Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Jacob — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 01:24:13 GMT

How is this different from msconfig in XP? (Start -> Run: msconfig)

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Matthew — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:44:32 GMT

Win XP has the same feature.

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Graeme — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:40:36 GMT

msconfig has been around since Windows 98. It wasn't in 2000 though, XP was the first of the NT family to include it.

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

sil — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:42:19 GMT

I was expecting something friendlier in Vista than XP when i read the topic. Alas...

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re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

James Manning — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 05:58:07 GMT

A useful, more extensive, version for checking autorun activity is at (freshly acquired) sysinternals

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Shebs — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 20:49:25 GMT

Funny that only third party software qualifies as "unnecessarily" inserting itself just to get a tray icon in your book, Tim. Imagine the nerve of those Apple and Adobe folks, wanting a system tray icon. Hmm, what are Office Communicator, Windows Messenger, and OneNote doing in that list there? Do they have tray icons? Hey, they do. How about that?

Oh, wait, I forgot, those programs are from *Microsoft*. Clearly a different set of rules must apply. And don't even bother with that lame excuse about those apps needing to run at startup. It might work for Messenger, maybe even for Communicator *and* Messenger, but it sure doesn't wash for OneNote.

Vista nugget: killing startup processes

Steve Clayton: Geek In Disguise — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 01:59:53 GMT

This is one of my frequently used apps in Windows (Vista or XP actually) as it allow me to control which

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Perry — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 21:26:06 GMT

Assuming you know which apps to kill... That's not always clear.

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Jon — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 13:33:52 GMT

A better/easier way of doing this would be to load up Windows Defender (which comes with Vista) and looking in the 'Startup' section there.

It provides the same details in a much more user-friendly way and will not prompt you about 'configurations' when you remove some of the items

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

woody — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 09:11:51 GMT

Yay, you found the hard way to access msconfig! Now that's a real secret!

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

Kevin — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 23:07:23 GMT

Having to un-do what an install performed illustrates Windows' weak security. Tools like MSConfig and AutoRuns are just "duct-tape" on the problem. It's backwards-thinking to think that patching a problem with duct-tape is clever!

Windows needs a TIGHTLY enforced security model that stops such installs or pops-up a confirmation dialog at each "infraction" of the security model. Security checks should include things like:

- "A program is trying to install itself to auto-start"

- "A program is trying to install a DLL into %windir%"

- "...trying to add a shell extension"

- "...trying to add an Internet Explorer extension"

- "...trying to modify All Users (or User) profile"

- "...trying to add HKLM/Software/ABC company"

I want to know exactly what an install did! I don't want to have to trust the uninstall to remove it. I want a system log that documents EVERYTHING an install performed. I want security on EVERY possible action.

Security levels could be set in Policy to allow "normal" things like creating a "Program Files" sub-directory without a warning. Non-permitted actions could be denied.

Yes, I know this would cause a slew of warnings for each software install! Possibly, a program could come with a "permissions" file with everything it needed turned on. Then, us technical types could review the permissions if so inclined to deny certain actions. A UI-based utility could allow such editing and perhaps be able to apply "templates" to screen out certain items.

Within an organization, a SIGNED permissions file could be ditributed within the organization for specific software installs. Because it's signed, it would only work with a specific install---otherwise, security defaults to that set by policy.

Software installs shouldn't be allowed to run rampant just because they have Administrator priviledge! Certain actions should be protected by default and require explicit action or policy to occur.

Until then, we'll still be using MSConfig to chase down problems "after" they occur!

re: Windows Vista Secret #9: Kill the Startup Monsters

srawat — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:35:25 GMT

It doesn't show all but the most obvious apps.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/SystemInformation/Autoruns.mspx

shows a bigger picture.