Cannot Disable Shortcuts in StartUp Folder Using Msconfig Tool

ID: Q180129

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you use the System Configuration Utility tool (Msconfig.exe) to disable shortcuts in the StartUp folder, programs that have shortcuts in the StartUp folder may still be run the next time you start Windows.


CAUSE

This issue can occur if the Disabled Startup Items folder already exists, and already contains a shortcut that is in the StartUp folder.


RESOLUTION

To work around this issue, remove any shortcuts from the StartUp folder that already exist in the Disabled Startup Items folder. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar & Start Menu.


  2. On the Start Menu Programs tab, click Remove.


  3. Double-click the StartUp folder.


  4. Click the shortcut you want to remove, and then click Remove. Repeat this step for each shortcut in the StartUp folder.

    NOTE: Only shortcuts that already exist in the Disabled Startup Items folder appear in the StartUp folder.


  5. Click Close, click OK, and then restart your computer.



MORE INFORMATION

When you disable shortcuts in the StartUp folder by clicking the Load Startup Group Items check box to clear it, the Disabled Startup Items folder is created, and shortcuts in the StartUp folder are moved to it. If the Disabled Startup Items folder already exists and already contains a shortcut that is in the StartUp folder, the shortcut is not moved to the Disabled Startup Items folder, and the program to which it points is run when you start Windows.

This issue can occur if shortcuts in the StartUp folder are currently disabled, and you reinstall a program that copies a new shortcut to the StartUp folder. When you use the System Configuration Utility tool to disable shortcuts in the StartUp folder again, the shortcut is not moved to the Disabled Startup Items folder because it already exists.

When you click the Load Startup Group Items check box to select it, the shortcuts are moved from the Disabled Startup Items folder back to the StartUp folder, and the Disabled Startup Items folder is deleted.

For additional information about the System Configuration Utility tool, click Help Topics on the Help menu in the System Configuration Utility tool, and then click Start System Configuration Utility on the Contents tab.

For information about clean booting Windows 98 using System Configuration Utility, please see the "Narrowing the Focus" section in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

ARTICLE-ID: Q192926
TITLE : How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98

Additional query words: 


Keywords          : kbenv kbtool win98 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: July 6, 1999