Reducing start-up clutter

Q. If I understand the process correctly, each time I start my computer Windows will load certain programs into memory and have them readily available to me. This is using valuable memory, right? How can I go in and reduce the number of programs automatically started? I have looked at the msconfig file and unchecked a few of the startup items, but still there are a couple which show in the right-hand corner task bar as running. Am I not understanding the process?
A. To bring others up to speed, it is possible to find most of the software that sets itself to load at bootup by clicking on Start and then Run and typing in msconfig (Microsoft system configuration) and tapping Enter. Opening a tab named Startup in the menu that pops up produces a list of all the automatically loading stuff, with a check box alongside each to switch the automatic loading on and off.
I can make a good case that this is mighty small potatoes in terms of memory consumption, since these startups only require a few kilobytes of space, and we're talking about computers that measure memory in megabytes.
However, if memory is a trivial issue, mischief isn't. Some of the nastier spyware programs add startup items that may or may not appear in the system tray, as that real estate in the lower right of the screen is called. You will notice that at the bottom of the lists under Startup are boxes to enable all of the items or disable all of them, so don't worry much about what you remove.
People who subscribe to antivirus outfits like Symantec's Norton brand software are best advised to let it continue at startup. Stuff like special keyboards with buttons to play tunes or run a Web browser also often work through these startup bugs. You can find some sketchy information about each item in columns to the right of each listing.
Sometimes software is written that registers itself in the System tray each time it runs. An example is the justifiably popular MusicMatch Jukebox software. If you clear it out using the check box, it will be back next time. You can stop that sales pressure by right-clicking on the item in the tray and selecting a disable option.
Meanwhile, one can usually find what one of these items is just by using its name as a Google search.
Finally, look for a link called Task List at the AnswersThatWork.com Web site, a listing of scores of startup modules, complete with explanations about what they do. The site is www.answersthatwork.com.
Q. Recently my husband and I have had an error box pop up on the computer screen when the desktop screen loads. It says: "MSScriptControl: Unknown error."
We've had trouble finding out exactly what this means. Is it a major trouble area? What can we do to get rid of it and correct the problem? We would appreciate any help you can give us.
A. This error usually gets sent when programmers make mistakes in writing scripts that work along with versions of the Microsoft Visual Basic.Net programming language. All kinds of programming gaffes can cause the message you're getting, so there's no one easy fix.
There were cases in the past, however, where that murky error report was worrisome because it was generated by crude spyware programs that took advantage of flaws in the Microsoft Internet Explorer Web browser.
Fixes for that were made when the IE 6 upgrade was released. Unless you are using an older browser, the error message probably means that some fledgling programmer erred writing code that was downloaded onto your machine as one of the so-called applets that produce special effects at Web pages.
You probably can get rid of it by removing all of the temporary Internet files stored on your computer, but keep in mind that doing this will slow down your browser's performance until it has gone back to your favorite spots and reacquired applets. And there's always a chance that the bum code is at a place you visit frequently, and so you may wind up downloading the same backfire again.
The command for clearing out temporary Internet files can be found by clicking on Tools in the browser window and then selecting Internet Options and then opening the General tab on the menu box. Under the heading Temporary Internet Files, click on the Delete Files button.
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