Reddit Discussion: Which programs to disable in Windows startup

The Windows Autostart: For some it is a convenient time saver that starts the most important tools and programs directly when booting, for others a bloated waste of resources that integrates many unwanted processes without explicit permission. The truth, as always, lies in between, like a viral one Reddit thread shows, which as a “daily reminder” indicates the existence of presumably unwanted autostart programs.

Disabling these processes can save a lot of resources, which are becoming increasingly important for PC gamers in view of increasing system requirements. In addition to the easy way via the task manager, which provides a simplified list of programs started when booting in the autostart tab, Microsoft itself has provided a much more powerful tool with autoruns.

After Download from the official Microsoft website and appropriate installation of autoruns, the helpful program shows a detailed listing of all autostart programs that can also be found hidden in the deepest system path. In addition to a brief description of the process, Autoruns also enables you to switch off the autostart of the respective function directly by simply removing the corresponding check mark.

However, caution is advised here: Some of the autostart entries are system-relevant and, if deactivated, can limit the functionality of Windows or cause it to crash completely. Almost all autorun entries that you can find under the Login, Explorer, Internet Explorer and Task Scheduler tabs are considered processes that can be deactivated without further restrictions.

When was the last time you checked your autostart in the task manager or via autoruns? You can use the comment function to share screenshots of your autostart with us. You would need to be logged in to PCGH or the Extreme forums to comment. If you don’t have an account yet, you can consider registering for freewhich brings many advantages.