a bit faster. Again, thank you Dough (as in money) for your help Test Details TipsIn the tips and the tables, red indicates a serious problem, yellow a minor problem, and blue a suggestion. • Adjust IE browser cache size • Enable System Restore • Adjust Receive Buffer Size Windows ConfigurationDescription Your Results Common Name Windows XP Pro SP2 Full Version Windows XP Pro SP2 First Install Fri Sep 29 2006 Free Resources 90% Fonts Installed 912 Windows Scripting Version 5.6.0.8820 PCPitstop Version 170 CPU Load 6% Running ProgramsMalicious or poorly written running programs are a common cause of poor performance and system instability. We strongly recommend that you use an antivirus program like CA Anti-Virus and a spyware scanner such as PC Pitstop Exterminate on a regular basis. To get control over your running programs we suggest WinTasks 5 Pro. Click on a file name to see more information about it. Legend: Virus Spyware/Adware Optional Required No data designates programs that can safely be disabled to improve computer performance, PC Pitstop Optimize disables these programs. Name Vendor Complete File Name HP choice eliminator Hewlett-Packard C:\Program Files\HP\Digital Imaging\bin\hpotdd01.exe Intel Hotkeys Intel Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\hkcmd.exe PcScnSrv.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcScnSrv.exe StarWind Rocket Division Software C:\Program Files\Alcohol Soft\Alcohol 120\Sta … \StarWindService.exe Canon Access Library Canon Inc. C:\Program Files\Canon\CAL\CALMAIN.exe Debugger Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS7DEBUG\MDM.EXE GoogleToolbarNotifier Google Inc. C:\Program Files\Google\GoogleToolbarNotifier … \GoogleToolbarNotifier.exe avgas.exe Anti-Malware Development a.s. C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\avgas.exe Realtek HD Audio Realtek Semiconductor Corp. C:\WINDOWS\RTHDCPL.EXE Office XP speech Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\ctfmon.exe Intel® Common User Interface Intel Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\igfxpers.exe Printer Utility HP C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\hpztsb08.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PccGuide.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\TmPfw.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\Tmntsrv.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\tmproxy.exe Anti-Malware Development a.s. C:\Program Files\Grisoft\AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5\guard.exe Hewlett-Packard Co. C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP Software Update\HPWuSchd2.exe Trend Micro Inc. C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\Internet Securit … \TMAS_OEMon.exe Hewlett-Packard Company c:\Program Files\Common Files\LightScribe\LSSrvc.exe HP Keyboard Hewlett-Packard Company C:\HP\KBD\KBD.EXE Microsoft eHome Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\ehome\ehtray.exe Wacom Graphics Tablet Wacom Technology, Corp. C:\WINDOWS\system32\Tablet.exe Print spooler Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe Windows Update Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\wuauclt.exe Trend Micro Internet Security Trend Micro Inc. C:\PROGRA~1\TRENDM~1\INTERN~1\PcCtlCom.exe Spybot S&D; Safer Networking Limited C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy\TeaTimer.exe aniServ.exe Airgo Networks, Inc. C:\WINDOWS\System32\aniServ.exe Internet Explorer Microsoft Corporation C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE Windows Explorer Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE Microsoft Media Center Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\eHome\ehmsas.exe Local Security Authority Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe Service control process Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe Service host process Microsoft Corporation C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe Performance-Related Windows Settings The following settings may be helpful in diagnosing general system performance problems. Setting name Value Video acceleration disabled No Paging of kernel disabled No Screen saver running during tests No NOIDE key found in registry No Running 32-bit code on 64-bit Windows No System Restore disabled Yes Large System Cache enabled No Has batteries No Hibernate enabled No HIBERFIL.SYS present No Hibernate policy in use No Sleep/Resume policy in use Yes Running on battery power No Internet Configuration Run our Free PC Pitstop Optimize 1.5 Scan to check proper registry settings for your connection type. Optimize tweaks the optimal registry values to get the most from your Internet connection. Try our free Optimize 1.5 Scan Now! Learn More. Description Your Results Bandwidth Down 6419 Kbits/sec Bandwidth Up 501 Kbits/sec Average Ping 0 ms Ping Loss 100% TCP Receive Window (default) External IP Address [removed] Internal IP Address 192.168.2.3 Browser MSIE 7.0; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; Media Center PC 3.1 IE current cache 26 MB IE max cache 1225 MB Packet8 Internet Phone Service Make unlimited voice calls on your broadband Internet connection for only $19.99/month! Forget long distance phone bills with Packet8 Voice-over-IP technology. Click here for information on how to get startedThe Bandwidth tests measure the Internet bandwidth between your computer and PC Pitstop's servers. In general, if your bandwidth result is at least 85% of the rated connection speed, you're receiving good throughput (though shared connections may affect this, too). Average Ping measures the round-trip time for a packet to travel from the PC being tested to PC Pitstop's web site and back; lower numbers indicate better performance. Ping times under 150ms are typical of T1, DSL, or cable modems. Consistent ping times of more than 500ms should only be seen in connections that span continents (e.g., USA to Europe) and/or are linked by satellite. Ping losses usually indicate serious Internet congestion. Internet performance can be erratic for many different reasons, so you can't expect to get maximum bandwidth and ping performance every time you test. You should test several times and at different times of the day to get the most accurate picture of your connection speed. To repeat only our Bandwidth test and get more information, plus tips for improving performance, click here. For additional testing of your browser configuration and Internet connection, we recommend BrowserTune. More Internet related Settings The following settings may be helpful in diagnosing internet performance problems. Setting name Value Using a proxy No HTTP 1.1 through proxy Enabled Yes HTTP 1.1 Enabled Yes Check for newer pages turned off No Show Pictures No Format docs using my style sheet No Content Advisor enabled No Check Associations Disable No Enable Automatic Image