If you're frustrated with the time it takes your Windows PC to boot and then it seems to be running slowly you may have too many programs running at start-up - and have come to the right place to identify them. This is the original startup programs (as opposed to processes/tasks) list - one of the most comprehensive and most accurate!
"Name or Startup Item" in the table below refers to how an entry is displayed in MSConfig, Windows Defender or the registry "Run" keys. "Command or Data" refers to the program the entry runs. For further information on this and how to identify and disable startup programs please visit the Startup Content page.
For further information on random startup entries please visit the Startup Info page. For the next few months and foreseeable future I'll be verifying many of the Y, U, N & ? entries via virtual machines. If you can verify/identify those entries with a "?" status (especially hardware specific - such as laptops and motherboards) then please E-mail me (address at bottom of the page) or use the new Message Board.
Last update :- 31st August
21939 items listed
"Status" key:
- "Y" - Normally leave to run at start-up
- "N" - Not required or not recommended - typically infrequently used tasks that can be started manually if necessary
- "U" - User's choice - depends whether a user deems it necessary
- "X" - Definitely not required - typically viruses, spyware, adware and "resource hogs"
- "?" - Unknown
Variables:
- %System% - refers to the System folder; by default this is C:\Windows\System (9x/Me), C:\Winnt\System32 (NT/2K), or C:\Windows\System32 (XP/Vista)
- %Windir% - refers to the Windows installation folder; by default this is C:\Windows (9x/Me/XP/Vista) or C:\Winnt (NT/2K)
- %UserProfile% - refers to the current user's profile folder; by default this is C:\Documents and Settings\ (NT/2K/XP) or C:\Users\ (Vista)
- %ProgramFiles% - refers to the Program Files folder; typically the path is C:\Program Files
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| Name or Startup Item | Status | Command or Data | Description | Tested? |
|---|
| AXIS Print System DriverScanner | U | DriverScanner.exe | Part of AXIS Print System from AXIS Communications - "adds printer discovery, printer driver installation printing on Windows platforms. Printing is enabled by AXIS Print Monitor, which is one of the components. Another component in AXIS Print System is AXIS IP Installer." Now discontinued | No |
| AXIS Print System DriverServer | U | DriverServer.exe | Part of AXIS Print System from AXIS Communications - "adds printer discovery, printer driver installation printing on Windows platforms. Printing is enabled by AXIS Print Monitor, which is one of the components. Another component in AXIS Print System is AXIS IP Installer." Now discontinued | No |
| AXIS Print System TrayIcon | U | TrayIcon.exe | System Tray access to AXIS Print System from AXIS Communications - "adds printer discovery, printer driver installation printing on Windows platforms. Printing is enabled by AXIS Print Monitor, which is one of the components. Another component in AXIS Print System is AXIS IP Installer." Now discontinued | No |
| AXPDefender | X | AXPDefender.exe | Advanced XP Defender rogue security software - not recommended, removal instructions here | No |
| AXPFixer | X | AXPFixer.exe | AdvancedXPFixer rogue security software - not recommended, removal instructions here | No |
| AXVenore | X | AXVenore.exe | Added by an unidentified TROJAN - see here | No |
| AzMixerSel | U | AzMixerSel.exe | Related to Realtek_Azalia Mixer Selector | No |
| azmodem | Y | azexe.exe | Aztech Labs modem driver | No |
| A_M_P_NET | X | AntiMalwarePro.exe | AntiMalware Pro rogue security software - not recommended, removal instructions here | No |
| a_vpd | ? | vpd.exe | Located in an IBMTOOLS\VPD sub-directory. What does it do and is it required? | No |
| B'sCLiP | N | BSCLIP.exe | CD recording utility that comes with a lot of CDR/CDRW drives and isn't required | No |
| b.exe | X | b.exe | Added by the SDBOT.BND WORM! | No |
| B.Reader | N | remin.exe | Birthday Reminder 5.0 - as the name implies | No |
| b3d | X | BDEsecureinstall.exe | B3d Projector foistware - periodically trys to access the internet. (1) Uninstall it via Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs. (2) Remove the BDEsecureinstall.exe if still present in the "System" directory. (3) Disable and ideally delete it from the registry. (4) Remove the "BDE" directory and all its contents | No |
| b3dUpdate | X | Zupdate.exe | Associated with B3d Projector foistware - see here | No |
| b9 | Y | B9.exe | FireTrust Benign - allows you to receive e-mail which is safe from viruses, worms, scripts, web bugs, privacy threats and other security risks, without affecting your e-mail. "Benign neutralizes or strips out the code that makes viruses, worms, scripts and other potentially harmful things run" | Yes |
| b99 | X | msmm.exe | ClientMan parasite variant | No |
| bab | X | svchst32.exe | Added by the AGENT.Q TROJAN! | No |
| babeie | X | rundll32 cnbabe.dll, dllstartup | CommonName Toolbar spyware. To uninstall see here | No |
