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? |
|---|
| EgisUpdate | N | EgisUpdate.exe | Software updater for Biometrics Solutions and Data Security products from EgisTec Inc | Yes |
| egui | Y | egui.exe | User interface for ESET NOD32 Antivirus and Smart Security | No |
| ehSched | X | ehSched.exe | Added by the SDBOT-DHF WORM! | No |
| ehTray | U | ehtray.exe | Media Center Tray Applet - part of Windows Media Center on XP MCE, Vista and Windows 7 (where it doesn't run as a startup). Allows Windows Media Center to be started by pressing the green button on a remote control and also displays System Tray notifications, such as recording status (successful or non-successful), EPG download notification, etc | Yes |
| ehTray.exe | U | ehTray.exe | Media Center Tray Applet - part of Windows Media Center on XP MCE, Vista and Windows 7 (where it doesn't run as a startup). Allows Windows Media Center to be started by pressing the green button on a remote control and also displays System Tray notifications, such as recording status (successful or non-successful), EPG download notification, etc | Yes |
| ei10.exe | X | ei10.exe | Added by the AGOBOT-NK WORM! | No |
| Eicon NetworksLAN_DAEMON | U | watch.exe | Associated with an Eicon Networks ISDN or ADSL modem. Watch protocols your connection with numbers and duration. You need callvu.exe (from Start Menu) to see your connection statistics. You can manually start watch.exe before you go online. Needs diinfo.exe (started by DiTask) to work correctly which can be started manually | No |
| Eicon TechnologyLAN_DAEMON | U | watch.exe | Associated with an Eicon Networks ISDN or ADSL modem. Watch protocols your connection with numbers and duration. You need callvu.exe (from Start Menu) to see your connection statistics. You can manually start watch.exe before you go online. Needs diinfo.exe (started by DiTask) to work correctly which can be started manually | No |
| eixfi | X | china.bat | Added by the WCUP.A WORM! | No |
| eKerberos | X | eKerberos.exe | eKerberos rogue security software - not recommended | No |
| ELBERTRicoh_S2P | U | Scan2pc.exe | Scan to PC application for the scanning function of the Ricoh MFP Type 104 multifunction printer | No |
| ELBERT_S2P | U | Scan2pc.exe | Scan to PC application for the scanning function of the Samsung SCX-5x30 Series multifunction printers | No |
| Elbycheck | U | ElbyCheck.exe | From Elaborate Bytes who make CloneCD - monitors the installed filters of CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs. Note - under Win2K removing this from startup causes the CD drive in the computer to not be recognized in the OS and after rechecking it prompts that the driver has been corrupted and asks you to restart the computer to fix it | No |
| Electron Microscope | U | EMIII.exe | Electron Microscope or EM - is a program used to track Stanford's distributed computing program client called Folding at Home, FAH. It will monitor up to 50 clients and give you the details about each client's progress as the FAH client runs. EM will also show you what each change in the protein looks like as the process continues
| No |
| Element | X | Element.txt | Added by the ELEM TROJAN! | No |
| element furth | X | [path] repcale.exe [path] palsp.exe | Added by a variant of the RANDON.AN WORM! Both files are often located in %System%\vert | No |
| eLert | U | eLert.exe | eLert Emergency Notification System by Kennected Software - "is an internet based public notification system designed to get emergency and non-emergency information out to the public quickly, efficiently and securely" | No |
| elitemedia | X | elitemediapop.exe | Added by the LOWZONE-BB TROJAN! Also known as Elitebar/EliteToolbar/EliteSidebar adware
| No |
| EliteProtector | X | EliteProtector.exe | EliteProtector rogue spyware remover - not recommended, removal instructions here | No |
| ElkCtrl | ? | ElkCtrl.exe | Entry added when you install versions of the Logitech QuickCam webcam software. It's exact purpose is unknown at the present time | Yes |
| elm | N | Elmenv.exe | ViaTech eLicense for securing, distributing and selling music online | No |
| ELNKProxy | X | smproxy.exe | Surfmonkey adware | No |
| ELSA WINman Suite | U | Winmsuit.exe | Allows you to totally customize your ELSA graphics card settings, including overclocking the GPU | No |
