Apostolos wrote:Hello Twixt,
THANK YOU very much for your excellent and detailed explanation. (as usual)!!
I do follow your instructions, and add momentarily the website to the trusted sites, then remove immediately.
I do this very rarely, mostly to grab an image or a video.
I have another question, if I may, but I do not want to start a new topic.
On my 3 computers, with XP Pro and W7 HP 64-bit, I always use a normal startup (msconfig), because I was told once by a Microsoft employee that it is not always good to have a selective startup because that way,it can happen that a program will not uninstall correctly.
So, with a few programs,(mostly some VAIO programs), which I do not want to uninstall, as I use them from time to time, and they do not always have a native menu so I can disable them from running at startup, I go to the registry, either HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\.......\Run OR
HKLM|.............................................
................Run (I do not remember at this moment the exact paths) but I can find them at the registry, and DELETE the startup entry.
That way, they no longer appearing as startup items in msconfig and I have the normal startup.
My question is, when I delete those entries, do they really not running at startup or it's just a false impression?
I've done this for many years, without any side effects in the OS.
Is this a good method or should I stop doing this?
Thank you in advance for your reply.
All the best,
Hi, Apostolos. Some considerations:
1. The use of Msconfig is the standard Microsoft-approved method for manipulating the Startup process. There is nothing wrong with using the Msconfig utility to enable/disable startup items. And yes, a startup item which is disabled in Msconfig (or simply deleted from the appropriate "run" subkey) does not run and will not run until added back into the appropriate runkey in the registry.
2. When you untag an item in Msconfig, it is not actually removed from the Registry. Startup entries that are unticked in Msconfig are placed in a special subkeyfolder-structure where they are inert (not enabled as part of the startup process) but are available for re-enabling at a later date if desired. All that Msconfig does is manage the interaction between the actual "run" folders and the "holder" subkeyfolders - according to which items are "ticked" or "unticked".
3. When an item is "unticked" in Msconfig, it is unavailable for manipulation by a program's install/uninstall utility - unless that install/uninstall utility has specific coding to perform housekeeping in Msconfig's "unticked" storage-keyfolder structure.
4. Since the vast majority of install programs are coded in a last-minute-hurry (while the marketing department is tapping their feet and raring to get "on the sell") - attention to detail when it comes to install-routine housekeeping commonly falls by the wayside.
Thus, items in the "unticked" Msconfig keyfolder structure are commonly "orphaned" if that program is uninstalled while the item's startup-entry is in "unticked" mode. This is the reason the Microsoft employee you talked to mentioned "problems" with uninstalling when Msconfig has"unticked" entries. The "problem" the MS employee mentioned is actually harmless - other than being unsightly. If an unticked item is restored - and the program to which that item refers is no longer present - the item will attempt to run and fail.
In some circumstances the above failure will be silent - in which case you will never know unless you manually check for congruence between the items in Msconfig and the actual installed-program-set for your Windows installation. In other cases, you will be notified of the failure-to-start - and given the opportunity to delete the offending item at Windows startup immediately following the Msconfig manipulations.
5. Msconfig decides whether "Selective Startup" is enabled/disabled on the basis of the presence/absence of items in the Msconfig "unticked" registry keyfolder structure. One or more items in the "unticked" keyfolder structure - "selective startup" is displayed. No items in the "unticked" keyfolder structure - "Normal Startup" is displayed. No magic background sleight-of-hand is performed - no dancing naked under the moon smeared with blue clay is required. 
6. If necessary, items in Msconfig's "unticked" keyfolder structure can be manipulated manually so an orphan item can be removed - if that program is uninstalled while Msconfig has disabled execution of that startup item. Navigate to:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Msconfig
and check out the subkeys under the Msconfig key. Disabled services are under the Msconfig\services typekey. Disabled startup items are under the similar startupfolder typekey. Disabled "run" commands in the Registry are under the similar startupreg typekey.
Each disabled item has a subkey under its typekey, where the title of that subkey is a function of the original name of the runkey or startupfolder icon or servicename. Deleting the appropriate subkey (leaving behind the rest of the desired subkeys or empty services, startupfolder and startupreg "parent" typekeys) is the way you remove an "unchecked" item in Msconfig if it has been orphaned.
I have created a "Favorite" in Regedit which takes me to the Msconfig keystructure. From there, it is easy to manipulate the Msconfig subkey-structure and selectively remove an offending "orphan" checkbox in Msconfig - if desired.
Note: You can also export the appropriate subkey-structures and create items which allow you to re-enable an "orphan" item in Msconfig. This is useful for situations where you want to "run clean" as far as Msconfig is concerned - but you want to be able to have the ability to "bring back" an unticked Msconfig item if desired. I use this all the time for Creative Labs Soundcard stuff - which is a real PITA to manage properly. CL install routines and software add stuff to the "run" subkey that is commonly unnecessary and sometimes harmful to system stability - especially when using older CL installation CDs that install programs that conflict with Symantec products such as Norton Internet Security and/or Norton SystemWorks.
As an aside, when dealing with CL software - using the CL auto-updater immediately upon installation of any software on a CL install disk is IMO a mandatory task. The compatibility problems between Creative software and Symantec software are resolved by the CL updates. Symantec are commonly slagged about this - but the problem is caused by poor quality-control and compatibility-testing on the part of CL and is not Symantec's fault. I commonly use Msconfig to disable all of the CL entries in startup after installing any-and-all CL software - and I only selectively re-enable the items after I am sure the CL software is completely up-to-date. 
6. There are other utilities which manage the startup process in a far-more-sophisticated-manner than Msconfig. IMO, the best utility for that task is the Sysinternals "Autoruns" utility. You will learn more about how the innards of Windows startup are managed using Autoruns than you might ever want to know - but the knowledge of how this stuff works is invaluable when it comes to figuring out why Windows is having startup problems due to some install/uninstall process' flawed implementation or flawed housekeeping routines.
Furthermore, see the Sysinternals forums for more info on the details of the "guts" of Windows than anyone but an ubergeek would ever want to know... 
A comment on other posts in this thread regarding the use of Registry Cleaners for Msconfig-style manipulation:
I cannot overemphasize the importance of not using Registry Cleaners without a very firm hand on the controls and much use of the "NO DON'T DO THAT" option. It is very common for this software to be over-zealous during cleanup - thus deleting "supposedly orphan" registry entries that are required for Windows to work properly. While updates to Cleaner-Programs fix these issues - eventually - the damage is done when an undiscovered incompatibility cripples Windows operations because the Registry Cleaner removed something it should have left alone.
Note: The best Registry Cleaner I have used is Norton WinDoctor - which is supplied as part of Norton SystemWorks 2009 (not available for W7). Even though I run that utility myself on WXP boxes I run it with manual supervision of its recommendations. I do not recommend "blindly" running any Registry Cleaner and trusting in its ability to "get things right" in all circumstances. There's just too many ways for things to go wrong, go wrong, go wrong (smoke starts pouring out of twixt's ears)... 
Hope this helps.
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