Resize Yes Enable third-party browser extensions No Enable page transitions Yes Always use my {colors|fonts|size} No Security ConfigurationDescription Your Results IE Restricted Zone Permissions None Security-Related Windows Settings The following settings may be helpful in diagnosing spyware and browser hijacks. Setting name Value Explorer: Some drive letters are hidden No Explorer: Hide extensions for known file types No Explorer: Hide protected operating system files No Explorer: Do not show hidden files and folders No Explorer: Do not display contents of system folders No HOSTS location remapped via the Registry No System File Protection disabled No Main BoardDescription Your Results Brand/Model HP Pavilion 061 PX721AA-ABA M7160N Type Desktop Serial Number MXK5230826 NA570 BIOS Phoenix Technologies, LTD 3.17 04/20/2006 System Board ASUSTek Computer INC. LIMESTONE 1.05 ProcessorDescription Your Results Brand/Model Intel Pentium D (2 CPUs) Nominal Clock Speed 2800 MHz Measured Clock Speed 2800 MHz External Clock Speed 200 MHz CPU Load 6% Speed Rating 8660 (100% of 4638 similar) Memory ConfigurationDescription Results RAM installed 2048 MB Windows RAM 2039 MB Total RAM slots 4 Available RAM slots 0 Max RAM module size 1024 MB Memory Type 512+512+512+512;DIMM,?19,|Synchronous;T16 Speed Rating 6739 MB/s (101% of 4638 similar) Memory Tip On virtually any system, memory is the best bang-for-the-buck upgrade, especially if you currently have 256MB or less. Installing memory is a snap, it just works and your PC is faster. PC World has put together a step-by-step guide if you need help. With prices so low lately I've purchased a lot of memory, and all of it has been from Crucial. Their prices beat the competition and they currently have free shipping. – Rob Cheng, CEO, PC PitstopUpgrading memory can give your computer extra performance. Crucial Technology can identify the memory you need at very competitive prices. Speed rating is measured in megabytes per second. The percentage indicates the performance of this system compared to systems in our database with a similar CPU and clock speed; the number of similar systems is also shown. For example, a score of 50% would indicate this system had half the performance of comparable systems; 200% would indicate twice the performance. A "normal" number is 100% plus or minus about 15%. The System Management BIOS is reporting that there is 2048 MB of RAM, but Windows reports that 2039 MB is available. The most common reason for this discrepancy is that your system uses some system RAM for the video graphics card or BIOS functions. This case is common in highly-integrated PCs with video graphics built into the system board, and does not require any changes on your part. Drive LettersThese are drive letters associated with hard disk drives. This list does not include drive letters for floppy disks or other removable media such as CD-ROM, DVD, Zip or Jaz drives. Description Drive C Drive D Partition format NTFS FAT32 Cluster size 4 KB 4 KB Drive label HP_PAVILION HP_RECOVERY Size 228734 MB 9711 MB Free space 97508 MB (43%) 3126 MB (32%) Junk files 156 MB (0%) 0 MB (0%) System Restore Space Not tested Not tested Data fragmentation 1% Not tested File fragmentation 0% Not tested Uncached speed 43 MB/s (95%) 55 MB/s (122%) Percentages shown for free space, junk files (temporary files, browser cache, Recycle Bin files), and system restore space represent the size relative to the total disk capacity. A disk with 50% free space is half-full (or half-empty, if you're an optimist). PC Pitstop Optimize is an easy way to keep your hard disk free of unnecessary files. Our full tests only perform disk health checking on the C drive. We recommend that you check the health of your other drives using Disk MD. Data fragmentation measures the percentage of data on the disk that is contained in fragmented files. File fragmentation is the percentage of files on the disk that are fragmented. Some disk optimization programs such as Window's Disk Defragmenter intentionally fragment files to place them in the best position to ensure quick program loading, so the fragmentation measures may be non-zero even after running a disk optimizer. For more details check out Disk MD. Cached and uncached speed is measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). When a percentage is shown for cached and uncached speed, it compares the performance of the drive with those of systems in our database with the same processor and clock speed. (Our database currently has 4638 similar systems.) A rating of 200% means a disk is twice the performance of similar systems, 50% means it's half the performance. Cached disk speed generally measures the efficiency of the system's processor and memory system, not the performance of the hard disk. Uncached speed is most affected by the physical hard disk and the disk interface. Disk DrivesHere are the physical disk drives that we have detected on your system: Drive 0 Drive letters CD Removable media No Brand/Model ST3250823AS IDE details Serial number Revision level For IDE drives, IDE details show whether the drive has DMA enabled and is an IDE master (single drive, or master drive in a master/slave pair). CD/DVD DrivesHere are the CD and DVD drives that we have detected on your system: Model Type Max Read Speed Max Write Speed HP DVD Writer 640c DVD-RW 7056 KB/s (40X) 7056 KB/s (40X) IDE-DVD DROM6216 DVD-ROM 7040 KB/s (40X) N/A Video BoardDescription Your Results Brand/Model Intel® 82945G Express Chipset Family Resolution 1280x1024 pixels Colors 16 million DirectX version 5.03.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158) OpenGL version 5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158) Acceleration options Enabled Performance 224.96 MP/s (100% of 819 similar) Get Updated Drivers! Run TouchStone's Free DriveAgent to find your PCs most up-to-date drivers. Better Performance Improved Stability Fast and Easy PC Pitstop's video performance performs a basic test of your system's graphics capabilities and reports the result in millions of pixels displayed per second (MP/s). The percentage indicates the performance of this system compared to systems in our database with a similar CPU, clock speed, and video board. For example, a score of 50% would indicate this system had half the performance of comparable systems; 200% would indicate twice the performance. Determining "normal" performance can be difficult, there can be wide differences due to video drivers even on the same video board. (You can use TouchStone's DriverAgent to see if you have the latest driver.) MonitorsDescription Monitor Samsung 320 Samsung 320 Max. Resolution (HxV) 1600 x 1200 pixels 1600 x 1200 pixels Screen Size (HxV) 34 x 27 cm 34 x 27 cm Viewable Diagonal Size 17.09 inch 17.09 inch Manufacture Date April 2003 April 2003 Serial Number 1195913527 1195913527

