How can I delay programs that start automatically?

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I use WinPatrol for delayed startup along with a host of other things. www.winpatrol.com. A truly useful program.

I tried Startup by R2 but it only seems to delay the start of each program and not give you control over what order they start. I haven't played with the other one yet but plan to soon.You would think that with all the stuff trying to access the net when you boot someone would have developed a start sequence program to control themIn my opinion, it's down right dangerous to have program accessing the net before your firewall and anti-virus starts.http://www.domdedomdom.com/

1. Allow only your firewall and anti-virus at startup.
2. Put all other programs that you want up front in the quick launch and manually initiate.

LennyS

I know I can do it that way but it takes long enough to boot now let alone manually starting them
But, if there is now other way then your suggestion has a lot of merit.

Oh boy, think I'm going to have to write my own.

II concur that StartupDelayer looks like the best program out there. It's got every damn feature I want, including the stop-in-mid-stream if I want to interrupt the startup tasks (e.g. when I'm installing a bunch of stuff requiring reboots). Actually found it first, and followed backlink to Ask-Leo.

Unfortunately, StartupDelayer doesn't seem to have been updated in some time. Last listed supported OS is Windows Server 2003. The installer doesn't assert admin, which causes it to fail to install as unprivileged user. Installer is a native 32-bit program, which means it misbehaves on 64-bit Windows: installs to Program Files (x86) on an x64 machine. StartupDelayer is a .NET program, which means it will run natively as 64-bit and doesn't belong in the x86 folder.

The R2 program installs fine, but is way too simplistic for my needs. Doesn't work well with: shortcuts, arguments, arbitrary commands. Also requires admin to run. What for? I don't want to manage admin startup, I just want to manage my own startup as an unprivileged user.

WinPatrol probably works fine. But it comes with a whole bunch of other stuff, like BHO managers and registry cleaners. I stay far away from third-party programs that interact deeply with the system. Therefore, no install for me.

Why, oh why, can't any of these people get the software right? I want a simple program (WinPatrol is complex) that allows command-line arguments (which R2 doesn't) and has a trouble-free install (StartupDelayer isn't), and runs happily as an unprivileged user (R2 doesn't) unless I actually need to assert admin privileges (which I don't for the programs I want delayed startup for).

Maybe I'm being picky, but startup delay isn't a hard thing to do. And maybe, as a developer, I have the luxury of knowing that I can get a better program by rolling my own. It won't be as full-featured, but it'll do exactly what I want, and have no fluff beyond what I want.

I think I found the program.It's called Absolute Startup by http://www.fgroupsoft.com/I installed it yesterday and it has the feature that allows you to start up with whatever programs you want to start first.http://www.domdedomdom.com/

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A long time ago I did write my own. A batch file (now called
a command file). I'd list the command lines for each program
I wanted to start in the order to be started, and included a
"sleep" command between them and, of course, at the begining
for the initial delay. (You can get sleep from various
sources, including Linux tools recompiled for Windows.)

It's geekier than most solutions, and certainly not pretty,
but for those who are comfortable with such approaches, it's
still viable to this day.

Leo

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No.
WinPatrol does not do Registry "cleaning."

It does offer a delayed start option which cn be set to 10 second intervals. I am currently using it on several systems. I have never found WinPatrol to be overly complex. Most commands can be accessed through the context menu of each entry.

As to control over BHOs, Services, active tasks, and file types, I think WinPatrol's interface is much more intuitive for the average user than Window's itself. I have it installed on my 82 year old Mother's machine, and she likes the "little dog."

She doesn't much make use of the features, but it is a great tool for me to use in answering her calls for assistance when necessary.

Scotty's "woof" always is for good reason. I have never seen WinPatrol offer up a "false positive."

I am not the only one who highly recommends the "Little dog." Millions use this fine free program daily.

All the programs are full of stuff that, at least, I don't need.

All I would like is a simple program that lists your startup programs and allows you to just number them in the order you want them to load.

It seems simple enough to me.

http://www.domdedomdom.com/

I have been using Startup Delayer from r2 Studios (which was mentioned as an alternative to Jockersoft's Startup Delayer) for over a year now, and I find it meets all my needs for a delay device.
Startup Delayer will set how many seconds to wait, after Windows has started, to load each program in the order you choose. You can put three or four seconds between programs that load quickly and, at the same time, put ten, twenty, thirty seconds, or more, between programs that load slowly.
r2 Studios' Startup Delayer has a simple, intuitive interface, and its settings are easy to change, should you decide you don't like the way you've set up the delays. To return to your original settings (those in effect at the time Startup Delayer is installed), simply check all of the items in green text and uncheck anything else. I can't think of a function that has been left out of this program, and would recommend it highly to anyone needing this type of device.
With its latest release in December of '07, it is compatible with 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. I have tried it on everything except 2000, and can verify that it works correctly.

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