| Babylon Client | N | Babylon.exe | Babylon-Pro is a powerful information tool that instantly provides relevant information, translations & conversions for any word or value you click on" | No |
| Babylon Translator | N | Babylon.exe | "Babylon-Pro is a powerful information tool that instantly provides relevant information, translations & conversions for any word or value you click on" | No |
| Back Updates | X | Uninstall.log.vbs | Added by the YPSAN.D WORM! | No |
| Back2zip | U | Back2zip.exe | Back2zip is a simple and elegant backup solution which uses the industry's most powerful ZIP and ZIP-64 technologies to constantly monitor your documents and make sure that they are always properly backed up | No |
| Backdoor.NuAgent | X | agent.exe | Added by the AGENT-DP TROJAN! | No |
| Background Intelligent Transfer Service | X | [path] rundll32.exe | Added by the VB-ZD TROJAN! Note - this is not the legitimate rundll32.exe process, which is found in %Windir% (98/ME) or %System% (NT/2K/XP) | No |
| BackgroundSwitcher | U | bgswitch.exe | Originally included with Microsoft's XP PowerToys (but now withdrawn - see here, Background Switcher allows your desktop background to periodically change | No |
| BackgroundSwitcher | U | BackgroundSwitcher.exe | John's Background Switcher (or JBS for short) periodically changes the background image on your computer (like every hour or every day) to something interesting | No |
| Backpack UDF | N | bpudfmon.exe | Backpack UDF packet writing software for Microssolutions' Back Pack external CD-RW drive. Similar to DirectCD. Run manually before insert an appropriately formatted CD-RW disk | No |
| backup | X | [path to worm] | Added by the AGOBOT-H WORM! | No |
| Backup NOW! Scheduler | U | Schdlr32.exe | Scheduled backups for the NTI Backup Now archiving utility. If a backup job has been scheduled, this entry places an icon in the System Tray and will automatically load the main program and execute the backup at the set time - as long as the backup media is present | Yes |
| Backup One | X | smbguard.exe | Added by the SDBOT-MI WORM! | No |
| Backup Service | X | backup.svc | Unidentified adware | No |
| BackUp Windows 2009 | X | [random].exe | Added by the AGENT-LUJ TROJAN! | No |
| Backup4all OTB Agent | U | B4AOTB.exe | "Backup4all is an award-winning data backup software for Windows. This backup utility was designed to protect your valuable data from partial or total loss by automating backup tasks, password protecting and compressing it to save storage space" | No |
| BackupExecScheduler | U | besch.exe | Veritas "Back Up My PC" software | No |
| BackupNotify | ? | backupnotify.exe | HP Digital Imaging related. What does it do and is it required? | No |
| BackWeb | N | backweb.exe | Automatically detects an internet connection and downloads any available updates. Typical on Compaq and HP PC's but not restricted to those OEM's. Resource hog and often causes malfunctions. Available via Start -> Programs | No |
| backWeb-8876480 | N | backweb-8876480.exe | Installed with older versions of the software for Logitech products. Automatically checks for software upgrades and new products, services and special offers from Logitech | Yes |
| Backwork | N | Backwork.exe | Backwork trojan detector | No |
| BACPI10 | U | bacpi10a.exe | Known as "PowerKey" - a minimalist keyboard driver that allows power management keys on BTC keyboards to function properly in older OS's (i.e. Win9x/NT4). Also adds an icon to the system tray | No |
| BacsTray | N | BacsTray.exe | Broadcom Advanced Control Suite - for modems and set top boxes based upon Broadcom chipsets. Not required unless you have networking problems | No |
| BADDATE | X | BADDATE.EXE | Added by an unidentified VIRUS, WORM or TROJAN! | No |
| Badx | X | HELLRAIDER.EXE | Added by the MINDCTRL.A BACKDOOR! | No |
| BagleAV | X | csrss.exe | Added by the NETSKY.AB WORM! Note - this is not the legitimate csrss.exe process which is always located in %System% and should not normally figure in Msconfig/Startup! This one is located in %Windir% | No |
| Bakra | X | IEHost.EXE | Added by the MULTIDR-AH TROJAN! | No |
| bal | X | SYSMONMS.EXE | Added by the FAKEALERT TROJAN! | No |
| Band-Aid | X | [path to file] | Added by the RANKY.O TROJAN! | No |
| bandmon | U | bandmon.exe | Rokario Bandwidth Monitor | No |
| Bandook | X | ali.exe | Added by the EXEMAS-B TROJAN! | No |
| Bandwidth Meter Pro | N | BandwidthMeterPro.exe | System Tray access to Bandwidth Meter Pro - "an easy-to-use network software for bandwidth usage monitoring and reporting. It monitors traffic of all network connections on your computer and displays graphical and numerical download and upload speeds in real-time" | Yes |
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The following files are available for people developing mirrors of the site and using the information presented here:
Startup XML File - Startup INI File - Startup HTML File
For IE users, right-click on the link and select "Save Target As..." - note that for the INI and HTML files the suggested filename will be "startuplist.htm" and you'll have to rename them "startuplist.ini" and "startuplist.html" respectively.
