Chapter . Manage Login and Startup Items

Mac OS X has two types of items that it launches at startup or at login. The names Apple uses for these items has fluctuated in previous versions of Mac OS X; in Tiger, Apple has returned to a more logical naming convention:

  • Login items are applications, documents, or folders that become active, launched, or open when you log in to your account, whether at startup or later.

  • Along with login items, Mac OS X has startup items—low-level programs that activate when the Mac starts up, before any users log in. These startup items are akin to the extensions of Mac OS 9 and earlier, and include drivers, kernel extensions, network services, and other items that affect the Mac as a whole, no matter which user is logged ...

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