Which utility is commonly used to identify and manage programs that run automatically at Windows startup?

Which utility is commonly used to identify and manage programs that run automatically at Windows startup?

• A. Autoruns for Windows
• B. Process Monitor
• C. Windows registry
• D. SrvMan

Answer: (A)

Identifying and controlling what runs automatically when Windows starts is about listing all the places that autostart entries live and managing them in one place. Autoruns for Windows is the best fit because it is specifically designed to uncover every autostart location across the system—Run keys in the registry, startup folders, services, drivers, scheduled tasks, and more—and it provides an easy way to disable or remove those entries directly. This makes it a powerful tool for troubleshooting startup issues and for security work, since malware often hides in startup items to achieve persistence. Process Monitor, while valuable for watching real-time system activity, isn’t focused on startup programs. The Windows registry stores the autostart entries but is not a management utility to scan and modify all of them in one view. SrvMan isn’t a standard Windows tool for managing startup programs.

Identifying and controlling what runs automatically when Windows starts is about listing all the places that autostart entries live and managing them in one place. Autoruns for Windows is the best fit because it is specifically designed to uncover every autostart location across the system—Run keys in the registry, startup folders, services, drivers, scheduled tasks, and more—and it provides an easy way to disable or remove those entries directly. This makes it a powerful tool for troubleshooting startup issues and for security work, since malware often hides in startup items to achieve persistence.

Process Monitor, while valuable for watching real-time system activity, isn’t focused on startup programs. The Windows registry stores the autostart entries but is not a management utility to scan and modify all of them in one view. SrvMan isn’t a standard Windows tool for managing startup programs.