Getting a dsl connection to autostart

I got a new dell a couple days ago, and got my DSL to work by using the "add internet connection" thingie in the control panel.  It's running fine, but I have to manually start it.  Some of the item that automatically start look for for an internet connection and give me a warning that I have to close before anything can happen.  Is there a way to get my DSL connection to activate before these programs try to run?