Whenever you install Microsoft Office, you may notice a startup item is added: the Office Startup Assistant. If you have ever wondered what this does, take a look at this Microsoft KB article:
The Osa.exe file does the following:
- Initializes automation.
- Initializes some of the common fonts installed by Office.
- Handles certain commands (New Office Document, Open Office Document, Help, and Screen Saver) on the All Programs menu (click Start).
- Displays Microsoft Outlook notifications when the Office Assistant is available.
In a nutshell, this simply pre-loads information used by MS Office so when it comes time to open a document, it will load faster. In my opinion, much like the Adobe Reader Speed Launcher, this is a waste of resources and you can safely disable this startup item. Office loads reasonably fast and with the speed of current computers, you probably will not notice a difference. While the footprint of this utility is small, every little bit helps.
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