Total Privacy
Privacy Utilities > AutoStart Programs

Wrest Back Control of Your Startup Process

If you are like most computer users, you probably have no idea how many programs start themselves when you start your computer and Windows (and you probably don't care!). However, if you start to notice that your computer and Windows are taking an inordinately long time to start, then the chances are that it's these AutoStart Programs that are slowing things down.

Whilst many of these programs are key to the continued functioning of your system as expected, many are not and you can use Total Privacy's Windows Startup Manager to take back control of your startup process by loading only the required and desired programs at startup. Total Privacy 5.5 will automatically detect and report all programs that autostart with Windows - even those that don't want to be found!

Note: At this point, a note of caution is probably in order. Many of the listed AutoStart Programs are system files or drivers that are actually required for your hardware, peripherals or system to function correctly. Removing or otherwise altering them could cause unexpected behaviour or system malfunction. Some technical knowledge is useful when setting these options. A good simple rule-of-thumb is probably that if you don't understand what an item is and what is does, then don't touch it!

To Manage the Programs that Startup Automatically

Windows Startup Manager

Click on the Privacy Utilities button (Welcome Screen) and then click on the AutoStart Programs button on the Privacy Utilities toolbar (top of screen). The Windows Startup Manager will be displayed (as at right).

Note: The list of programs that start themselves automatically when you start Windows is detected by Total Privacy and displayed in the Windows Startup Manager.

For each of the programs listed, the Windows Startup Manager offers you the following options…

• Enabled: Select the program and click the 'Enabled' button to allow this program to start automatically when Windows starts.
• Disabled: Select the program and click the 'Disabled' button to prevent this program from starting automatically when Windows starts.
• Delete: Select the program and click the 'Delete' button to permanently delete this program.

  Note: The caution above applies particularly here. Please note it very carefully before you delete programs.

• Refresh: Click the 'Refresh' button to refresh the Windows Startup Manager list of programs.

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