MSCONFIG (when used with the RUN command) opens up the System Configuration Utility. Most of the stuff in there you don't want to mess with unless you know what you are doing or have detailed instructions.
Click Start, then click Run. Type in "MSCONFIG" without the quotes. Clcik OK.
Click the STARTUP tab. The list that it pulls up is everything that you can choose to start up when Windows does.
Why is all of this stuff in the list? Because every program designer thinks his 'creation' is so indispensible that no one could possibly want it to NOT start up with their computer (yeah, right), so they set it into the list and have it to do just that.
Once you're at the list, look it over and see what all has a check mark. Every program that does starts up when Windows loads... EVERYTIME!
If something is checked, but you don't know what it is, Google it and find out.
Once you have seen what is there, uncheck everything that you don't need or want. Keep your firewall, antivirus, broadband drivers, graphics drivers, whatever you absolutely have to have, but uncheck everythign else.
Once you are done, click APPLY, OK, then reboot.
When your computer starts up, you'll get a grey box about the System Configuration Utility. Check the box about 'Don't run on startup' then OK.
If you had a lot of stuff checked, then your comp ought to start up faster and run more stable.
