disabling programs that run automatically at start up

Is there any way of disabling msn messenger and other programs you dont necessarily want to run automatically at start up? every time i turn on my computer after everything loads msn messenger pops up and wants me to connect, the same thing with my dsl connection, it will pop up and want me to connect to the internet as soon as i turn my computer, and when im not on teh computer and typing a paper or something, it pops up an i have to keep hitting no so it stops asking me. theres antoher program too that I use thats like an instant mesenger that runs automatically at startup. So can anyone help me on how to disable them so they only run when i want them to run?

 

Hello exodus125, it's me again.

Go to Start > Run > type msconfig click OK > click the Startup tab.

There you are, just uncheck the programs you don't want running on startup.

 

my work computer tells me "cannot find file"

 

To keep MSN Messenger from starting, msconfig won't help with that program.

Log in as you usually do, then go to Tools, Options. Click on General section and uncheck the first option.

DSL connections are generally "always on" so they shouldn't be asking you to connect to the internet.

 

Morph: Cant he go into services and disable the service? Thats how I did it. Then I renamed the file that made the icon.

 

ok, thanks for the help, i was able to disable msn messenger through the options as one of you suggested, but why didnt the msconfig work? is that normal? it gives me an erroe message that reads:

"cannot find the file name "msconfig" (or one of its components)make sure the path and file name are correct and that all required libraries are available"

 

"cannot find the file name "msconfig" (or one of its components)make sure the path and file name are correct and that all required libraries are available"


Windows xp? Not normal. A virus may have changed the file assocations. Search you C drive for the file msconfig.exe located here

C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Binaries

Report back.

 

no this is windows 2000

 

Windows 2000 doesn't have the msconfig program though XP's version works perfectly with it.

http://www.perfectdrivers.com/howto/msconfig.html

 

Sorry I must have missed what os he was using. I did not see it.

 

@bkf

He didn't mention it was 2000 at first!

 

thanks for the help guys!