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Absolute StartUp
Reviewed by Terry Bibo
There seems to be a glut of programs such as this on the market now, with more appearing every month. Computer vulnerability is protected primarily by firewalls and anti-virus programs, but another weapon in the war against malicious software is the startup monitor and organiser. Many malicious programs can be surreptitiously added to the startup list and sometimes are disguised under the name of regular Windows system files. I expect to remove up to five from any uncleaned startup group I inspect. A basic but effective program is Mike Lin's Startup.cpl and its associate Startup Monitor that have been around longer than Windows XP. Flight Simulator enthusiasts have a specialised startup program, fsasv111.exe, that is tailored to their requirements but usable by anyone with sufficient computer awareness to set it up to meet their needs. But merely listing startup items and allowing their editing does not address the problem then faced by the user - what programs should be allowed to be loaded here and under what restrictions.
Complex programs like Absolute StartUp not only offer advice, but also try to make decision making on these factors both easy and reversible by keeping backups of changes. It is easy to make mistakes and these should not become a permanent detriment to operability. Every worthwhile startup organiser provides the command line, path to the executable program, and relevant registry entry of every startup item. The basic standard is the Windows system file, msconfig.exe that provides a sometimes-cryptic item name, a full command line with parameters, and the location of the registry entry. But it offers no advice or assistance on the validity or integrity of any entry. This must be provided by third party programs drawing on external databases. At the time of writing Absolute StartUp had a database in excess of 4000 entries for which it provided descriptions and a suggested level of requirement, broken down to:
· Definitely not required or harmful
· Not required at startup - can be disabled
· User's choice
· Normally leave to run at start-up
· Unknown program - the status of the program is not defined
This database is updated from the web at http://www.absolutestartup.com/startup/ in the same way we update our anti-virus programs.
Absolute StartUp presentation is very clean and initially allows access to all startup items from various folders, the registry and the Win.ini file, with the ability to add, edit, disable or delete any item. It also continuously monitors registry and startup folders' content to detect changes in startup items and informs you about them, giving you total control over startup configuration. In addition it provides a list of Windows services with a description of each one's startup state and whether it is running, and the System libraries (dynamic-link libraries or DLLs) that are loaded from disk into memory and searched during system startup. This is not an area that many of our users will want to enter, as it really requires a comprehensive understanding of the content. But for system administrators and competent amateurs it is an open door to sensible configuration. Absolute StartUp has a refined scheduling option that enables applications to be started on certain days, at a certain time, after another defined application or period of time, or with the establishing of an Internet connection. The selection of any one of these parameters is simplified by drop down lists and is the essence of clarity and simplicity.
The clarity of layout, abundance of features and precise help file make this a recommended program for interested computer novices, while the powerful extra options make it a valuable tool for the professional who also needs to control other users' startup configuration, and to backup all startup items to *.reg and *.bat files.
Absolute StartUp is distributed electronically over the Internet; the trial version is available at http://www.absolutestartup.com/ for evaluation. The price of a single copy is 29.95 US Dollars. Absolute Startup Home Edition comes without a database support and is priced at 19.95 US Dollars.
Absolute
Startup v 4.2
Software review by George
Hawkins
Absolute Startup v 4.2 is a utility
program that helps you manage and control the programs that start automatically
when Windows starts. Some of the programs you use have features that you will
never use. These, and other unneeded programs that start automatically, take up
valuable startup time and resources on your computer that is better utilized by
other programs.
This is my first experience with a
startup manager utility, so I can't make direct comparisons with other similar
programs. To this point, I have managed my Windows startup by using msconfig
(msconfig.exe), a utility included with Windows, and editing the registry
(regedit.exe) and win.ini files. This method, although effective, requires that
you really know what you are doing to avoid disabling some programs and
services that may be necessary for your computer to function properly.
The big advantage to Absolute
Startup is that it is much more informative and user friendly and somewhat safer
than the methods I have been using.
Absolute Startup is a shareware
program available with a 21 day trial period (www.absolutestartup.com). The trial
version is full featured - with only a few functions blocked or limited - to
give the user a good feel for the program capabilities.
At first documentation included with
the program seemed a little sparse. (It didn't have a book or manual). However
the program help system, does a good job familiarizing
the user with the general program features. If there is something not
understood, or you need more detailed information, there is online help, forum,
or contact with the support team for further assistance.
I thought one of the unique features
of this program was a dangerous program database. This is used to alert the
user of any potentially dangerous programs - viruses, spyware, etc. The user
has the option of disabling or deleting any of these detected programs. (This,
however, is not a virus or spyware detection and elimination program). Updates
to this database can be downloaded from the Internet and edited by the user to
add or delete their own program choices.
There are
some "safety net" features included in this program. It has it's own recycle bin, so if an item were deleted and later
found needed it could be restored. It also has a backup feature enabling the
user to make a backup of the current configuration and later restore the system
to that configuration.
There are a number of other features
too numerous to mention here that may be of interest to some users. These can
be examined with a trial copy, or by purchasing a copy for $29.95, with a 30
day money back guarantee.
I would recommend that you give this
utility a try, unless you are absolutely certain that this type of program
would not be useful in helping you manage your computer.
George Hawkins
Absolute Startup
I have 10 favorite programs that always launch at boot time: an alarm reminder, an e-mail checker (freeware PopTray), Macro Express (a sophisticated keyboard macro program), a backup scheduler, TrayDay (which displays a small "today is"-style day number), and a few more. I'll grant you that boot time is extended while these programs load, and I'm willing to accept that longer boot to have my favorite utilities at hand.
I don't want some of my installed programs to boot up when I start the computer each time. What really gets me are annoyances such as QuickTime -- they just sit in the System Tray waiting to be used (but rarely are) and take time to initialize at boot-up time.
Fortunately, Absolute Startup 4.2 Home Edition ($19.95) puts you in absolute control of what happens when you boot your machine. If you need to stop an adware program from launching in the background, for example, a single click of your mouse traps it and turns it off (see illustration).
QuickTime offers no menu option to control its start-up behavior. Fortunately, with Absolute Startup, I was finally able to get rid of QuickTime's autostart (and its pesky icon taking up space in my System Tray).
Unlike many utilities that work with Windows, the options and descriptions given on Absolute Startup's main screen actually make sense. No obscure references to things I don't understand. QuickTime was clearly marked; I simply clicked on a button to toggle the option from "boot at startup" to "disable." I could have chosen "remove," but figured I'd wait to see if doing so would interfere with running QuickTime -- something I might want to do occasionally.
You're not limited to "run" and "not run" options. You have the option to start a program on certain days or at specified times or with a user-specified delay after startup. You can "stack" application execution (starting one after another starts), too.
It doesn't matter how programs have glommed onto Windows: Absolute Startup works wherever the programs are hiding: Registry, Windows' startup folders, or in the win.ini file. If you need more detailed information, you can trace the startup process and learn about any changes in it.
What you can't do is save groups of programs in user-defined configurations, then specify which group you want to use on the next startup.
The program also comes in a "standard" edition ($29.95) that can manage Windows services and includes a startup optimization wizard. A 21-day free trial is available at the company's Web site: http://www.fgroupsoft.com/Absolutestartup/.
-- James E. Powell
