Program Launch at startup

hello, I just got a new laptop. On one of my other pcs I used autopatcher xp to update windows before I connected to the internet. I came with a handy utility for alerting you when a program tryed to make itself launch at startup (like during installation of new software and stuff) and asked you if you wanted to allow it. I dont know if it was an acual utility or a regisry tweak that did this or what but it was great. I cannot use autopatcher xp on my new laptop because it is designed to work only with sp 1, and my new laptop already has sp 2. this is no big deal as i can get windows updates elsewhere, but the program startup launch blocker thing was a very handy tool, i had no idea so many apps tryed to create files that launch at boot. Is there any other program that can do this or is there some kind of windows tweak that can do this?

 

RegistryProt
I've used it for a long time and it works well and has always been well behaved. Never an ounce of trouble from it.

 

WinPatrol is a good program, it warns about start-up programs being added, any changes that take place to the computer and so on. it can even give the version of the software so you know if its an actual program that should be running. http://www.winpatrol.com/ it's free to

 

wow that winpatrol thing is pretty freakin awesome, (I love the "scotty is currently on patrol" icon in the toolbar )I tryed the registry prot, looks cool too, do you have to manually open it or does it run constantly? if manually, does it search for new registry keys since the last time it ran?

 

Look in your start menu for a folder named RegistryProt. There should be a shortcut in it named RegistryProt Administration. Click on it and you'll be given the option to either start or stop the program and also whether or not to have it start when windows starts. When you have it running it constantly monitors certain registry keys and if for any reason something tries to add or change something in any of them it'll pop up warning message and ask whether you want to allow it or not. If it's not running when one of these registry key gets changed it won't know that it's changed if you start it later. The program is real time protection only. In other words, it only works while it's running, sort of like real time antivirus protection.

I don't let many programs run when windows starts but this is one of the few I do. It monitors more than just the run keys (those keys where windows loads programs from at startup). An example of another one it monitors would be your internet browser home page. If it's running and if for any reason something should try to change it, it'll warn you about it and ask you whether you want to allow it or not. It's a well behaved program and you'll never know it's running until it pops up a warning message at you. There's no system tray icon or anything like that. The only way to start or stop it is with the shortcut I mentioned before. It's a simple program that works well and does what it's supposed to do. That's about all there is to say about it.