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.
Jason Faulkner is the man who brings you our daily tips. He is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
good tip there, i do the same thing. i kill off a bunch of unnecessary processes at boot up. no reason to have them running if youre not going to make use of the associated apps.