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 :- 29th October, 2009
19979 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? |
|---|
| BatLogEx | U | rundll32.exe [path] BatLogEx.DLL,StartBattLog | Part of the Battery MaxiMiser and Power Management Features set for some IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad notebooks. This entry logs changes in battery conditions such as charging, discharging, life, etc | Yes |
| BatSrv | X | batserv2.exe | Detected by Kaspersky as the LOCKSY.M WORM! | No |
| Battery Scope | U | batmgr.exe | Monitors battery levels on a notebook/laptop PC | No |
| BatteryBar | U | batterybar.exe | BatteryBar - displays battery usage, and the current percentage of battery power left | No |
| batterymiser | Y | batterymiser.exe | Battery Miser power management utility for LG Notebooks | No |
| BatteryMiser 5 | Y | BatteryMiser5.exe | Battery Miser 5 power management utility for LG Notebooks | No |
| BatzBack | X | BatzBack.scr | Added by the BACKZAT WORM! | No |
| BAUSB | U | BAUSB.exe | Boston Acoustics Audio, USB driver | No |
| bawindo | X | bawindo.exe | Added by the BEAGLE.AR or BEAGLE.AU WORMS! | No |
| BayMgr | U | DockApp.exe | Hot-swappable drive management on laptops allowing you to change drives without closing down Windows. Only required if you frequently swap bay devices | No |
| Bayswap | U | bayswap.exe | Hot-swappable drive management on Compaq Notebooks which allows you to swap drives without closing down Windows. Only required if you frequently swap bay devices | No |
| Bayswap2 | U | TbUpdate.exe | Hot-swappable drive management on Compaq Notebooks which allows you to swap drives without closing down Windows. Only required if you frequently swap bay devices | No |
| BBC Alerts | N | BBC_Alerts.exe | BBC Alerts - "You can now have all the latest news and sports headlines delivered straight to your desktop with the new BBC Alerts service" | No |
| BBC News alerts | U | skinkers.exe | BBC News Desktop Alerts service - see here. Desktop alert and breaking news e-mail services let you find out about all the latest news as it happens | No |
| BBDial | ? | BT Broadband.exe | Part of BT Broandband - is it required? | No |
| BBLauncher.exe | N | BBLauncher.exe | BounceBack Professional - back-up software | No |
| bbSysTray | N | bbSysTray.exe | Philips CD-RW related - "the 'Blue Button' feature gives users the chance to receive convenient online support for their possible device problems or questions" | No |
| bbui | U | bbui.exe | AOL DSL status monitor displaying a red/green icon indicating if you have a connection | No |
| bca | U | bca.exe | BeClean Agent - registry, history, temp files, etc cleaner | No |
| BCDetect | U | bcdetect.exe | Bcdetect.exe searches the system to make sure Creative drivers are installed for the video card. It loads the BlasterControl when the drivers are detected. Your choice - try it and see | No |
| BCMDMMSG | Y | bcmdmmsg.exe | BCM voicemodem driver. Required for dial-up if you have one of these modems | No |
| BCMHal | U | rundll32.exe bcmhal9x.dll, bcinit | BlasterControl for Creative video cards - controls for desktop settings, monitor configuration, colour adjustments and performance tuning. May be needed to retain settings | No |
| BCMSMMSG | Y | BCMSMMSG.exe | BCM voicemodem driver. Required for dial-up if you have one of these modems | No |
| bcmwltry | ? | bcmwltry.exe | Broadcom Corporation Wireless Network Tray Applet. Is it required? | No |
| BCNT | N | bcnt.exe | AWS Weatherbug related. What does it do? | No |
| BCPC | X | bcpc.exe | BroadcastPC adware variant | No |
| bcpc_c | X | bcpc_c.exe | BroadcastPC adware variant | No |
| BCTweak | U | bctweak.exe | BlasterControl for Creative video cards - controls for desktop settings, monitor configuration, colour adjustments and performance tuning. May be needed to retain settings | No |
| Bcvsrv32 | X | bcvsrv32.exe | Added by the GAOBOT.BQJ WORM! | No |
| Bcvsrv32 | X | he3.exe | Added by the AGOBOT.AKB WORM! | No |
| Bcvsrv32 | X | msxml22.exe | Added by the AGOBOT.AKH WORM! | No |
| Bcvsrv32 | X | msc32.exe | Added by the AGOBOT.AKD WORM! | No |
| BCWipeTM | N | bcwipetm.exe | BCWipe Task Manager - scheduler for BCWipe so that it runs at convenient times. You can set a time for running the task, as well as special options for the task. Run manually when needed | No |
| BD | X | dc.exe | Added by the RASDOOR-A TROJAN! | No |
| BDAgent | Y | bdagent.exe | BitDefender Agent - for BitDefender internet security products. Maintains settings (for all users) and provides alerts and System Tray access to the main program. Note - for the System Tray icon to be displayed the Terminal Services service must be set to either "Manual" or "Automatic" | Yes |
| bdfger | X | gggasw.exe | Added by the SDBOT-RT WORM! | No |
| BDMCon | Y | Bdmcon.exe | BitDefender antivirus | No |
| BDNewsAgent | Y | bdnagent.exe | BitDefender antivirus - updater | No |
| BDOESRV | Y | bdoesrv.exe | Bitdefender 8 antivirus and firewall | No |
| BDRegion | U | brs.exe | Part of Cyberlink's PowerDVD version 8 - removes the Blu-ray region on a DVD | No |
| BDSwitchAgent | Y | bdswitch.exe | Bitdefender 8 antivirus and firewall | No |
| BDWizReg | Y | bdwizreg.exe | Configuration wizard for BitDefender internet security products. Only runs once the product has been installed. Guides you through the steps necessary to configure the BitDefender modules, applies settings to cover your requirements and security needs and takes the first actions to making your computer virus-free | Yes |
| BearFlix | U | BearFlix.exe | BearFlix is optimized for the fast download of video files | No |
| BearShare | N | bearshare.exe | BearShare file sharing client. Versions known to include spyware - see here | No |
| BeatNik Internet Clock | U | BeatNik.exe | BeatNik Internet Clock is a Windows clock add-on that supports 'skins'. It can also synchronize your computer's clock with an atomic clock | No |
| Beawver | X | saqevre.exe | Added by a variant of the RANKY TROJAN! | No |
| BedreigingsMonitoor | X | pgs.exe | BedreigingsMonitoor rogue security software - not recommended. A member of the AVSystemCare family | No |
| Beegees Update | X | beegees.exe | Added by the SDBOT-ADK WORM! | No |
| BEEI | ? | beei.exe | ?? | No |
| BeFaster | U | befaster3.exe | BeFaster internet connection optimization tool | No |
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You can download off-line HTML ZIP, EXE and EXCEL ZIP versions of this list from here.
In addition the following files are available for people developing mirrors of the site and using the information presented here (right-click and select "Save Target As..." for IE and "Save Link As..." for Firefox):
Startup XML File - Startup INI File - Startup HTML File
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.
Free licenses available for Oops! Backup (by Altaro) BETA Testing - Apply online here
Presentation, format & comments Copyright © 2001 - 2009 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