Although they’re meant to be a convenient feature, Windows start up programs are a pain in the neck for many people. Waiting for your computer to boot up can be very frustrating, especially when it’s keeping you from getting work done. Having a whole bunch of start up programs will mean that your computer will boot up and run more slowly. Your computer can run more quickly and more efficiently once you’ve decreased the number of programs that begin running at computer start up. They key to reducing computer boot times is knowing which start up programs are necessary and which ones are suitable for you to start up manually only when you need to use them.

How Start Up Programs Slow Down Your Computer

Start up programs are programs that automatically start running when you turn on your computer. Icons of these programs will usually be displayed in the system tray on the lower right-hand of your screen as the various programs load up. These programs are up and running in the background and ready to be used at any time once the computer has started up. Some start up programs however, are a little bit harder to spot, as they are not displayed in the system tray. In these cases, you might not even know that your computer has a whole bunch of programs running in the background. Additionally, you may not have set these programs to begin at start up yourself. When some programs are installed on a computer, they automatically set themselves as start up programs unless the user deliberately indicates otherwise. This can lead to programs starting up unnecessarily.

As they load and run, all start up programs take up some of the hard drive’s memory, which can lead to slower processing times and decreased performance of your computer as a whole. A particularly significant reduction in performance might occur if you are running other computer programs while a selection of start up programs runs in the background simultaneously. This will also result in longer boot up and shut down times. Because of the strain that unnecessary and unused Windows start up programs cause on an operating system, it is beneficial to know which start up programs are necessary and which are not.

Unnecessary Start Up Programs

Although what is necessary for you depends on your own needs and preferences, some programs are more essential to start up automatically than others. For some users, applications that aren’t used every day, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, do not need to be a start up program. Unless you read PDFs often during the day, you can open the program as needed instead of having it open upon start up. Other programs like QuickTime, music applications, and photo downloading software can also fall into this category. For instance, if you only load photos from your camera only once in awhile, it doesn’t make sense to have your photo software starting up every day. Consider your own usage patterns and adjust your start up programs accordingly.

Essential Start Up Programs

An example of a start up program that is necessary for just about everyone is a security program. Security programs include antivirus and firewall software. These programs perform the important task of keeping harmful files and applications, such as malware like viruses, worms, spyware, and Trojan horses, from gaining access to your system. Although these programs may cause your computer to take a few extra moments to start up, they more than make up for the delay with the enormous protection they provide your operating system and personal data.