DonationCoder.com Forum
Main Area and Open Discussion => General Software Discussion => Topic started by: mouser on July 19, 2006, 07:12 AM
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I know we've talked about this before, but a post here:
https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=33550
got me wondering if there were any novice-friendly tools to really help you add a new program to run at startup, in a safe and simple way without having to be a pro windows user.
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just to refine this - the original poster was most interested in adding a new program to start with windows.
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http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml (http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml) In my opinion, the best startup management tool
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1) use Starter (http://www.snapfiles.com/reviews/Starter/starter.html)
go to edit>new
2) create a new shortcut of the new program, then move it to this folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
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msconfig! ;D
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I use win patrol, very easy to use and also informs you of anything trying to put itself in your start-up list.
http://www.winpatrol.com/
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StartPro (http://www.daesoft.com/startpro/index.html) is something I have used for many years.
Really good for removing stuff too. It has it's own 'recycle bin' called the Smart Bin where it stores stuff you remove in case you made a mistake and want to put it back. It has a nice Explorer-like interface and very simple to use.
I have the old version 1.3 installed, which was freeware. The newer 2.0 is shareware.
I attached screenshots of both. The one for 2.0 I found on another website.
The 1.3 version has some features specific for Win9x...and the newer 2.0 has features specific for WinNT.
1.3 will run on both, though....just lacks the Services section, I think.
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I know it has been mentioned here before (but not in this thread)
Startup Delayer (http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay) gives control over the startup process - you can delete entries you don't want, add new entries and also time the startup of applications so that you can introduce a delay during startup if you have a lot of apps trying to load all at the same time.
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How about SysInternals' Autoruns (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html)?
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or
http://www.winpatrol.com/download.html
WinPatrol (free version)
very easy & you can keep an eye on various other things as well
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I know it has been mentioned here before (but not in this thread)
Startup Delayer (http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay) gives control over the startup process - you can delete entries you don't want, add new entries and also time the startup of applications so that you can introduce a delay during startup if you have a lot of apps trying to load all at the same time.
-Carol Haynes
I was dissapointed with the interface for this program.
I think a far more practical GUI would facilitate:
1. Sorting the programs in the order that you want them to start.
2. Adding a delay time that represents the period the system must wait before starting the next program. This is because programs hog the CPU for varying periods. You can measure (& change) the time it takes a program to finish starting & not worry about clashing with other programs in the startup list.
At the moment you must set delay that is timed from the time the system boots up. If you add a program that you want to start earlier than existing entries, & you wish to keep your system responsive, you must now do this: Manually add the time that the new program takes to start to the entries that start after the new program. Tedious!
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You can manually drag stuff on the time bar at the bottom (rather than entering times) which is a lot easier than manually entering times, though still a bit tedious. I agree that the UI could do with some work - I emailed the author with some suggestions months ago and got no response. Having said that you only really have to tweak things occasionally so it is a one off job - and it does work!
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great!
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I emailed them too, when I posted here. No reply for me either, yet.
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I've used Startup Delayer for years now. I do like it, although certain UI quirks bug me about it.
The biggest one is that during startup, there's a "cancel" button you can use at any time to abort the entire process, but no "skip" button that you could use to conditionally skip a single program and continue your bootup sequence with the next one.
I also use Mike Lin's (mlin.net) Startup Control Panel.
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A bit off topic (perhaps) as I am not sure it is a newbie tool... but I am very fond of Xecutor (http://www.xpertdesign.de/english/sw_xecutor_info.php4).
It is free for home / non-commercial use, and allows for scheduling and reordering of apps at startup. Can scan the registry and the startup folder for new additions.
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http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml (http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml) In my opinion, the best startup management tool
-Josh
I agree :Thmbsup:
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I was dissapointed with the interface for this program.
I think a far more practical GUI would facilitate:
1. Sorting the programs in the order that you want them to start.
2. Adding a delay time that represents the period the system must wait before starting the next program. This is because programs hog the CPU for varying periods. You can measure (& change) the time it takes a program to finish starting & not worry about clashing with other programs in the startup list.
