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& Speed Up Your Computer Today's computers are capable of doing many different things at once; however, having multiple programs open at the same time can cause each one to run more slowly. Worse yet, if programs not currently being used are running in the background, the ones you are using are slowed down even more. What might such a needlessly running program be? Well, a good example is RealPlayer. This media player is needed to hear songs whose file names have .RA or .RAM extensions. However, RealPlayer is programmed to start running the moment you turn on your PC — whether you plan to use it or not. Windows Media Player, conversely, is not so-rigged. Another example is AOL. Why have this big program open and running if you are not going to use it? Turn AOL on only if and when you need it. So are there any programs that should start running when one's computer is turned on? Well, Internet users should have their anti-virus program up and running. Also, an illustration below shows the items I prefer to have running at Startup time.
Here's how to use MSCONFIG (Microsoft Configuration)
to help control these programs: Go to Start>Run, type msconfig, and click OK. Click the Startup tab to see a list of programs with a check box next to each. It's not uncommon to find all of them (many with cryptic names) selected with checkmarks. By horizontally adjusting the "Command" and "Location" dividers, you can read a little more about each program. Most of us don't need more than two or three of these items checked. In any case, unchecking an item does NOT delete the program; you are simply telling it not to start running when you turn on your computer. Furthermore, any deslected item can be re-enabled whenever you want. If you are uncertain about what to turn off, deselect everything. Reboot to see how your PC is behaving. If anything seems amiss, return to MSCONFIG and checkmark whichever program you suspect might be the culprit. If uncertain, mark the first item in the list, reboot, and review the computer's performance again. Repeat the process as needed. In any case, do not assume that this is a one-time ritual. Software authors have sneaky ways of adding new items to the list, and re-enabling items you have deselected. For instance, I recently downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader, and found that Adobe had placed "Adobe Reader Speed Launch" on the list, despite the fact that I rarely use Acrobat Reader. Beyond that, AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) gets rechecked whenever I use it. © Donald Ray Edrington - All Rights ReservedNotice the illustration below for a view of my current MSCONFIG Startup list. Yours will likely not be the same, since we all use different programs.
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