| ElsaCapiCtl | Y | Rcapi.exe | Assumed to stand for Remote Common Application Programming Interface (RCAPI), this was installed with an Elsa Microlink ISDN modem. If it is not there you can not bring up the dialog box which is sometimes needed to reset the modem | No |
| ELSAChipGuard | U | elsavect.exe | ChipGuard for ELSA graphics cards - monitoring solution which monitors both the GPU temperature and fan speed, and will halt the system if either are at dangerous levels and restore the default clock speeds upon reboot. Leave enabled if overclocking | No |
| ELSBLaunch | U | ELSBLaunch.exe | EarthLink SpamBlocker | No |
| EMA.exe | N | EMA.EXE | Time management system which helps you to manage your time and appointments | No |
| eMachines eBoard | U | Eboard.exe | eMachines multimedia keyboard manager. Required if you use the extra keys | No |
| Email Protection | Y | emlproxy.exe | AntiVirus Quick Heal - E-mail protection | No |
| EmailScan | Y | mcvsescn.exe | Related to McAfee AntiVirus suite - used to automatically scan incoming e-mails
| No |
| eMakeSV | X | EMAKESV.EXE | "Switch" adult content dialer | No |
| eMakeSV | X | EMAKE2B.EXE | "Switch" adult content dialer | No |
| EMBASSY Trust Suite Secure Update | U | AutoUpdate.exe | Updates for Wave Systems Corp. Embassy Trust Suite - "delivers advanced levels of security to the client PC using the TPM security chip found on most enterprise PCs today" | No |
| eMCryT Sh3ars Panagers | X | [path to worm] | Added by the RBOT-AWI WORM! | No |
| eMessenger | X | emsn.exe | Added by the RBOT.AHO BACKDOOR! | No |
| EMMeter | U | EMMeter.exe | "Express Meter lets you track and manage software usage so you can avoid purchasing and supporting applications that aren't being used, and prevent the use of unauthorized programs" | No |
| emoc0re | X | emo.exe | Added by the AGOBOT-AGE WORM! | No |
| Emouse | U | Emouse.exe | Genius mouse driver - required if you use non-standard Windows driver features | No |
| emoze | U | emoze.exe | emoze pcConnector - "Push your personal & business emails, contacts & calendar directly to your mobile device!" | No |
| empin | X | e121307.exe | Delfin Media Viewer adware related | No |
| empin | X | e121307.Stub.exe | Delfin Media Viewer adware related | No |
| Empowering Technology Launcher | ? | eAPLauncher.exe | Part of Acer Empowering Technology. What does it do and is it required? | No |
| EmpoweringTechnology | ? | Framework.Launcher.exe | Part of Acer Empowering Technology. What does it do and is it required? | No |
| emre1 | X | emre1.exe | Added by a variant of the IRCBOT BACKDOOR! See here | No |
| Emsisoft Anti-Malware | Y | a2guard.exe | System Tray access to and Anti-Malware Guard feature of Emsisoft Anti-Malware from Emsi Software GmbH - which provides "comprehensive PC protection against viruses, trojans, spyware, adware, worms, bots, keyloggers and rootkits". Previously known as "a-squared Antitrojan" and "a-squared Anti-Malware"
| Yes |
| emsw.exe | X | emsw.exe | Attune HelpExpress - spyware. Disable and uninstall - see here | No |
| emule | X | emule.exe | Added by the RBOT-ALZ WORM! Note - do not confuse with the legitimate eMule peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing program which is normally located in %ProgramFiles%\eMule. This one is located in %System% | No |
| eMule | N | emule.exe | eMule - "one of the biggest and most reliable peer-to-peer file sharing clients around the world. Thanks to it's open source policy many developers are able to contribute to the project, making the network more efficient with each release". As eMule is a is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing client used to distribute large amounts of data between multiple users make sure you have good, up-to-date virus protection and check any downloads | Yes |
| eMuleAutoStart | N | emule.exe | eMule - "one of the biggest and most reliable peer-to-peer file sharing clients around the world. Thanks to it's open source policy many developers are able to contribute to the project, making the network more efficient with each release". As eMule is a is a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing client used to distribute large amounts of data between multiple users make sure you have good, up-to-date virus protection and check any downloads | Yes |
| eMusicClient Systray | N | eMusicClient.exe | eMusic MP3 download software | No |
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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