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If you’re like me, you may block some of the programs that normally want to run at startup so they don’t eat all your RAM and processor. After doing this, you may consistently get notifications reminding you that a program is being blocked. Here’s why you might be getting them, and how to make them stop.
Here’s the message that I receive:
Windows has blocked some startup programs: Windows blocks programs that require permission to run when Windows starts. Click to view blocked programs.
Now you’re probably thinking that Vista is reminding you that you blocked some programs, but if you did what I did, you’d be wrong. Ironically, Vista is letting you know that it is blocking the program that you used to block those programs! You likely used MSCONFIG to block your startup programs or services. When the computer starts up, the changes you made with MSCONFIG are handled as you chose, but then MSCONFIG wants to show you a dialog window that reminds you that you made those changes. Problem is, UAC won’t let MSONFIG open to show that dialog because it requires elevated privileges.
Thankfully this is easy to fix, but is evidence of how the many pieces of Vista don’t always cooperate with each other.
- Click on the Blocked Startup Programs icon and from Run blocked programs choose System Configuration Utility.
- You will be prompted to approve the elevation of privileges (if UAC is active) and then you’ll see the friendly warning dialog that is causing all the trouble. Check the box and click OK to tell the System Configuration Utility not to try and show the dialog again.
That’s it! Now if you didn’t see System Configuration Utility in the ‘blocked programs’ list, then it might be some other program that is trying to run. If that’s the case, you can use MSCONFIG to tell that program not to run, or you can use the Show or remove blocked startup programs option from that same menu to ‘Disable’ the program.
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Comments
k3davis
Jul 9, 2007 at 6:51 am
In my case I’d actually like to run a program requiring elevated privileges at startup. No way to do that without this click click click, I assume?
Joe
Jul 9, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Not that I’m aware of.
Dave
Jul 10, 2007 at 8:45 am
I’m Having the same problem with peerguardian..I just got vista so im new to all this extras but the run as administrator icon is on the short-cut and windows blockes it at startup…And I hate doing the click click method and sometimes it still dont run….Any sugestions???
Joe
Jul 10, 2007 at 12:21 pm
One thing you guys could try would be to right-click the application icon and choose properties, then tell the app to ‘run as administrator’. I think UAC will still step in, but it’s worth a try just in case. Otherwise, does PeerGuardian offer an option to run as a service? I would think that running an application as a service might get around the problem.
Jillian
Aug 8, 2007 at 9:08 am
I’ve had this problem since I started using vista… with msconfig. I’ve tried selecting ‘don’t show this on startup’, but it STILL tries to show it on startup. Clicking the box did NOT work at all. Is there any other way to fix this other than defaulting back to original msconfig options?
Bob
Aug 23, 2007 at 6:50 am
THANK YOU!! I blocked the camera assist software because I dont use it but had that ANNOYING window everytime.
Is there anything else I can remove from Start-up do make my pc run quicker?
Zee33
Sep 1, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I use the old reliable Mike Lins startup control panel . I had it for my old xp home machine and figured I’d try it . It also works in vista . Now I get no warnings of any kind but I turned off UAC the day I installed vista . If youd like to try mike lins “Startup CPL” It can be found at http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
Hope this helps .
David Bulpitt
Oct 30, 2007 at 8:39 am
Thanks for that. Works great for WAMP Web server.
Donalddonaldp6@verizon.net
Nov 8, 2007 at 3:12 pm
This item only showed up recently (last 2 weeks or so.) When I click on the icon in the systray, and then I do not the SYSCONFIG utility as an option, only the blocked program.
Nikola
Nov 9, 2007 at 10:12 am
a virus - I think - has destroyed Search facility on my Windows XP IBM notebook. Vanished - so I cannot root out the traces of three programs that kept inviting me to go to a websitre and download an anti-virus prog.
How can I restore the Search
now that I cleaned out the invaders ?
Zee33
Nov 9, 2007 at 11:24 am
Try searching in safe mode and see what happens . If you can search from safe mode , chances are there is still some nasties lurking around in the registry . Give regscrubxp a try to clean the nasties out . Hope this helps !!!
Rick
Nov 19, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Regarding the earlier comment about dealing with a program requiring elevated privileges at startup, there is a way. Not a particularly clean way, and it’s annoying that MS requires such hoop-jumping, but at least it works:
http://www.jimmah.com/vista/Applications/autostart_admin_program.aspx
Steve
Jan 7, 2008 at 9:32 am
To run programs at startup requiring Administrative privilege, you can create a Scheduled Task that runs at startup, and with Administrative privilege. See .
Steve
Jan 7, 2008 at 9:33 am
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&p=6509411
Fox
Feb 8, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Fab tip ! That pesky notification’s been irritating me for months ! And now it’s GONE. Hurrah ! Thank you !
sbw07
Feb 24, 2008 at 6:52 am
The scheduled task is a great way to go, but I had a problem with the fact that it runs the scheduled program invisibly. I could not find the program in the taskbar/notification area.
Instead I used the method described here. It’s more complicated and it disables UAC for the selected app entirely, not just at startup. Which is fine in my opinion, because not every app that UAC wants to block has potential for misuse.
Mike
Apr 3, 2008 at 8:36 am
OMG!
You know - I have been putting up with this for months.
i have looked everywhere.
I have even clicked on the allow blocked startup item - But then it shows msconfig, so I always assumed it was just going to run msconfig so i could add the startup items again…
I never for a second thought that Vista was actually blocking the sysconfig utility! What a stupid, stupid thing!
Thanks.
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