For Firefox users, I recommend downloading the zipped versions from here. Otherwise, you'll have to open the file and save it - which can take a long time due to the size.
NOTE: These downloads are password protected and free to anyone producing a mirror or free utility. If you produce a commercial/shareware utility please contact me to discuss options. If you don't fall into any of these categories and want to download any of these files you will need to either make a donation of $15/year or more via PayPal (or E-mail me) and you will be provided with the login details which will change at the beginning of each year. The donation will go towards researching new and existing entries for the database and creating these files. Since making these files available for download they've been available free of charge and downloaded thousands of times. I believe they are unique as to my knowledge, no similar site offers such a resource as the lists they offer are on-line only.
DISCLAIMER: It is assumed that users are familiar with the operating system they are using and comfortable with making the suggested changes. I will not be held responsible if changes you make cause a system failure.
NOTE: This is NOT a database of tasks/processes taken from Task Manager or the Close Program window (CTRL+ALT+DEL) but a database of startup applications, although you will find some of them listed via this method. Pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL identifies programs that are currently running - not necessarily at startup. For a list of tasks/processes you should try the Process Library from Uniblue, the list at PC Pitstop or one of the many others now available. Therefore, before ending a task/process via CTRL+ALT+DEL just because it has an "X" recommendation, please check whether it's in MSConfig or the registry first. An example would be "svchost.exe" - which doesn't appear in either under normal conditions but does via CTRL+ALT+DEL. If in doubt, don't do anything.
To avoid the database becoming too large, all virus entries are only shown using the registry version which is common to all Windows versions. Otherwise there would be multiple entries for popular filenames that viruses often use - such as "svchost" above for example. Multiple viruses can also use the same startup entries, in this case only those with significant differences (such as file location) are repeated in this database.
NOTE : There are a number of virus and malware entried listed in this database where specific removal instructions haven't been given. If this is the case then you could try SDFix, a program written by AndyManchesta that can remove many different types of Trojans and Worms. See here for a tutorial on how to use the program and here for the latest ReadMe file detailing the fixes included.
IMPORTANT: A number of entries are repeated due to the way that different operating systems display startup items. For example, WinMe lists "POPROXY.EXE" as "Norton eMail Protect" in both MSCONFIG and the registry whereas WinXP lists it as "Poproxy" in MSCONFIG and "Norton eMail Protect" in the registry.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
If you're looking for a startup manager then why not try WinPatrol (by BillP Studios) or Advanced SystemCare Free (by IObit) - both include the option to search this database for a particular entry. Alternatively try Spybot - Search & Destroy (by Safer Networking Ltd) as the startup programs section (select the Advanced mode) includes descriptions from this database. You might also want to try their RunAlyzer and FileAlyzer tools.
There are an ever increasing number of rogue applications appearing these days and many of the removal guides referenced in this database use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware (which now incorporates the now discontinued RogueRemover).
As there are more than 10,000 entries in this database related to viruses, trojans, worms and other malware I recommend you use a quality internet security package. Which ever you choose, keep it updated.
Presentation, format & comments Copyright © 2001 - 2010 Paul Collins
Portions Copyright © Peter Forrest, Denny Denham, Sylvain Prevost, Tony Klein, CastleCops & Bleeping Computer
Database creation and support by Patrick Kolla
Software support by John Mayer
All rights reserved