How to prevent Browser Helper Objects from loading with Explorer.exe

BHOs, most of the time, are created for use with Internet Explorer, and Internet Explorer alone. They don't serve any real function when loaded with a regular explorer window, so it can be useful (for memory reasons and the like) to prevent them from loading with every explorer.exe instance. You really don't need them starting up every time you browse to a folder, or view your Control Panel.

Open Regedit (Start->Run REGEDIT) and browse to the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Browser Helper Objects

You'll see some sub-keys in that particular key in GUID format. The number depends on the number of BHOs you have installed.

For each BHO that you don't want to load with explorer.exe select it's GUID and add a REG_DWORD item named NoExplorer with the value set to 1.