Stopping the startup stuff


Tip
As any true-blue Windows user knows, you can make Windows automatically start any application by creating an icon for it in the Program Manager Startup group in Windows 3.x or the StartUp folder in your Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder in Windows 95. But when you're short of time or are trying to fix problems, you may not want to run those programs.
To disable the start-up applications temporarily, press and hold <Shift> right after you enter the Windows command to start Windows 3.x or right after you see "Starting Windows 95" on your screen. If your Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups system requires that you log in with a password, press and hold the <Shift> key immediately after entering your password. If the computer gives you any further prompts, keep the <Shift> key depressed while you respond to the prompts. When Windows is fully loaded, you can release the <Shift> key. (This starts Windows 95 in Safe mode.)
To disable start-up applications for a longer period of time in Windows 3.x, choose File--Run in either Program Manager or File Manager, type progman.ini and click OK. To do this at a DOS prompt (for DOS 5 or later), type edit c:\windows\ progman.ini (your path may differ) and press <Enter>. When progman.ini opens in a text editor, add the line startup= (with nothing to the right of the = sign) under the [Settings] heading. Then save the file and exit. This is a handy method for disabling the StartUp group without having to start Windows first.
A final note: these strategies don't prevent programs from starting if the programs are listed on the run= or load= line of the win.ini file located in your Windows directory. To disable those applications, open win.ini in a text editor, such as Notepad, and type a semicolon at the beginning of each of these lines. You can remove the semicolon later to make the listed applications run the next time you start Windows. Because you can use this technique in DOS, it is particularly helpful in troubleshooting situations.
- Scott Dunn

Category: Win95, Windows 3.x
Issue: Apr 1997
Pages: 177

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