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Why does Safari automatically start up on boot?

I don't know how, but my boot target drive recently changed which I fixed under system preferences. However, everytime I boot my machine now Safari opens. How do I stop this?

Dave's Answer:

It's strange that your boot drive randomly changed, without question, but I'm suspecting that you started up at one point and the standard hard disk was unable to spin up before the system bailed and switched to your secondary drive. Fortunately, you figured out that you can go to Apple --> System Preferences --> Startup Disk.

To change what programs automatically start up when your computer boots up (actually, the programs automatically start when you actually log in to your account, but most likely your system is set up to automatically log you in when you start up your computer) you need to go to a different area in System Preferences.

This time, go to System Preferences --> Accounts, click on your own account, then click on the "Login Items". Here's what you'll see:

You can add specific applications you want to run by clicking on the small "+" icon, and, of course, you can stop having a specific application, like Safari, startup by simply clicking on the application name, then clicking on the "-" icon.

That's all there is to it!

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Categorized: Mac OS X Help (Article 4208)
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Comments

A quicker way would be anytime you have a program open, it appears in the dock. Simply hold the control key down and click on the dock icon and from the pop up menu, select or de-select "Open at Login"

Posted by: Jerid Hill at September 29, 2005 1:41 PM

The items in my "login items" were driving me crazy, I had searched and searched for the answer, now I found it thanks to you. :)

Posted by: Rick at June 26, 2006 9:34 PM

OK...I've searched every way I can think of...and I don't have a "system preferences" option...how else might I find a way to stop all these seldom used programs from opening up and running in the background every time I turn on the computer?

Posted by: andrea at April 1, 2007 10:41 AM

To get to system preferences, click on the apple in the upper left corner of your screen and it should be in that popup menu.

Posted by: Tristan at April 21, 2007 1:07 PM

Hi Dave! I have an unusual problem... when I start my computer, Safari starts (unbidden, NOT set to do so in start-up items) and displays a page from this location : file:///Applications/Utilities/AirPort%20Utility.app/Contents/Resources/sv.lproj/AirPortUtilityHelp/pgs/ap2103.html
and I can't get it to stop doing this... I have Safari set to display a blank page on start-up so it's not coming from that, and I have thrown out my LastSession.plist from my library/safari/preferences... I am pretty lost on this... Thanks for your help in advance, and I really enjoy your column/help!

Posted by: Walter Pendergraft at April 21, 2008 6:07 PM

WOw that really helped thanks alot man.

Posted by: Eddy at June 11, 2008 6:47 PM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!