Startup Managers

WinPatrol allows you to get a better understanding of what programs are being added to your computer. It monitors important system areas that are commonly altered by many malicious programs. This includes the startup groups (registry and startup folder), cookies and active tasks. You can terminate processes and enable or disable startup programs. The cookie monitoring option allows you to automatically delete cookies based on a keyword found in the cookie name. Additional features include a WHOIS lookup tool and an option to alert you on changes. WinPatrol is easy to understand, yet quiet powerful. Optional upgrade to a Plus version available.

RunScanner scans your system for all running processes, startup programs, drivers, services and potential hijack points, and produces a report that enables you to detect changes and configuration problems in your system. It also includes a Hosts file editor and a process killer that enables you to terminate a selected process. The program keeps a history of all changes and allow you to restore settings if the need should arise. RunScanner is designed to be used by advanced users.

AutoRuns shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Services, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can highlight an entry and click the "jump to" button to launch Regedit with the selected entry. In addition to startup programs, Autoruns also displays a list of Services, Scheduled Tasks, Winsock Providers, Internet Explorer BHOs and more - each of them can also be enabled/disabled.

a-squared HiJackFree enables you to manage programs that are configured to start automatically whenever your computer boots. You can enables/disable selected items, and also edit the registry information. The program offers a very detailed inspection of all startup areas, including several tricky methods that could be abused by malicious programs, but are usually not shown in standard startup managers. It also shows a list of Explorer add-ons, open ports and programs that use them, host file entires, and running processes. a-squared HiJackFree is intended to be used by advanced users only - disabling or removing the wrong components may cause system instability or worse.

Startup Delayer allows you to specify which programs to start first and which ones to delay. You can set a custom delay for each one, even drag the visual display graph which shows you exactly how your programs are starting and allows you to easily modify the order or adjust delay times.

Autostart and Process Viewer allows you to manage your startup programs, and view or terminate running processes. The program allows you to mark trusted startup program, so that newly added items can be easily identified.

Quick StartUp allows you to view the list of programs that run automatically whenever you start your computer. You can edit an entry, add a new entry, disable items that you do not want to run automatically, and also launch a Google search to find out details about a selected entry.

Those of you that have a dozen system tray programs will like this little tool - it will manage the execution of programs that are automatically started by the operating system at logon time. Rather than starting everything at once, StartRight will set a delay between each program launch, allowing Windows to load faster and more efficient. The program will automatically configure all startup programs, so if you are a novice user, there is nothing for you to configure. Advanced users can optionally edit the startup order or exclude certain programs from the delayed start. StartRight supports your common startup folder entries as well as registry runkey items. All original settings can be restored to their previous state by clicking the restore button.

Starter is a startup manager, that allows you to view and manage all the programs that are starting automatically whenever Windows boots. It lists all the hidden registry entries, as well as the common Startup Folder items as well. You can choose to safely disable selected entries, edit them or delete them altogether (if you know what you re doing). Expert users can even add their own entries. Nice interface, easy to use, no documentation though (but hardly needed).

StartupList creates a list off all items that are in any way related to your computer startup and are executed without any user interactions. It is not limited to the common Startup folders, but includes dozens of registry locations, as well as scheduled jobs, pending file operations and more. It also displays common Hijack points like browser default pages, Hosts file entries, Winsock layers, stopped and disabled services and much more. StartupList requires some technical knowledge and is not intended for the complete novice. It does not allow you to delete or disable any items, but provides links to the registry keys via RegEdit.

Start-Up Tool is a simple startup manager that shows all programs that are configured to start automatically when Windows starts. It supports common startup methods like registry and Startup folder. You can enable or disable selected items by using a checkbox, or also delete an entry or edit the parameters. Start-Up Tool is a standalone executable and does not require an installation.

AppPaths is a small Control Panel applet that will allow you to edit various startup settings defined in the registry. It includes options to modify the startup (Run) settings found in the registry as well as application paths and Help settings.

Startup Inspector lets you view and optionally disable programs that are currently set to start automatically with Windows. In addition to the details that are extracted from the registry, it can also consult an online database that can provide additional information in plain English (if available). In addition, it displays a user rating that indicates whether other users find the particular entry to be of any use. The program is easy to use and comes with an attractive interface - it is designed to list and either disable or enable startup entries; it does not provide options to modify them or add new ones.

WheresJames Startup Manager enables you to control which program will start automatically when Windows is starting. It shows all the program entries, including the ones that are hidden in the registry and also provides detailed information for each. You have the option to toggle selected items on/off or to delete them permanently. Startup Manager is easily accessible from the system tray and organizes all items by registry key for easy navigation. Also includes a Task List that allows you to view all currently running programs and the associated DLLs.

Startup Guard alerts you whenever a new program is set to start automatically with Windows. On initial run, it will prompt you for each existing entry, allowing you to keep it or remove it. After that, it runs in the system tray and whenever a new program is added to the startup, it will prompt you to allow it or not.

StartupRun displays the list of all applications that are loaded automatically when Windows boots. You can choose to edit, disable, enable and delete selected items and also export them to a text list for later reference.

Startup Control Panel is a nifty control panel applet that allows you to easily configure which programs run when your computer starts. It s simple to use , very small and won t burden your system. A valuable tool for system administrators! (once installed, you can access it from ...the Windows Control Panel). This is an excellent tool for managing programs that are started automatically.

Startup Application Manager allows you to manage applications that execute each time Windows starts. It supports Current User and Local Machine registry values and also allows you to edit the entries if needed. Programs that you do not want to start with Windows can be disabled or the entries completely removed. The common Startup Folder items are not included.