How do you keep programs from automatically running?

Question

I run windows XP with multiple users. On my youngest sons account one of the messenger programs automatically loads when he logs on. I don't want to delete the program from the computer because my daughter uses it. I have gone into his startup file where you can put a program link to automatically start programs and it is empty.

Answer 1

start/run/msconfig and stop it starting up on startup... if its msn its a pain for me too  

Answer 2

If the msconfig option doesn't work, do a registry edit.  Start > Run > type in regedit and click OK > go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Microsoft > Windows > Current Version > Run > then delete the entry for the messenger program you don't want.  If you can't find it there, then it's user-based, it only starts up for each user only and not just on computer start-up.  You'd then need to be logged in under his account and do a registry edit there, but instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE it would be HKEY_CURRENT_USER, then follow the string from there to the Run folder and delete the program entry from there.