At the moment you must set delay that is timed from the time the system boots up. If you add a program that you want to start earlier than existing entries, & you wish to keep your system responsive, you must now do this: Manually add the time that the new program takes to start to the entries that start after the new program. Tedious!
-skywalka
Hiya
Funnily enuf, a program like this was on my list of things to do. If I may, can I borrow your comments as part of its design and functionality? Though, with the current project I am working on, development won't start for another year or so. During that time, I'm sure someone will beat me to it... :P
Chur
Poolee
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:Thmbsup:
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I think a far more practical GUI would facilitate:
1. Sorting the programs in the order that you want them to start.
2. Adding a delay time that represents the period the system must wait before starting the next program. This is because programs hog the CPU for varying periods. You can measure (& change) the time it takes a program to finish starting & not worry about clashing with other programs in the startup list.-skywalka
Nice description of the free program I use:
Jackass JoeJoe's StartRight :-*
http://www.joejoesoft.com/vcms/113/
- but it could need a nicer look and even more features ...
Features:
- program executing ordering
- custom delays
- Auto-Tune delays based on CPU usage (optional)
- new item notification (optional)
- automatically disable all new programs (optional)
- pause or stop program execution (optional)
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Jackass JoeJoe's StartRight
http://www.joejoesoft.com/vcms/113/
StartRight looks really interesting, but see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/powertoolssoftware/message/15895 over at the Software Killer Apps forum for a discussion of when such applications are beneficial and at what point (in terms of hardware) they cease to be useful...
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just to refine this - the original poster was most interested in adding a new program to start with windows.-mouser
How much simpler can it be than to drag the shortcut to the StartUp folder in the start menu?
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, but see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/powertoolssoftware/message/15895 over at the Software Killer Apps forum for a discussion of when such applications are beneficial and at what point (in terms of hardware) they cease to be useful...
-Darwin
- interesting debate at SKA-forum, but I don't think StartRight was ever about making the PC upstart faster, but safer - and that is why I use it. Before, 3 or 4 programs would not display their icons in the sys-tray, because of too many programs fighting each other at Windows upstart, but StartRight fixed that problem.
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I am using a program called "What's Running" http://www.download.com/What-s-Running/3000-2094_4-10256718.html The author' site seems to have a problem but the program can still be downloaded at Cnet.
What's running gives you info on everything that's running!!: processes, services, modules, ip connections, drivers, startup and gives you system info. It allows you to, stop, start, delete, disable, edit( process priority as an example). It is free for personal use and cost 25$ for commercial use. I wonder how they can collect if their web site is down..
I like it best after trying many others, I find it rather complete. And it has somewhat of an explorer interface.
Bye.
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What's running gives you info on everything that's running!!: processes, services, modules, ip connections, drivers, startup and gives you system info. It allows you to, stop, start, delete, disable, edit( process priority as an example). -jacquesrober
WhatsRunning is most certainly a fine info center. I really like the modes 'Services' and 'Modules', you don't get these informations from many programs. And the 'Take a Snapshot' feature is brilliant :up:
But as a startup manager it will not compete, it is not even listing half of the programs! - which seems strange, because in the other modes WhatsRunning will list an awesome number of processes.
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For simplicity or novice use I would probably recommend:
StartEd (by OuterTech) http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=products
or
StartUp Organizer (by MetaProducts) from http://www.metaproducts.com/mp/Startup_Organizer.htm
(For more advanced use RegRun NIVA and Absolute Startup for added features like delay etc.)
I just downloaded Chameleon Startup and so far it seems to be pretty good.
Best,
TriLinea
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Welcome, Trilinea :-*
The author is writing on a major Chameleon update - and I mean MAJOR!! He is going to add several feaures in order to beat all the other managers... A couple of months ago he said it might be launched during May. But time will tell.
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This may have been mentioned already, but there was recently a discount here for Chameleon Startup Manager 2 (http://www.neosoft-tools.com/windows-startup-manager.htm). I bought it, and I love it. It's small, it's reliable, it can postpone startup items on high CPU load and set startup delays, as well as keep profiles, and in my experience it works a lot better than Startup Guru (which I also own but which I've had a lot of trouble with in the past).