Hi again ILoveLabs,

I didn't notice before that you are finishing up some work with Mac70 over in Malware Removal.
Our work here is "unlikely" to affect anything that you are doing over there
But "best practice" is to not make "system" changes during the course of malware removal.

So let's put this work on hold for just enough time for you to finish up over there in Malware Removal.

In the meantime, it would help me get a better overview of your machine if you posted the actual "link" to TechExpress, instead of the "text" that you posted.
Here's an image of where you need to "click" to get to your TechExpress Link.
[external image: Posted Image]
Copy/Paste the "full link address" of your TechExpress into your next reply.
I'll start looking it over as you complete your work with Mac70.

Best Regards

Actually dough is Doug H, hearkening back to grade school when a surname initial was added when two students of the same first name were in the same class. When I registered, there was already a doug registered, so I absently registered as dough, not even thinking that some would associate my username with the Pilsbury doughboy, while others would associate the username with money.

Hello again,

Actually, Mac70 is helping me with my laptop and this inquiry in in reference to my desktop

As requested, the link follows:



http://www.pcpitstop.com/TechExpress.asp?id=G3N1HWQZUPWS39ZW

I think that there are too many items in my start-up menu…I believe the only ones I really need are the normal OS files, Anti-Virus and network connections. Correct?

How do I go about determine which apps are there and how do I go about modifying them?

I don't mind opening each Application as I actually use it.

Thanks in advance.

Hi ILoveLabs,

This program may help you, it is a small download and does not have to be installed.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/startuplite.php

Hope it may assist you,

kind regards,