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What Is Startup Protection
Windows has several places that programs can be set to run when Windows starts.

Some programs will add themselves to be started whenever Windows starts without asking you. This is especially bad with viruses, Internet worms, or "Trojan" programs that you really don't want running every time you start Windows!

Even good programs can try to put in extra things, for example to look for updates, check to make sure they're set to be the "viewer" for a type of file, or just to let them start faster. You very likely might not want some of those things running every time you start Windows--the fewer things that run when Windows starts, the faster Windows can start! Some very common and big programs do this--even Microsoft Office. I don't mind Word or other MS Office programs starting a little slower on the days I use them. I'd rather have my computer start a little faster every time it starts!

GeekSuperHero can detect when new items are added to run when Windows starts and confirm with you if to keep or reject the changes. This is a great way to detect a variety of bad programs that quietly install themselves. Preventing them from starting when you reboot will help protect you from the bad things they may do.

There are a few things that are very suspicious if they are being started when Windows starts. Geek Superhero will have an extra warning for these items in the Details it shows when a new Startup item is found.

Geek Superhero checks many different places where settings can be added so programs can start. A list of some of them for the geekier users who want to know: the usual "Run*" registry locations, the "Startup" program groups, win.ini and system.ini files, Windows Services, the Windows Task Scheduler, and a number of even more obscure registry entries.