Startup Cop

Startup Cop • Download • Demo

Continued from The Restore Profile Tab

Windows 98 includes two separate utilities related to programs that launch at start-up: System Information and System Configuration. The System Information utility, accessed by clicking Start menu | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Information, displays a list of programs that are launched at start-up, and identifies whether each was launched from the Registry, Win.ini, or another. However, it doesn't let you disable items, and it doesn't show disabled items. If you press F5, this utility will reread the list of start-up items from the system.

The System Configuration utility, launched from the Tools menu of the System Information utility, lists all start-up items and disabled start-up items. It lets you enable and disable items, but doesn't identify where they come from, and it doesn't let you permanently delete unwanted items. There appears to be no way to make it reread the list of start-up items from the system, short of closing the program and starting it again.

Startup Cop is fully compatible with these Windows 98 utilities. It uses the same techniques for enabling and disabling items that Windows 98 does, and gives you the power of both its start-up management utilities in a single package.

Note that you should not make changes to the start-up items with Startup Cop at the same time you are making changes with Windows 98's System Configuration utility. If you do so despite this warning, you can click the Reset button to force Startup Cop to read changes made by the System Configuration utility. You will have to close down the System Configuration utility and launch it again, however, to make it read the changes made by Startup Cop.

Next: Inside Startup Cop

Published in the 4/20/99 issue of PC Magazine.