When you install software on to your computer, data is submitted to your Registry and you might find that applications automatically start when you boot your computer.

The more software you install, the more likely it is that applications will delay the launch of Windows when you start your machine.

However, finding and removing these start up items is a challenging task. Even if you uninstall the original software, you might find that items remain within your Registry and that you still suffer from a machine that's taking far longer than necessary to boot.

Autoruns is a fantastic tool that will show a comprehensive list of every item that launches when you boot your computer.

It will display the origin of the items, the order in which they launch and which items start every time or occasionally, such as an antivirus application that systematically checks for new updates.

This application goes much further than the standard MSConfig utility in that you can temporarily disable start-up items and locate deep and hidden files that are only associated with installed applications.