Disable Startup Items In Sys Config Util

There seems to be an ever increasing number of items that get deposited by programs and downloads into the Startup list in the system configuration utility in win 9x. Most seem best to disable, as their most visible attribute seems to be to reduce system resources. Is there a comprehensive list of these items published anywhere, that identifies what they are, which ones are useful, which ones are not, and which ones are “spyware”?