How to manage startup programs with the System Mechanic Advanced Startup Manager tool
This article applies to:
- System Mechanic 7
- System Mechanic 7 Professional
- System Mechanic 8
- System Mechanic 8 Professional
Question
How do I use the System Mechanic Advanced Startup Manager to safely manage and/or modify programs set to automatically start each time Windows is loaded?
Answer
The Advanced Startup Manager in System Mechanic provides tools to safely manage the programs that start each time Windows is loaded.
To use the Advanced Startup Manager:
1. Open System Mechanic by double clicking on its desktop icon.
2. From the main navigation panel, select Tools>Individual Tools to display a list of tool categories..
3. From the category list select Manage System Configuration, locate the Configure Windows Startup tool and click the corresponding Start button.
Notes: The Startup Manager window has two panes, folders on the left, and the associated detail information on the right. When you first use Advanced Startup Manager, all disabled items are enabled and marked by a green checkmark.
5. The icons next to each item allow you to quickly decipher the startup status and other details. To toggle the Status and Category icons, click Show Legend/Hide Legend.
6. To choose the operation mode, click View and then select either Basic Mode or Expert Mode.
a. Expert Mode is intended for tech savvy users and it displays all startup items and locations on your PC.
b. Basic Mode only shows basic startup locations and entries.
7. To see item information, highlight the item in the right pane and click Properties. You can also click the plus (+) sign to expand the entry and see additional file information.
To manage startup items:
1. To modify startup activity, in the right-hand pane, highlight the item and right-click (or use the corresponding button in the toolbar) to select an action. The options are:
a. Disable: Disables items from starting when Windows is loaded.
b. Enable: Enables any previously disabled items. Enabled items start every time Windows is loaded.
c. Stop: Stops/ends the process if it is currently running (although it will start again after Windows is loaded).
d. Start: Restarts a process that is not started or was previously stopped.
e. Restart: Stops and then restarts the process.
f. Delete: Deletes the item from the startup location entirely. Use this if you need to disable and prevent the item from ever starting when Windows is initially loaded.
g. Delete and Block: Deletes the item from the system startup entirely and adds the item to block by Startup Guard™. Use this option if you need to disable the item from ever starting when Windows is initially loaded.
Notes: Generally, disabling an item is as good as removing it entirely. Delete items only if you are sure you will never need again them in your system startup.
Any items, with a Category of anything other than Necessary, can be disabled without any adverse effects.
2. To add new items to system startup:
a. From the toolbar, click Tools and then select New.
b. Select one of the following options:
i. General Startup Item: Adds a new startup item that loads like any other startup program would.
ii. NT Service (Windows NT only): Adds a new startup item that loads as a service, meaning it starts with other system services and before all general startup items.
iii. Startup Library (Expert Mode only): Adds a new startup item to the System Startup Libraries.
Notes: This is a low level system area, so it is highly recommended to add items to this area only if absolutely necessary. The only files allowed are .DLL files.
c. Select the type of item to add and then include the necessary details in the New Startup Item window and click OK.
3. To configure the refresh rate (how often the window is repopulated, ensuring an update-to-date collection of startup items):
a. From the toolbar, click Options.
b. Select Automatically update startup list when changes are detected and type or use the arrows to select the number of seconds.
Excluding the necessary items from this tool will not exclude these items from the Power Tools such as PC TotalCare. If you have items that you require to be excluded from a particular tool or function, it is recommended that you exclude that function from being run by the associated Power Tool.