I also really like how you can easily switch the startup location of items between the current and all users in both the start menu and the registry. It gives you a great feeling of control.
EDIT:
Yeah, it was mentioned right above my posts. Whoops! Well let this serve as a shining recommendation for Chameleon Startup Manager!
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Thanks to this thread I am now using Startup Delayer (http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/StartupDelayer) too. When I installed it, it was entirely because StartRight (http://www.joejoesoft.com/vcms/113/) for some unknown reason wouldn't function properly on my new XP, though it worked like a charm on the old Win2K. But now, a month later, I wonder how I got by without Startup Delayer. It is very simple (as is StartRight), but it does excatly what I would want it to. I don't care if the starting procedure actually is slower now, because it is more important to me that the weaker programs are all starting the way their author intended them to. I have far too many programs to expect all of them to open every time, without a manager. But now I can relax, knowing that ALL programs will open AND display their icon. And Startup Delayer is soo easy to use.
I recommend the simple Startup Delayer (http://freewarewiki.pbwiki.com/StartupDelayer) and StartRight (http://www.joejoesoft.com/vcms/113/)
- keep it simple, dummy! 8)
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I used StartRight for some time and would recommend it as well. At one point (this was long ago now so I do not remember the details) I simply lost all the items StartRight was managing from my startup list, so that was a little bit frustrating, but all in all it was a great app which introduced me to the wonderful world of delaying startup applications.
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... At one point (this was long ago now so I do not remember the details) ... -broken85
Do you remember if you were driving XP at the time, or something else?
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I simply lost all the items StartRight was managing from my startup list
There's a really good 2-click utility, StartupSelector, that'll let you backup your startup program shortcuts (including the contents of commonly used startup locations in the registry) - it's written by the author of Startup Control Panel: http://www.mlin.net/other.shtml
Its main purpose is to let you create different profiles detailing which programs to run on startup. I find it handy having a 'minimalist' profile besides my main one.
The program doesn't let you delete previously created profiles but that can be done using regedit: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\mlin\StartupSelector
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I gave up on Mike Lin because of too many crashes.
But that was me.
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I've been using his apps without any problems for longer than I can remember... too bad he seems to have abandoned them. My mail to him requesting the addition of an essential function to Startup Control Panel was met with silence.
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I've been using his apps without any problems for longer than I can remember... too bad he seems to have abandoned them. -nosh
I think that is the problem; he has given up on updating. I guess he is busy doing other stuff. I hope! But it is okay, I think. Mike's star may be blurred, but it was shining, and you can't make a living by giving your work away for free all of your life. I was using Lin's apps when I was running Win98, and they were great. On Win2K some were still great, but not those I was hoping for. I have heard too many XP users complaining to dare to try any of his apps at this new XP of mine.
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Thanks very much Curt for the nice welcome! I am really enjoying the welcoming atmosphere and the reviews, discounts etc here at DonationCoder :) :Thmbsup:
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... At one point (this was long ago now so I do not remember the details) ... -broken85
Do you remember if you were driving XP at the time, or something else?
-Curt
Yep, it was XP, on my work machine. I had been using it for months with no problem, but it would crash sometimes and I think it was one of those times I lost my managed startup items.
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I have had a few issues with MLin's StartupCPL under WinXP - occasionally I have found that disabling and then restoring an item will lose any command line arguments that were present. The most obvious effect that some apps that started stopped 'auto-hiding' at startup.
Personally I just use MSCONFIG now which is part of all windows versions except Windows 2000 (though you can use the XP version under W2k and there are various links to downloads if you need it). Not sure if it supported under Vista but I'd guess it would be as MS responded to people's frustration when it was left out of W2k.
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Giveawayoftheday (http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/) have InControl (http://www.get-in-control.com) on offer for free today... I've never used it, but thought someone here might be interested in giving it a go.
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Not exactly very noob friendly and you can't add items to startup with it but, a very good program none the less.
So a little bit off topic, but hope you guys (and gals) don't mind.
