Windows Vista® Inside Out Deluxe Edition

Managing Startup Programs

Setting up a program to run automatically when you start Windows is easy. If the program’s installer doesn’t offer to do this for you (many do) and you want the program to run every time you begin a Windows session, create a shortcut for the program in the Startup folder of your Start menu. Here’s one good way to do it:

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Open.

2. In the Windows Explorer window that appears, open the Programs folder, and then open the Startup folder.

3. On the Start menu, find the item that you want to launch automatically when you start Windows.

4. Drag the item to the Startup folder.

Troubleshooting: You can’t create a shortcut in the Startup folder

If you see a message like this:

you’re in the All Users Startup ...