Reduce Windows Clutter, Improve Performance

Free up valuable system resources with these tips and tools.

Steve Bass

You have 47 icons in your Windows system tray and you haven't a clue what half of them do. Your home-office IS staffer (you) refers you to the help desk (you) but the line's always busy.

So put on your safety goggles and a pair of sturdy work gloves. I have a bunch of tricks and neato tools to help you tear apart your system tray and streamline it to fit your needs.

Disclaimer: My editor insists I tell you that the system tray area of the taskbar is on the right side, where you see the clock. (His words, I swear.) I thought of refusing, but I kicked back with today's Dilbert strip instead.

Start With My Column

The first place to start is with my Home Office column "Uninvited Icons Cause More Than Clutter." It'll take only a few minutes for you to get up to speed.

Don't even think of bypassing Matt Lake's more comprehensive Here's How tips in the "Let My Resource Go" section of his "PC Workout" article. Believe me, I relied on lots of Matt's material for my column. (Don't you love euphemisms?)

Strange Apps in Your System Tray?

While you're at it, check out Lincoln "Yes, that's my real name" Spector's "Identify Mystery Apps Running in the Shadows." He tackles five of the common items hanging around in your PC's background.

And our very own Scott Dunn quickly explains how to "disable start-up apps without killing them."

Dig this: Want to see a system tray that's been collecting icons since 1983?

Find the Hidden Windows Utility

You say you're having problems finding msconfig, the Windows utility mentioned in every article about the system tray? No surprise--Windows is a fickle operating system.

In Windows 98, try this first: Use Windows Explorer and look in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\MSINFO\MSINFO32.EXE. Not there? Get out your Win 98 CD, and from Control Panel, open Add/Remove Programs, click the Windows Setup tab, and highlight System Tools. Click the Details button, check the System Monitor box, and then click OK twice.

Still running Windows 95? Msconfig isn't available for that, so how about upgrading? No, huh? Okay, then--for editing system files, Win 95's System Configuration Editor (Windows\System\Sysedit.exe) is your best bet.

No matter which OS you're using, get a copy of Startup Control Panel. It's a cool, free utility that lets you manage settings not shown in msconfig.

Simplify Your Life

Want to be a minimalist? Dump the system tray's volume control icon. Here's how: Right-click the little yellow speaker icon, select Adjust Audio Properties, and then deselect the "Show volume control on the taskbar" option. To get it back, open the Control Panel and double-click on Multimedia. On the Audio tab of the resulting dialog box, select "Show volume control on the taskbar" and click OK, and that speaker icon will reappear in the system tray.

Dig this: Here is the only utility anyone in their right mind would want in their system tray.

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