Autoruns (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/ProcessesAndThreads/Autoruns.mspx)
Autoruns has some great features including the ability to hide all Microsoft verified entry's.
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I've been using Startup Manager by Brad Stowers for years. It's an old program but still my favorite.
A feature I like is it's ability recoginize new entries since the last time you used it. Allows you to quickly review what's happening and maybe connect confusing entries to something you installed if it isn't clear from the ptogram path or name.
http://f2.org/download/startupmgr-v1.5.2.25.exe
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My vote goes to Code Stuff Starter.
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/starter.html
Its easy to use for beginners, lets you control Start Up Programs, Processes and Services, each in a different tab.
One feature I really like is that if you aren't sure what a program or service is, you can click on Properties and it will give you information about the program.
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I use the bit that comes with regrun - it has never done anything strange ever.
I do wish it had delayed startup options like winpatrol or chameleon but I keep going back to it.
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And I use WinPatrol (http://www.winpatrol.com/) because it is the only one I found that works on Vista at the moment. The free version is very good and has no nags, so don't forget to buy the pro version if you want to support the author!
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Did Quick StartUp get a mention:
http://www.glarysoft.com/quick-startup/
Its free and it helps give you a visual rating of what it considers shouldn't be in your startup (don't ask me on what basis).
Damian
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Sorry to revive this thread, but I was wondering whether anyone use a AutoHotkey Script to manage their startup items? Either just a simple one or a more advanced with a GUI...?
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PCMag has just released Startup Cop 3 (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2177188,00.asp) with a bunch of new features including both delayed startup and the ability to set startup order (as in, don't start app x until app y has successfully launched). It's $7.95 (unless you have a subscription to their downloads) and I've just installed it but haven't had an opportunity to wring it out and put it through its paces (ah, the mixed metaphor - an artform!). Anyway, here's a list of features from the website (because I am too lazy to type it out myself):
1) A new interface that behaves more like a Web browser, enabling you to go back and forth between pages.
2) A threat database, provided by safety experts Bit9, gives you security in knowing that the programs listed are what they say they are. Startup Cop Pro generates a unique hash for the files that Windows starts up. This hash is sent to the Bit9 servers to compare with all of the file information in their vast database. If a hash matches, Startup Cop Pro can provide a threat level for the file. This method of determining a file's threat level is much more accurate than basing it on filenames which can easily be renamed.
3) The ability to turn off monitoring programs attempting to add themselves to the startup process. For example, if you know a program needs to insert itself into your runonce key and you don't want to be alerted, you can choose to not monitor the program.
4) A new, more descriptive dialog appears when there are duplicate entries in the startup list.
5) A simpler icon view of startup programs (if you choose it).
6) The ability to select which search engine to use in order to search for more information about a program
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Thanx for the news Darwin.
For me the clincher will be something I've mentioned in my previous post. If I add a new program to start without much of a delay I don't want to have to manually edit the delay for all subsequent programs. If what you said here is true then maybe that wish has been realized?
don't start app x until app y has successfully launched).-Darwin
Does this work? How can StartUp Cop 3 determine if an app is succesfully launched? By monitoring it's CPU useage?
I also like the feature that remembers how to handle reoccuring notifications.
Please, keep me posted.
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I know it has been mentioned here before (but not in this thread)
Startup Delayer (http://www.r2.com.au/software.php?page=2&show=startdelay) gives control over the startup process - you can delete entries you don't want, add new entries and also time the startup of applications so that you can introduce a delay during startup if you have a lot of apps trying to load all at the same time. -Carol Haynes
:up: Yes, Startup Delayer is soo easy to use:
Click the green plus, navigate to the program file, click OK. End of story!
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Edit: Startup Delayer is offering: "Pause Startup Delayer until this application has closed"
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PCMag has just released Startup Cop 3 (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2177188,00.asp) with a bunch of new features including both delayed startup and the ability to set startup order (as in, don't start app x until app y has successfully launched). It's $7.95 (unless you have a subscription to their downloads) and I've just installed it but haven't had an opportunity to wring it out and put it through its paces (ah, the mixed metaphor - an artform!). Anyway, here's a list of features from the website (because I am too lazy to type it out myself):-Darwin
sounds very interesting, they seem to have a lot of nice little programmes.
