there are a number of different ways to go about this...even free programmes you can download that will walk you through the process (I used ashampoo because there is a LOT going on when you start up that you aren't aware of and which is completely unnecessary - things like remote access etc that most of us just do not use) but...the really easy, quick way:
go to start, run and enter 'msconfig.exe', a box appears, click startup tab and uncheck your unwanted startup programmes (be careful! if you don't know exactly what something does then don't uncheck because it could be something fundamental in your computer) then restart windows. once you've done this, if you decide you *do* want certain programmes to start automatically then just reverse the above process.
p.s. just found a microsoft site (
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u...storeperf.mspx) that you may be interested in reading.