How to Stop an Application from Opening at Startup on a Windows XP PC

Don't you hate that stuff popping up automatically when you log in? Well, here is a simple solution. Press the start button.
Method 1 of 3:

Using the Start Menu

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    Press the start button.
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    Go to All Programs
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    Go to Start up
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    Right click on what you don't want to automatically open.
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    Choose Delete.
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    There will be a popup, click Delete Shortcut
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    If you want to remove more, go back to step 1. Optional
Method 2 of 3:

Using the System Configuration Window

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    Click Start and then click Run.
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    Type MSCONFIG and tap . The System Configuration window will pop up.
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    Click the Startup tab.
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    Uncheck the programs you do not wish to run on startup, and click OK.
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    Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Method 3 of 3:

Using the Registry Editor Application

This method will permanently delete start-up items

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    Select "Run" from the Start menu
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    Type REGEDIT and click OK.
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    The registry editor application will open. Use the tree view on the left to navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion.
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    Check the subkeys Run and RunOnce for a path to the application you wish to stop starting automatically at startup. If you find such a path, right click the individual path and click "Delete" from the pop up menu.
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    If you choose to delete a value, a dialog will result to confirm the deletion. Click "Yes" if you really wish to delete the selected value. Note: The above steps assume that the program is running for every user on the computer. HKEY_CURRENT_USER contains the same path and keys for the currently logged on user.
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