Why you should not be using MSconfig to control startups!! http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=149804 Many people frequently use MSconfig as a long term solution to control startup processes and services. You will also see many websites condoning use of MSconfig and teaching you how to use it for controlling startups. This is a very bad idea for many reasons. 1. MSconfig was designed to be used only as a temporary debugging/troubleshooting tool. It was not meant to be used for long term solutions. 2. MSconfig does not show all startups anyway. 3. If you uninstall programs while they are being disabled with MSconfig, they will not be uninstall properly and you will have to resort to manual registry editing to properly get everything removed. MSconfig will leave orphan entries if/when installed software is uninstalled while under the control of MSconfig . When/if MSconfig is turned back to normal startup, it will give errors on boot due to those orphan entries. 4. MSconfig and Services: o If you uninstall programs while you have some of the programs services being controlled with MSconfig, the programs will not be uninstall properly and you will have to resort to manual registry editing to get everything properly removed. o When you uncheck a service in msconfig, you completely disable it. If you uncheck the wrong one, you may not be able to restart your computer. o It is safer to control services by using Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services (this runs services.msc). 5. You can lock malware items into your registry that you may not see anymore until some point in time where you switch back to Normal Startup mode and now you can cause total reinfection of your PC with the malware. You need to remove the malware not mask it. If you still don't understand why not to use MSconfig, see what Microsoft writes here: The key point is stated as such: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310560

Here is the list.. I see some I no longer use like Ace FTP freeware. AceFTP 3 Freeware Acrobat.com Acrobat.com Adobe AIR Adobe AIR Adobe Flash Player 10 Plugin Adobe Flash Player 9 ActiveX Adobe Reader 9.1 Adobe Photoshop® Album Starter Edition 3.2 Alien Skin Eye Candy 5 Impact Alien Skin Eye Candy 5 Nature Alien Skin Eye Candy 5 Textures Alien Skin Xenofex 2.0 AM-DeadLink 3.1 American Greetings CreataCard American Greetings CreataCard Spiritual Expressions 7 APC PowerChute Personal Edition Athlon 64 Processor Driver AVG Free 8.0 Big Fish Games Client CCleaner (remove only) COWON Media Center - jetAudio Basic Critical Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB959772) Domino Master Gold (remove only) Dominoes, Win42, and WinMoon Double-9 Dominoes ESET Online Scanner ExtractNow Eye Candy 4000 GemMaster Mystic getPlus(R) for Adobe Google Updater Hallmark Card Studio 2007 HijackThis 2.0.2 Hotfix for Windows Media Format 11 SDK (KB929399) Hotfix for Windows Media Player 10 (KB903157) Hotfix for Windows Media Player 11 (KB939683) Hotfix for Windows XP (KB952287) HP Extended Capabilities 6.1 HP Imaging Device Functions 6.1 HP Photosmart Essential HP PSC & OfficeJet 6.1.A HP Software Update HP Solution Center and Imaging Support Tools 6.1 Ipswitch WS_FTP Home IZArc 3.81 Jasc Animation Shop 3 Jasc Paint Shop Pro 9 Java(TM) 6 Update 13 Java(TM) 6 Update 7 Mahjong Towers Eternity (remove only) Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Mexican Train For Windows Version 4.0.2 Mexican Train For Windows Version 4.0.3 Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 Hotfix (KB928366) Microsoft Compression Client Pack 1.0 for Windows XP Microsoft Internationalized Domain Names Mitigation APIs Microsoft National Language Support Downlevel APIs Microsoft User-Mode Driver Framework Feature Pack 1.0 Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable Microsoft Web Publishing Wizard 1.52 Mozilla Firefox (3.0.8) Mozilla Thunderbird (2.0.0.21) MSN MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB936181) MSXML 4.0 SP2 (KB954430) NTI Backup NOW! 4 NTI CD & DVD-Maker NVIDIA Drivers OpenOffice.org 3.0 Otto Paint Shop Pro 7 Anniversary Edition Panda ActiveScan 2.0 Photo Organizer PowerDVD Pretty Good Solitaire version 12.0.0 Realtek AC'97 Audio RON Tool Banners4u Secunia PSI Security Update for Step By Step Interactive Training (KB898458) Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB938127-v2) Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB956390) Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB960714) Security Update for Windows Internet Explorer 7 (KB961260) Security Update for Windows Media Player (KB952069) Security Update for Windows Media Player 10 (KB936782) Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB936782) Security Update for Windows Media Player 11 (KB954154) Security Update for Windows XP (KB923789) Security Update for Windows XP (KB938464) Security Update for Windows XP (KB938464-v2) Security Update for Windows XP (KB941569) Security Update for Windows XP (KB946648) Security Update for Windows XP (KB950759) Security Update for Windows XP (KB950760) Security Update for Windows XP (KB950762) Security Update for Windows XP (KB950974) Security Update for Windows XP (KB951066) Security Update for Windows XP (KB951376) Security Update for Windows XP (KB951376-v2) Security Update for Windows XP (KB951698) Security Update for Windows XP (KB951748) Security Update for Windows XP (KB952954) Security Update for Windows XP (KB953838) Security Update for Windows XP (KB953839) Security Update for Windows XP (KB954211) Security Update for Windows XP (KB954459) Security Update for Windows XP (KB954600) Security Update for Windows XP (KB955069) Security Update for Windows XP (KB956390) Security Update for Windows XP (KB956391) Security Update for Windows XP (KB956802) Security Update for Windows XP (KB956803) Security Update for Windows XP (KB956841) Security Update for Windows XP (KB957095) Security Update for Windows XP (KB957097) Security Update for Windows XP (KB958215) Security Update for Windows XP (KB958644) Security Update for Windows XP (KB958687) Security Update for Windows XP (KB958690) Security Update for Windows XP (KB960225) Security Update for Windows XP (KB960714) Security Update for Windows XP (KB960715) Shockwave Sonic Encoders SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition Update for Windows Media Player 10 (KB913800) Update for Windows Media Player 10 (KB926251) Update for Windows XP (KB951072-v2) Update for Windows XP (KB951978) Update for Windows XP (KB955839) Update for Windows XP (KB967715) Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 VC 9.0 Runtime VC 9.0 Runtime Viewpoint Media Player (Remove Only) Vizros Plug-ins 4.1 Weather Exchange Weather Watcher Windows Internet Explorer 7 Windows Media Format 11 runtime Windows Media Format 11 runtime Windows Media Player 11 Windows Media Player 11 Windows Resource Kit Tools - SubInAcl.exe Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 KB925766 Windows XP Service Pack 3 Wireless 802.11g USB Adapter WOT for Internet Explorer Xenofex 1.0 ZoneAlarm ZoneAlarm Spy Blocker Toolbar

from AVG faq: How to install AVG without LinkScanner If you wish to install AVG 8.0 Free Edition without the LinkScanner component, or uninstall this component from your program, please proceed as follows: * Download the AVG 8.0 Free Edition installation package from our website. * Run the installation with the parameters /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch. One way to achieve this is to: o save the AVG Free installation file directly to disk C:\ o open menu Start -> Run o type c:\avg_free_stf_*.exe /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSurf /REMOVE_FEATURE fea_AVG_SafeSearch * The installation will be started, and AVG will be installed without the LinkScanner component. To add or remove some AVG Free components, such as e-mail scanner plugins, please proceed as follows: * please download the latest AVG installation installation file from the Download section of our website * When you are prompted, please do not open this file directly from the Internet, but click the "Save" button and choose a location where the installation file should be stored. We recommend saving the file to the Desktop. * Locate the downloaded AVG installation file (it has a four color square icon and its name starts with AVG...) and launch the installation by double-clicking on it. * The installation process recognizes the existence of installed AVG and the Add/Remove Components option is offered. Reinstalling and using the Add/Remove Components option is necessary for example in the case that there is a new supported e-mail client (MS Outlook/The Bat!) installed on the PC after the first installation of AVG Free. And be sure you go to your browser add-on area and disabled the AVG 8.0 Web toolbar and anything else related to AVG. Go to this faq for more info AVG faq

this is why I warn people about opening any pdf file. Many of the new infections are coming through pdf exploits. When wanting to view a pdf file it is best not to let it just open in your browser or email but instead to choose to download it to your pc then right click on it and scan it with your antivirus program and malwarebytes. That way the infection can be caught before the file is opened. If you are not using the secunia tool to keep your system up dated then you should do that. Adobe and java and flash all have had recent updates that are critical security updates. As zep said scan asap with malwarebytes free and allow it to clean anything it finds. Trojans are much more likely to be caught by malwarebytes than by an AV. How to download and install Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware application for Windows computers Secunia Online Software Inspector (OSI) and doing occasional online virus scans to make sure nothing has altered your AV that is on your pc is a very good idea. ESET Online Scanner more on pdf exploits and why you need to be very aware of these and how to prevent them New PDF Exploit May Be First Of Many In The New Year, Experts Say PDF exploit requires no specific security hole to function I personally have chosen to remove adobe reader from my windows computers and am now using pdf-xchange instead which has not had the same security issues as adobe and foxit. PDF-XChange Viewer 2.054 of course keeping any pdf reader updated is essential as is keeping the windows updates installed.