is there a way of changing the order that programs are run during startup, I ask as Zone alarm pro is the last program to start and i think it should start first.

start/run/msconfig

msconfig only allow you to disable startup programs as far as i can see

no, the programs load in a non-specified order.

I used to use a batch file to accomplish this. It's not hard. Copy the entire path to the applications you want and enter them in notepad. ex. (Very Simple one) C:\Progra~1\Kazaa\kazaa.exe (real names mat different but you get the idea) When finished, change the extension to .bat and place shortcut to it in startup. This a really versatile way to get what you want to load and when. You can even put delays in the file to give some 'larger' programs more time to load before the next one starts up. Have fun.