(nudone has recommended a couple over the last couple years)
I think if you pay $19(.99 I guess :) ) you can down them all -
dont know if they are easily accessible though.
Yeah, Mike, do let us know how you get on with that!
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Well, haven't done anything with it yet (it's times like these when I realize how infrequently I reboot my computer anymore), but will try to play around and post back. Best place for info on real world usage of this is the forum that PC maintains for their apps. Each utility gets its own board. This version of Startup Cop's board can be viewed here (http://discuss.pcmag.com/forums/1004384690/ShowPost.aspx).
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:-[ Wow, I copied the shortcut for the StartupCop forum, posted it here, and then read the forum. Quite a read...! I'm having no trouble at all with it here (FWIW) but I'd read the forum for potential pitfalls.
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:-[ Wow, I copied the shortcut for the StartupCop forum, posted it here, and then read the forum. Quite a read...! I'm having no trouble at all with it here (FWIW) but I'd read the forum for potential pitfalls.
-Darwin
hmm, doesnt sound too encouraging....
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No - it doesn't! I haven't used it in any meaningful way yet (ie haven't disabled, delayed, or queued any of my apps) and have not rebooted since I installed it. As I use The Ultimate Troubleshooter and am very happy with it (replaced WinPatrol 2007 Plus a while back) I really don't have much need for it and I doubt I'll be keeping it around for long.
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I've been through shutdown/boot (not just restart) cycle and all is wel. Admittedly, I still don't have Startup Cop set to run at startup and it has not been set to modify anything... It opens up fine, though... I like the feature set but will be uninstalling as I have never found delaying apps starting up to help and my computer is running fine the way it is!
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I'm one of the posters over in the PCMag Startup Cop Pro forum. (jcmcgowan is my username there). I've been using SCP for a couple years now and up till now I loved it. However this latest version has been discouraging.
As you can see at that forum there seems to be a lot of issues with Version 3. Mine installed OK but kept terminating when I tried to configure it. (It does NOT carry over most settings from your previous installation). More of a concern for me, though, is the developer's comments. Everything is "normal", according to him. For example SCP3 started using anywhere from 5% to 8% of my CPU resources all the time. When I posted asking about this, the developer replied that this is not much and he considers that to be "normal". Maybe in HIS world, but not mine!! Even Tim Smith - the moderator for PC Mag's utilities forum - posted back (after I asked him to comment) that he also felt that was unusually high.
Plus, the new version removed a lot of settings that were previously user-configurable, which is disappointing to me.
Anyway, without any response from the developer indicating that he plans to release an update to fix these problems, he instead keeps posting that he doesn't see a problem there. So I am looking for a replacement.
Anyone using Chameleon? Worthwhile?
Thanks!
Jim
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Ha, ha - sorry, I shouldn't laugh, but your comment about the 5-8% of CPU on the PCMag forum had me laughing this morning and it is sort of funny that it turned out to be you! Actually, what had me laughing was the assertion that this is normal and within acceptable limits. Not in my reality it's not.
The only other factor (other than a system that is running fine at the moment) preventing me from jumping at the Chameleon alternative is the fact that TUT (which I've mentioned in the other thread) cautions against using more than one application to manage startup. I'm almost tempted to install the demo and see what happens... if I fall in love with it it's the work of a moment to restore everything modified by TUT and use that app exclusively for running tasks and services (which is what I bought it for in the first place). However, that flies in the face of the fact that my system is running sweetly at the moment and I am loathe to apply a fix for something that is not broken!
So, I think you can be pretty safe at minimum trying Chameleon out - it sees very well regarded by other DC'ers.
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A couple questions about PCMag utilities (Startup Cop in particular) - they used to come with source code, is that still the case? Also, is it possible to download previous version s of the utilities (since Startup Cop 3 seems to be unstable at this point)?
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No source code that I can find. And I did ask for the previous version to be re-posted since Version 3 is buggy, but they never responded to that request.
Jim