25 Steps to a Faster PC
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8.  Stop unneeded startup programs.

Codestuff Starter -

Stop unneeded startup programs.  New installation of software often adds unneeded startup entries in any of several different hidden locations.  These programs will start when Windows starts and take up resources. 

The best free program to deal with this problem, is in my opinion, Startup Inspector for Windows.  If you use this program, be sure to select the "Consult" Button in the upper left of GUI.  This will make the program search through its database of startup programs and tell you whether the software is necessary or can be safely removed from the bootup sequence.

Another good choice is Codestuff Starter.  This free program has the additional advantage of having a sort of Power Task Manager which will tell you all the programs that are currently running and all their dll dependencies.   You can also sometimes get info about the manufacturer of the running program.

Unfortunately you will manually have to look up your entries in other resources to see whether the software is necessary for normal functioning.  The best databases for checking whether programs are necessary at start up are here (one page), here (searchable), and here (Info used by Startup Inspector).

For real expert list of Start- Up programs including browser helper objects try Hijack this.  "This is an experts’ tool! — an awesome weapon in the fight against adware, spyware, and other parasites, Like other powerful weapons, wield it carefully! HJT displays legitimate and illegitimate programs without judgment, so don’t just remove everything it finds; but the comprehensive list it generates finds things no other detection tool will catch. (HJT is also useful in seeing what else your computer is running without your knowledge.) Save the log and post it to a new thread here. To learn more about what HJT shows you, read this excellent tutorial. By Merijn Bellekom"

source of last item - http://aumha.org/freeware/freeware.php