Invalid Registry Entries in the MSCONFIG Startup Menu

**Orangeman** · June 17th, 2002, 12:22 AM

Hi Gang,

When I type in MSCONFIG in the Start>Run menu and click the Startup tab,

I get a whole list of registry entries that are no longer valid. How do I get rid of them?

**MacGyver** · June 17th, 2002, 05:03 AM

I would use <a href="http://download.com.com/3000-2094-881470.html?legacy=cnet" target="_blank">RegClean</a> from MS. Should do the trick.

**Orangeman** · June 17th, 2002, 10:05 AM

Thanks very much for your help but it didn't help. Those pesky registry entries are still there. I do have a tool that does what Regclean does. Its called McAffe Registry Wizard (from McAfee Utilities). It didn't help either.

**confus-ed** · June 17th, 2002, 11:34 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Orangeman:
... in MSCONFIG in the Start>Run menu and click the Startup tab,

I get a whole list of registry entries that are no longer valid. <hr /></blockquote>So you mean registry entries that are no longer needed? As opposed to incomplete or erroneous ones..?

The only way to get rid of these 'beasties' is to use regedit, use search (in regedit) to find the matching entries and then delete the keys...

These often live in keys that contain the keywords 'run', 'runonce' or similar, note some of these startup instructions may also live in either win.ini or sys.ini you need to edit these out too.

When applications are uninstalled they often leave 'orphan' registry entries that are no longer required, this is just symptomatic of lazy programming - why should they worry if you've taken the product off?

Beware though regedit ain't for the faint hearted, delete the wrong keys and you are gonna be stuffed, BACK-UP FIRST...

**Orangeman** · June 17th, 2002, 02:20 PM

Q.) When applications are uninstalled they often leave 'orphan' registry entries that are no longer required, this is just symptomatic of lazy programming - why should they worry if you've taken the product off?

A.) These are duplicate entries I am trying to eliminate. The reason these are important is that some times I will check the wrong box and and the application won't work or the wrong box will be loaded and I will get all sorts of error messages on startup saying "cannot find such and such or so and so" This happens if you have say thee incidences or AOL tray icon listed or two incidences of the same antivirus application listed etc. It can even prevent your, or my, system from rebooting properly.

This is why I want to get rid of them.

Thanks.
Orangeman

**craigmodius** · June 17th, 2002, 06:28 PM

i have RUN in to this problem REGularly. it really (*EDITed by sowulo*)es me off.

tHe KEY is to edit your LOCAL MACHINE's registry to figure out what SOFTWARE, like MICROSOFT's WINDOWS or the CURRENT VERSION of any other program, is trying to RUN when the computer starts.

**confus-ed** · June 20th, 2002, 04:26 PM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Orangeman:
...This is why I want to get rid of them. ....

<hr /></blockquote>So delete them dude(Watchin' Southpark -no-way-oh-man...)...

If you are convinced you don't want the entries, however they got there then get 'em!

remember-
<blockquote>quote:<hr /> Beware though regedit ain't for the faint hearted, delete the wrong keys and you are gonna be stuffed, BACK-UP FIRST...
<hr /></blockquote>BTW Craigmodius very clever

, that is the usual suspect key

...

**Orangeman** · June 20th, 2002, 06:21 PM

Keys deleted. I used a combination of Mcafee Regwiz and Uninstaller. I tried using Regedit and for some reason, still unknown, Regedit couldn't find the entries. I tried several times and still couldn't find them but these utilities evidently did.

Thanks,
Orangeman

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