Need help killing a couple of programs

[frogbeastegg]

When I reinstalled windows a couple of weeks ago I also reinstalled my coundblaster live! 5.1 drivers, something I don't usually bother doing as the bog standard windows drivers work just as well. Troubleshooting; I'd also had to use jumpers to reset my BIOS and it was whining about an unknown PCI device, and the only PCI device I have now is the soundcard.

Anyway, as part of its install the drivers slap on all sorts of useless crap, and set them to load each time the PC starts up. One I can kill off after it loads, but I'm too lazy to want to do that every day for the next year or more. The other I can only ignore. Together they sit around draining a little of my system's resources and cluttering the place up. I hate clutter! I keep my PC neat.

The programs are:
'play EAX animation' - it does nothing but park an icon in my system tray.
'Disc detector' - it acts exactly like my shortcut to my CD drive
Both, as you can see, very helpful programs

Here's where it gets tricky.
Neither program has an uninstall option in the Creative start menu folder.

Neither program appears in 'add/remove programs' so I can't remove them that way. There is only a blanket option for "creative drivers"

I have already removed both programs from MSConfig's start up selection, and they remain unselected though they are still starting up at launch.

The disc detector crap useless thing has a tiny right click menu for its tray icon, and that includes the option "disable on start up". All that does is exit the rubbish thing, and it returns the next time windows boots.

Suggestions? I want them Gone with a capital G.

[caravel]

You need to click -> start -> run -> and enter "msconfig". Then click the startup tab. You will see a list of startup programs with a checkbox to the left of each one. Uncheck those that related to the programs that you don't want. If you're not sure what they are, post up everything in the list and I can tell you which ones are useless.

[Placid Tramp]

If your getting no joy disabling them in the 'system configuration utilty' your next best stop is 'services': Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Sevices. Double click on the programs (should be pretty obvious which ones they are - they will be set to 'automatic') & chage their start up yupe to manual of disable.

[Placid Tramp]

A word of warning though, there are a handful of system critical services in the list which you do not want to stop, so make sure you know what they do before disabling. I good idea might be to set a System Restore Point before changing things.

[AntiochusIII]

I think Lady Frog already did that...

I have already removed both programs from MSConfig's start up selection, and they remain unselected though they are still starting up at launch.

For it to launch at disabling again appears to me almost malicious. -.-" Going directly into the "Services" section might just help, though.

Though I'm no computer expert by any means, I remember my old Creative Sound Blaster driver (in a disc, though...) to have a manual choice on what to install during installation (which, naturally, I unchecked everything except the barebone driver). Perhaps you might try uninstalling the whole thing and reinstall it again?

Or try the CCleaner program, as the "Tools" section is an uninstaller (listed on the Freeware sticky) -- though I suspect it'd be useless since it appears CCleaner simply reads what's on your Add and Remove Programs list and put them there...

[R'as al Ghul]

Hello froggy,

I'd suggest to download and install this program:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sys.../Autoruns.mspx

Autoruns detects and displays all autostarts of your system.
For easier use I'd recommend to disable the display of Microsoft services in autoruns, that filters about 75% of the displayed files and lets you quickly find those that give you trouble.
It's an excellent tool. If you have any questions left I'd be happy to answer them.



R'as

[caravel]

Such things as 'control panel' applets that run in the system tray are usually located in the 'Run' section of the Registry, and are not system services. Another place to check is the startup folder in the start menu. Programs such as Ms office store all of their rubbish there.

[AussieGiant]

Hi Miss Frog,

This will give you something to chew on:

http://www.tweakguides.com/System.html

It's some heavy reading I can tell you.

I printed the relevant one's out based on my machine and then read through them and highlighted the specific details of what to do.

God's teeth!! It will give you some very good advise.

[Gregoshi]

froggy, I have a "disk detector" utility in my Control Panel. If you have it too, launch it. Under the "General" tab, there is a check box "Enable disk detector". Uncheck it and it may stop launching Disk Detector from launching at startup for you. I think that is how I got rid of it on my PC. Alas, I'm sure the software is sitting somewhere eating up some disk space, but at least it isn't running.

[frogbeastegg]

Sorry, been ferociously busy.

I downloaded and tried R'as al Ghul's program tonight. The programs had entries which were ticked; I unticked them and will see what happens when I boot my PC up tomorrow evening.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[frogbeastegg]

It worked.