Solved How to remove unwanted startup entries in msconfig?

I've done this in every version of windows, and i found the following in 7 which seems o be the same place in the registry that i'd delete them in other versions...

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg

Found it by doing a search in regedit for one of the msconfig entries. I exported one of them so i could add it back in case this was a mistake, then deleted it from the registry. Opened msconfig and startup tab and sure enough it was gone. However, I stopped short of removing all the unwanted stuff because i noticed there were only about 1/2 as many things there as i have in the msconfig startup. Theres even at least one thing listed in that registry folder thats NOT in msconfig, further making me hesitant to do this. So i figured that might be the wrong place to delete them from. Whats up here? If that IS the right place why so many things missing? If it isn't the right place, where IS the right place? (my search found nothing else tho so i can't see how it can't be the right place)

Hi dazco

You could just use CCleaners start-up tab to enable/disable or remove start-up entries.

Danny

I dont know whether this answers your question but I think only the unchecked msconfig entries are stored under that reg key (startupreg). The active (checked) entries are located under:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – Software – Microsoft – Windows – CurrentVersion – Run

HKEY_CURRENT_USER – Software – Microsoft – Windows – CurrentVersion – Run

HKEY_CURRENT_USER – Software – Microsoft – Windows NT – CurrentVersion – Windows

Hello Dazco,

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for either, but it may help.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1401-startup-programs-change.html

Maybe it's just me but I've read various things that seem to imply there's some dependency issues that could come into play when deleting startup entries in the registry. Delete "A" and "G" might not work. Delete "T" and maybe "K" gets borked.

With Danny's idea above (to use CCleaner) you could disable startup items rather than delete them from the registry. Wouldn't that be a safer approach? Especially considering that Windows 7 seems to do a much better job of optimizing itself without a lot of user tweaking in the registry.

I prefer Autoruns to CCleaner for disabling 3rd party start-up items but both are valid options

Hello dazco

The advantage of Ccleaner come into its own for deleting those start up keys that sometimes get left behind after uninstalling a program, and are now redundant, without messing through the registry for them.
Anything thats still in use/installed I would do what marsmimar suggested and just disable them with this or in msconfig, that way if you need them again they are there waiting.

Danny

I think i figured it out, and yes, you are right about the checked items. But there were more unchecked entries in msconfig than in that reg folder. However, i found the missing ones in the folder that the startupreg folder is in called "startupfolder". In other words, the startupreg folder is a subfolder to that one and the missing entries are in that. Why, i don't know. And i will export them before i delete them just to be safe.

I would use that cc cleaner, but i hate installing yet another app just to do one thing lie this.

dazco said:

I think i figured it out, and yes, you are right about the checked items. But there were more unchecked entries in msconfig than in that reg folder. However, i found the missing ones in the folder that the startupreg folder is in called "startupfolder". In other words, the startupreg folder is a subfolder to that one and the missing entries are in that. Why, i don't know. And i will export them before i delete them just to be safe.

I would use that cc cleaner, but i hate installing yet another app just to do one thing lie this.

Click to expand...

Yes, that startupfolder key also comes into place though IDK how the entries get distributed between startupfolder and startupreg.

i couldnt find this key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg

I am running on Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit.

I havent tried looking in regedit 64 bit only the 32 bit version and the key is no where to be found. I even tried searching "msconfig" but the above key didnt show up

I believe That key is the one which exists only long enough to warn you at next startup that you have edited msconfig. I dont' know why else it would have msconfig in it.

I like to get the cleanest possible boot by unchecking everything in msconfig>Startup and >Services (after Hiding All MS Services) except AV.

i want to delete the unchecked Startup items in msconfig using registry. Thats the reason i'm looking for this key. Ive googled and some forums say this is the key which has the list of all the unchecked items but somehow i couldnt find it. Maybe because im using a 64 bit environment

Why use the registry. MS provides msconfig for this purpose, while CCleaner and Autoruns offer an even more user-friendly interface.

I would not muck in the registry because it can easily go bad even for the most experienced user if a careful script isn't followed and Restore Points aren't set with enough disk space apportioned to hold them all long enough to roll back unintended consequences: System Protection - Change Disk Space Usage .

In msconfig next to each startup item there is a "LOCATION" column. This is the registry entry you may delete.

sjiannis said:

In msconfig next to each startup item there is a "LOCATION" column. This is the registry entry you may delete.

Click to expand...

those are for Checked items. When it is unchecked in msconfig, the registry will move it to a different location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig\startupreg

but in my computer, (running win7 64bit) this location is missing in regedit.

What about the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools \ MSConfig \ startupfolder ?
Also have you checked HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MsConfig area?

sjiannis said:

What about the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools \ MSConfig \ startupfolder ?
Also have you checked HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MsConfig area?

Click to expand...

I found out the problem. HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MSConfig wasn't missing at all.
I couldn't find it because the location is not there in regedit.exe*32bit. i was using "regjump" to open regedit but it opens the 32 bit version instead of the 64 bit version.
When i open the 64 bit version of regedit (start-run-> regedit) the location is there.

The second location u stated above (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\MsConfig) is not in both regedit though

Its quite confusing why microsoft installed both regedit versions in Windows 7 64 bit.