Programs run at startup
Your computer automatically runs designated applications as soon as it starts. While some of these are necessary, many are not, and it might be a good idea to disable them. This could help your computer start up faster, and could also prevent conflicts with OUM's exam monitoring software that needs access to your computer camera and microphone.
Be Careful
Don't disable anything you don't recognize — it could prevent your computer from starting properly. But do consider disabling anything you recognize as coming from a 3rd party app developer, especially if it uses your camera and microphone. Typical programs you'll want to disable on startup might include Skype, Zoom, or any other communications app.
You can always start these programs manually by launching them from your computer — we're only stopping them from running automatically at startup.
If you aren't sure about a program try Googling it to see whether it's something you want running. Again, err on the side of caution and don't disable it unless you know you don't need it running.
There are generally 2 ways to disable a program from running at startup:
1. A setting in the program itself
Some programs have a setting you can access to tell it whether or not to run at startup. Here is an example from Dropbox. Every program is different, but look in the Preferences or Settings menu.
Keep in mind that not every program has this option, and even if it does you can still adjust the setting in your Operating System.
Windows 8 and 10
The easiest way to get to these settings is by typing "startup" in your Windows search bar, then select the "Startup Apps" search result, and switch off the programs you don't need loading at startup.
MacOS
Click the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen, then select System Preferences.
In the System Preferences window, open Users & Groups.
In the Users & Groups window click the Login Items tab. Select an application then click the minus button to remove it from the startup list.
