KB314488 - How to Modify the List of Programs that Run When You Start Windows XP Page 1 of 3

Knowledge Base
How to Modify the List of Programs that Run When You Start Windows XP
PSS ID Number: 314488
Article Last Modified on 4/24/2003

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition

Microsoft Windows XP Professional

This article was previously published under Q314488

SUMMARY
This article explains how to use the Group Policy snap-in to create or modify the list of programs that start
automatically when you log on to your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.

MORE INFORMATION
Windows XP has two separate Run policies:

Run at Startup

-and-

Legacy Run at Startup

Run at Startup Policy

To create or modify the list of programs that start automatically when you log on to your computer, follow
these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type mmc, and then click OK.
3. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. Click Add.
5. Under Available Stand-alone Snap-ins, click Group Policy, click Add, and then click Finish.

NOTE: If you do not want to edit the Local Computer policy, click Browse to locate the group policy object
that you want. Supply your user name and password if prompted, and then click Finish when you return to
the Select Group Policy Object dialog box.
6. Click Close, and then in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click OK.
7. In the left pane of the Group Policy snap-in, expand Local Computer Policy, expand Computer
Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
8. Expand the System object, click the Logon object, and then in the right-pane, double-click Run these
programs at user logon.
9. Click Enabled, and then click Show.
10. Click Add, type the name of the executable program (.exe) file or document that you want, and then click
OK. You must specify the path to the file unless it is located in the %Systemroot% folder.
11. Repeat step 10 to add additional items to the Items to run at logon list.
12. Click OK twice.

The items that you added to the Items to run at logon list start automatically the next time that you log
on to Windows on your computer. A list of these items is located in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Explorer\Run

Legacy Run at Startup Policy

The legacy programs that are configured to start when you log on to your computer are listed in the following
registry key:

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HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Many third-party programs, such as RealAudio, can be included in this category.

You can either enable or disable the legacy run list. You cannot modify it directly from within the Group Policy
snap-in. If you want to add items to the list of programs that start automatically when you log on to your
computer, see the "Run at Startup Policy" section of this article.

To specify whether you want to start the programs on the legacy run list when you log on to your computer,
follow these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type mmc, and then click OK.
3. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
4. Click Add.
5. Under Available Stand-alone Snap-ins, click Group Policy, click Add, and then click Finish.

NOTE: If you do not want to edit the Local Computer policy, click Browse to locate the group policy object
that you want. Supply your user name and password if prompted, and then click Finish when you return to
the Select Group Policy Object dialog box.
6. Click Close, and then in the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click OK.
7. In the left pane of the Group Policy snap-in, expand Local Computer Policy, expand Computer
Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
8. Expand the System object, click the Logon object, and then in the right-pane, double-click Do not
process the legacy run list.
9. Do one of the following:
 Click Not Configured if you want to run legacy programs at startup.

-or-
 Click Enabled if you do not want to run legacy programs at startup.

-or-
 Click Disabled if you want to run legacy programs at startup.

NOTE: The legacy programs that are configured to start when you log on to your computer may also be
listed in the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
To specify whether you want to start programs on the run-once list when you log on to your computer,
follow the steps in the "Legacy Run at Startup Policy" section of this article. In step 8, click Do not
process the run once list, and then either enable or disable the policy.
NOTE: To make the changes discussed in this article take effect, you must log off and then log back on to the
system. Fast-user switching will not suffice (on a disjoined Windows XP computer).

For additional information about the Run and RunOnce registry keys, click the article numbers below to view
the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
179365 INFO: Run, RunOnce, RunServices, RunServicesOnce and Startup
314866 A Definition of the Run Keys in the Windows XP Registry
For additional information about the RunOnce registry key, click the article number below to view the article in
the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
310593 Description of the RunOnceEx Registry Key
For additional information about how to use the Group Policy Editor in Windows XP, click the article number
below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
307882 HOW TO: Use the Group Policy Editor to Manage Local Computer Policy in Windows XP
For additional information about how to use the Msconfig utility to alter the startup programs in Windows XP,
click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
310560 How to Troubleshoot By Using the Msconfig Utility in Windows XP
NOTE: For testing purposes, this may also be done by using the Startup tab in Msconfig.

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The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent
of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of
these products.
Keywords: kbAppDev kbenv kbinfo w2000apps KB314488
Technology: kbWinXPPro kbWinXPPro64bit kbWinXPProSearch kbWinXPSearch

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ms-help://MS.TechNet.2005MAR.1033/enu_kbwinxpnetkb/winxpnetkb/314488.htm 10/14/2005