If I start up my laptop in mains power mode it takes a long time because of the number of programmes. If I start up in battery mode it takes just as long and I cannot close unwanted programmes for quite a few minutes because the computer is busy booting up. By the time it's ready to respond a good deal of the battery capacity has been used. Is it possible to programme the computer so that if I switch on using the battery, a restricted number of programmes start?

   I would say that it is not possible.

   Having had time to think about it, that may be a program that I could write.  Maybe someone else has already written a program to do that.  You might look at http://www.download.com and see if they have something.  If not, let me know and I will see what I can do.

Quoted from Ray    Having had time to think about it, that may be a program that I could write.  Maybe someone else has already written a program to do that.  You might look at http://www.download.com and see if they have something.  If not, let me know and I will see what I can do.

Does the solution be just to use a starter manager program?

I don't think a starter manager program gives you an option to load one set of programs when the battery is not being used and another when it is.  If the starter manager program does that, then it would be a solution.

Many thanks, Ray and algasys, and sorry for the delay in responding - trouble with ISP. I will try download.com. I'm not sure I'd know how to configure a starter programme manager, even if it was a possibility.

   I looked at download.com and did not find anything.
   I assume what algasys was talking about when he said starter manager programs was startup managers like our Speed Startup.  None of the startup managers that I looked at or have looked at before load different programs when the battery is being used then when it is not.

Though I would not pretend to be well up in startup managers I also went to download.com and could find nothing useful. Perhaps there's a need for such an application.

There used to be a keyboard shortcut that stopped all startup programs from loading -- but I don't remember what it was...

Yes, that would be the Shift key.  After you get past the log in screen, hold down on the Shift key until Windows has loaded.  That will prevent startup programs from starting.