Every time we boot our system, there are a few programs that start with Windows. Although we did not add any extra items to the startup list, we find that the operating system is loading slower and slower in time. This happens because not every application informs you of startup entries upon installation (although they should, if you ask me). Basically, the programs that warn you of any startup item have nothing to hide and, in a way, the startup components are related to the functionality of the software, like Winamp, which adds the agent component that helps you control the playing process more easily.

The applications that hide the user components that register themselves as startup objects are the ones to be careful with. And here I’m talking about hidden toolbars that cannot be unchecked at installation, dialers or, even worse, malicious components like Trojans. Remove Startup Program Buddy was designed to be a nifty little tool that can help you get rid of any unwanted startup component.

This is important because, if you follow the Startup folder path (Start-Programs-Startup) and the directory is empty, unwanted startup components may be active nonetheless. Besides programs, this application is also capable of listing startup services too.

The user interface of Remove Startup Program Buddy was mainly designed in tabs. The General Startup Programs tab will list startup applications, as well as the program name and manufacturer. At the bottom of the window you can see the related file box. This is more important for the next tabs. To remove an item just select and press Delete From Startup. Another option that needs to be mentioned here is the item Properties, which will display the shortcut properties from Windows Explorer.

The Winlogon Startup Programs tab will show the Windows components that are loaded when you log on, like Common DLLs and Logon Services. As I was saying before, at the bottom of the window you can find the Related File. For every component you can also see the related file path and not only the name and manufacturer. I was saying that this was important because, compared to Startup Programs that have eloquent names, like Yahoo! Messenger, here you can find names like Crypto Network Related API, which can be more relevant for power users but not for regular ones. To remove a component just select and press Delete From Startup. The Properties option that can be found in the right click menu displays Windows Explorer information of the related file.

In some cases the application displays a validation sign in front of some of the items it recognizes, which is either in red or in green (but in most cases you'll have a question mark on a blue background, a sign that the app is indecisive). As a matter of fact, the difference between the red and green-marked items is quite tough to understand as there is no stipulation on their meaning. I’ve selected the Properties option for a file that was flagged with the red color, and I received a message saying that the file was not found, although it existed in the referred location.

The Custom Startup Programs tab window of Remove Startup Program Buddy displays the current user-related logon components. Any of the items can be removed from the startup list. The last tab is Services. Very important here is to know the exact relation of the item or service with your operating system. I, myself, removed some startup services that I thought were malicious and after system reboot Windows started to collapse. But the bad part is that Remove Startup Program Buddy will not allow you to remove services, but only to preview properties (bad for power users who actually know what every service does).

After removing items from your startup list, you might want to back up your configuration. From the Tools tab menu of Remove Startup Program Buddy you can back up current settings or restore them. The backup settings are saved in REG files within the root directory, in the Backup folder. Another aspect that needs to be mentioned is that you can Refresh the tabs from File menu, so that the new items are displayed. This can also be done with a simple application restart, but not indicated if you are trying to create and save a startup configuration. In the Root directory of Remove Startup Program Buddy you can find two files called RBS.log and short.log, which contain information like, date, hour, name, path, and type of the components that are loaded at startup.

The Good

Remove Startup Program Buddy will allow you to delete startup programs that are considered to be malicious and not only in order to make your system boot faster. After removing the items a backup file can be created to store the settings. It will also allow you to see the startup services.

The Bad

Being able to see the startup services but not remove items does limit the options for power users. I didn’t find any help file online or offline to see which are the differences between the two kinds of flags: the red one and the green one.

The Truth

This application is a simple tool that does not bring many features besides the ones we can find using msconfig command (Start-Run-msconfig). It will allow you to create a backup after removing items from startup and view a list with the startup services but not remove them.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: