utility programs thread

[par73]

hello
im looking for a program that will prevent certain applications from being executed when my computer starts

[Edulus]

You shall install TuneUp Utilities and you shall use the startup manager to prevent certain applications from being executed.

[punkUser]

Right from Microsoft: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb963902.aspx
I think there's a built-in startup utility as well if you don't need all the fancy stuff (codecs, etc).

[wwo]

Two things you can use. I like CCleaner. Free. You can easily disable startup programs (Autoruns is a clusterfuck if you don't know exactly what you're looking for), clean out temp files, get rid of accumulated registry crap, and its Uninstall Programs feature is cleaner than Windows' built-in one.



More esoterically, you can also keep some programs from running by making a custom policy.

administrative tools > local security policy > software restriction policies > additional rules

(menu) action > new path rule

Type in the path of the program to block (ex: C:\program files\dvd maker\blockme.exe) and set it to disallowed.

[par73]

thanks guys, i found your posts helpful.


on another note, a lot of programs leave/use memory after they have been shut down. I am wondering what program I could use to 'wipe the memory clean' for programs i closed without fully restarting my computer. I have seen an app for mac users that does this, but I am unsure what the windows equivalent would be. Any ideas?

[wwo]

Generally the OS manages memory better than an external app would. Stuff left in memory doesn't get in the way of that space being used (i.e. it gets "overwritten" as needed); it's not actually reserving any space for the closed apps. Use Process Explorer (or Task Manager) to see if those progs are really closed.