Autoruns

Autoruns

Autoruns is a utility that shows all programs and services configured to automatically run on a Windows system at start-up or login. It displays things like auto-starting services, drivers, COM components and scheduled tasks.
Autoruns image
startup autorun process-manager

Autoruns: Windows Startup & Login Utilitys

Autoruns is a utility that shows all programs and services configured to automatically run on a Windows system at start-up or login. It displays things like auto-starting services, drivers, COM components and scheduled tasks.

What is Autoruns?

Autoruns is a utility software for Windows created by Sysinternals that shows all the programs, services, drivers and other components that are configured to automatically run when the operating system boots up or a user logs in. It provides an easy way to view and manage everything set to auto-start in the registry and file system.

With Autoruns, users can see things like auto-starting services that run in the background, drivers, Browser Helper Objects, auto-starting Windows tasks, auto-loading shell extensions, and much more. For each item that starts automatically, Autoruns shows information like the startup location, command used, publisher, description and more.

By visualizing everything set to run automatically, Autoruns makes it easy to identify unknown or malicious programs configured to launch without the user's consent. Users can temporarily or permanently disable auto-starting items if they aren't needed. Overall, Autoruns is an essential tool for managing what launches on a Windows system and controlling what runs in the background.

Autoruns Features

Features

  1. Shows all programs set to automatically run on Windows startup
  2. Displays auto-starting services, drivers, COM components and scheduled tasks
  3. Can disable unwanted auto-starting programs to improve performance and security
  4. Analyzes entries in registry, file system and configuration files
  5. Includes additional tools like VirusTotal hashes and PE header analysis

Pricing

  • Free

Pros

Free and open source

Very customizable and detailed view of auto-start programs

Can help diagnose malware or performance issues

Lightweight and easy to use

Cons

May require some technical knowledge to interpret

Disabling wrong programs can cause system instability

Does not offer real-time protection against new auto-start entries


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