Most users of modern computers on which Windows systems are used as the control environment know that very often one can observe among active processes the appearance of many background applications and services that start with the OS directly when the PC or laptop is turned on. Sometimes the user needs far from all automatically launched services and applications, and some of them are even capable of causing such a heavy load on resources that it becomes simply impossible to work. That is why they need to be deactivated. But how in Windows to turn off autorun programs (and installed by the user, and system applets)? Let’s try to figure out possible actions, and as solutions, we’ll look at a few basic ways to deactivate all unnecessary or unused in order to increase the performance of your own computer.
How to disable startup programs in Windows 7 and below through startup management?
Let's start with the simplest method. It can be offered as the main solution for most users who are not particularly versed in system settings. Most processes starting with Windows are included in a special startup list. Thus, some of them can be deactivated in this section of the OS parameter management. In Windows of the seventh modification and earlier systems, you can get to the autostart parameters by executing the msconfig shortcut in the Run console, which opens the configuration window.
Here you need to move to the startup tab and just uncheck the boxes for those components for which an automatic start along with the basic Windows elements is not needed. Immediately pay attention to the fact that you will not be able to deactivate the installed full-time antivirus (yes, this is not necessary). In addition, the ctfmon service will be present on the list here, which is not recommended to be disabled at all. She is responsible for switching the language, displaying the language bar, keyboard layout and the icon of the currently active language in the system tray. After deactivating the selected modules, you will be prompted to restart (this is a prerequisite).
How to turn off autostart programs in Windows 10 and 8?
The above method, in theory, could be applied to systems of a rank higher, but it does not work in them just because the configuration is redirected to the most common “Task Manager” (taskmgr). Why is that? Yes, just because the startup section in them was moved there. Actually, it’s already clear how to turn off autostart of programs in the eighth and tenth versions of Windows.
The actions are completely similar to those described above with the only difference being that they are performed in the Task Manager, and the ctfmon service is hidden from the user's eyes.
Disabling Services
Now you need to give a little explanation to all those users who are trying to stop some system processes, believing that in this way you can get rid of the load on the processor and RAM. Firstly, far from all system services can be completed just like that (the system can issue a failure notification). And secondly, some system applets, even after completion, can start again on their own. Even when you switch to viewing them on the services tab, nothing will be done. How to turn off autorun system processes in this situation? To do this, you can go directly to the services section (services.msc).
Here you need to find the components you don’t need, double-click to edit the parameters for their launch and operation, click the process stop button, then set the disabled startup type in the drop-down list, save the changes and restart the computer to be sure.
Note: you must be extremely careful in choosing which services to disable, since deactivating some of them can lead to unstable operation of Windows or even its complete failure. In the latest builds of Windows 10, among other things, even a complete deactivation of all the components responsible for updating the system does not give an effect, and updates are installed automatically, so you can not even try to disable them.
Disabling system components
Few ordinary users are aware of yet another technique that allows you to deactivate unnecessary system processes and services. Speaking about how to turn off the autorun of a service, one should not forget that even in the above section you can not always perform such actions. In order to get rid of unused processes or active system processes, you must use the programs and components section, then go to turn Windows components on and off, and then remove the active marks in the list provided. What of all this can be turned off?
For example, if you do not have a printer, you can completely disable print services. If you are not using or planning to install virtual machines, feel free to turn off the Hyper-V module. If you prefer to use third-party browsers to work with the Internet, disable Internet Explorer services, etc.
Actions in installed programs
Unfortunately, it’s far from always possible to disable some user-installed applications by the methods described above, since quite often they do not enter their own modules (for example, those responsible for searching and updating the software components themselves), but, say, in the same “Task Scheduler” "Or hide them at all. How to turn off autorun of such modules?
By and large, in order not to delve into the settings of the "Scheduler" (for some this may seem like a complicated procedure), the easiest way is to find the appropriate settings section of the application itself and disable the launch of the program at startup with the system there (usually this item is located in the general settings).
Using Optimizer Programs
Finally, understanding how to turn off the autorun of any process in the system, you can offer another simple and at the same time universal solution that involves the use of special optimizer programs, most of which have startup sections.
For example, to perform the simplest steps to deactivate unnecessary components, you can use popular utilities like Advanced SystemCare or Windows Manager.
The CCleaner application is considered to be a more powerful program, in which you can turn off not only hidden processes from the Windows auto start section, but also quickly turn off context menu items or deactivate unused modules for which the planned response time is set (for this the application has a corresponding tab, and the actions to be performed look simpler than similar procedures in the Windows Scheduler).