Clearing programs from my start menu?

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So my Windows XP computer is taking rather a long time to start up and its working hard even when I am not doing anything, so I thought I would look at whats going on in Startup.

When I look in System information
Software Environment
Startup Programs
I see a list of hundreds of programs, the first two are $Winnt$ which I cannot find mention of on the net, but Winnt comes up as Malware.
System Information doesnt let you delete programs, so I tried MSConfig in Run, and get a list of only 23 programs in the startup menu, and only 4 of these I have enabled.

So why does System Information show so much going on at startup and how can I access these programs to delete them?

there is a difference between programs started by windows, and those that start themselves.

also, windows XP is really ancient, perhaps upgrade to something more recent? Win7 is a good one. that should also clean the startup folder (as would any clean install)

So would you say the hundreds that are shown in my system information are the ones that start themselves? The location for these is said simply to be "Startup", however, when I look in this folder I see nothing whatsoever despite clicking the hidden box.

Something I was wondering, AVG starts at start-up, all those Malware named programs wouldnt just be part of AVG to look out for said malware would it?
And how come my paid for "Spyhunter" doesnt find all this stuff?

I'm not sure if it works on XP or not, but I'd recommend installing Bitdefender Free. It's one of the best AVs I've used by far, as it is light and unobtrusive. AVG, on the other hand, I've used it on and off for a while, but I find it to be quite heavy and bloated, definitely not the best AV for an older PC.

An even better solution would be to just toss Windows entirely, and install Linux.

I used Windows XP until a few months ago. I still prefer it, but, such is life.

Try downloading the free utility application CCleaner ( https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download ). Within its Tools tab, you can choose its Start Up preferences and turn on or off any unnecessary start-up orders. I turn off anything that isn't related to the hardware (Dell and sound processors), the processor chips (Intel) and anti-virus software. Everything else can and should launch only when I execute the applications. If you use a solid-state drive, don't use CCleaner to optimize (at least not very often, once or twice a year), because SSDs don't need optimizing. But, the other CCleaner tools are helpful.

I already have CCleaner but forgot, so I tried what you said and finds it gives me the same short list of 23 programs, only 4 of which I have enabled.
Whereas if I type msinfo32 into the RUN box then chose software environment startup programmes I get 100s

Then, I think it is a virus. Try MalwareBytes ( https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download ) or some other anti-virus application?

I use Spyhunter.

Can anybody else with XP type msinfo32 in their Run box and see what there system info startup programs looks like compared to their other startup folder?

When it comes to removing malware, oftentimes one program can't take care of all of it. That's why whenever I'm trying to disinfect someone's PC, I almost always run multiple tools. Sometimes one tool with catch things that other tools completely ignore. You have nothing to lose by going that route, so long as you configure these programs not to run automatically in the background. Really, for keeping things out, you only need a good antivirus and some common sense.

I would advise you to get a Mac. If you can't afford a new one you can buy a nicer used one online for half the price. Windows XP is very vulnerable to viruses and doesn't work very well. I know vista, 7, and 8 don't work much better.

Macs are vulnerable to malware too. Really, the best way to avoid malware infections, is to run a decent AV, have some security addons (like Noscript, AdBlock Plus, etc.) installed in your browser, and use common sense when it comes to installing programs. Whatever you do, if you download a freeware program, turn down ALL the offers it gives you involving other programs, and don't allow it to install any toolbars.

Running Linux is not a bad idea either, as it is inherently more resistant to malware than Windows or Mac OS. Mac OS used to be more secure because hardly anyone used it, but now as it's achieving more popularity, more malware is being developed for it, and a lot of it just happens to be extremely difficult to remove. On Linux, you pretty much need to type in your password any time you install a program or make any other system-wide changes, and when you're doing just normal day-to-day tasks, you never run as a superuser/administrator, so that makes developing malware for Linux nearly pointless. Now, contrary to popular belief, malware does exist for Linux, but it is extremely rare, and it mainly targets servers rather than normal home-use systems. If you're not hosting a website or doing anything else of the sort on your machine, you should be fine.