As your PC boots up, Windows looks in several locations for instructions on how to launch the various applications and processes that load at start-up. Depending on the program, the locations for these instructions vary.

Many are in the Registry, a hierarchical database of user, application and hardware-device information. Others are in a Startup group folder, and a select few could be in your PC's win.ini file. We'll refer to these locations collectively as the Autorun group, because the items they contain run automatically every time Windows starts.

To see which ones are in the Registry, go to Start > Run, then type in regedit.exe to enter the Registry.

Don't alter anything in the Registry unless you're absolutely sure! Changes to the Registry are irreversible and could cause serious damage to your PC. Even advanced users can run into trouble in a hurry if they're not careful.

The Run keys are the most important for finding Autorun programs. You'll find them by drilling down to hkey_local_machine/software/microsoft/windows/currentversion. If you double-click the Run folder, you'll see some items that load when you boot your PC.

The Run Registry key displays a list of items that load at start-up

You can examine the items in the Startup group folder by going to Start > All Programs > Startup. Finally, you can see if anything is in the win.ini file by selecting Start > Run, then typing win.ini. Look for anything listed on a RUN= or LOAD= line. It's unlikely you'll find anything there, but checking won't hurt.