When a computer is powered up, it will launch several applications by default. The shortcuts towards these programs are contained in a so-called startup folder.
The items from this folder are usually selected by users, but there are also some applications that load in this folder automatically, without any notification.
Startup managers will enable users to view all the applications that launch when the computer is opened, and to remove the unnecessary ones.
Furthermore, one can also rely on these applications to manage the running processes and to terminate some of them, provided the user has advanced computer skills.