1. Use the Task Manager: Right click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager. In the Startup tab, you will see a list of programs that start when Windows starts. You can disable any of these programs by selecting them and clicking Disable.
2. Use the System Configuration Utility: Go to Start > Run and type ‘msconfig’ without quotes. This will open the System Configuration Utility. On the Startup tab, you can uncheck the programs you don’t want to start with Windows.
3. Use Autoruns: Autoruns is a free tool from Microsoft that allows you to control which programs and services start when Windows starts. It’s more comprehensive than the System Configuration utility and is a great way to reduce the number of startup programs.