msconfig StartUp Entries

[AlfAlmeida]

I run Windows 98SE on my PC and have lots of duplicate entries in the StartUp tab in msconfig. Anybody know why this happens and how they can be removed ?

Also, some of the items which I have disabled (unticked) next time I boot up and look, they are enabled (ticked) again.

[Panama Red]

The ones that come back are often spyware/malware that may be on your system and needs to be removed. Run scans with Adaware and Spybot and an online scan at Trendmicro's Housecall. Then use the following link to determine if the programs in your Startup area can be unchecked.

http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php

[Mesaeus]

And to further explain : the items that come back are placed there by some running program, usually the one the setting is supposed to start. Spyware/Adware is usually very aggressive about this, but so are some other legitimate programs (I fondly remember a sound settings program for the soundblaster 128 that would do this). If there are still things coming back after the spyware scan, try using msconfig in Safe Mode or after shutting down as many processes as you can. This way, you can hopefully stop the guilty program from putting itself in the startup list. And don't forget checking to see if the returning programs have some setting to disable the system tray icon or to stop loading on boot. The soundblaster 128 program I mentioned above had this, but it was hidden in the driver settings and it was the only real way to stop it.

[rspassey]

Just to make sure - are you clicking apply first, then okay?

Like mentioned above, spyware and malware could both be causes; make sure to scan your system (in safe mode too).

[GaryRouth]

. . . and, one more little note:

It's OK to see two Power Profiles. Those are legitimate, and do not detract from good use of system resources. Pacman's site (that Panama linked you to) really does have one of the best introductions to the whole startup processes situation in Windows - and one of the clearest introductions to system resource issues in Win9x (largely resolved in WinNT/2000/XP).

. . . Gary

[Kubie]

You may want to bookmark this site. It explains all of the mumbo-jumbo in MSCONFIG. This way you'll know what needs to run and what shouldn't run.

http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php