Windows Startup Item Database

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Key:

"Y" - Normally leave to run at start-up
"N" - Not required - typically infrequently used tasks that can be started manually if necessary
"U" - User's choice - depends whether a user deems it necessary
"X" - Definitely not required - typically viruses, spyware, adware and "resource hogs"
"?" - Unknown

	Startup Name	Process Name	Details
X	PayTime	paytime.exe	"Added by the STARTPA-YR TROJAN!"
U	pbagent	pbagent.exe	"Probot keystroke logger/monitoring program - remove unless you installed it yourself!"
U	PBKScheduler	PBKScheduler.exe	"Scheduler for CyberLink PowerBackup - archiving/backup utility"
U	PC Alert III	alert.exe	"MSI PC Alert III - allows you to view your system and cpu temperature
U	PC Booster	pcbooster.exe	"PC Booster from inKline Global - ""easy-to-use computer system optimizer that gives your system the extra speed and stability you want while ensuring that your computer is kept clean and in tip-top condition"""
U	PC Dynamics SdwMon32	sdwmon32.exe	"SafeHouse ""Personal Privacy"" protects and hides your private and personal photos
U	PC Spy Keylogger	ToolKeylogger.exe	"PCSpyKeyLogger keystroke logger/monitoring program - remove unless you installed it yourself!"
X	PC-Config32	corona.exe	"Added by the CORONEX.A WORM!"
U	pcAnywhere Agent	pcamgt.exe	"Part of pcAnywhere 9.0 or later. This process listens for incoming PC Anywhere connections if your PC is configured as a PC Anywhere host"
Y	PCBG	PCBODYGUARD.EXE	"PC Bodyguard from Calluna - protects system files and settings from being deleted
Y	PCBODYGUARD	PCBODYGUARD.EXE	"PC Bodyguard from Calluna - protects system files and settings from being deleted
U	PcBoost	PcBoost.exe	"PCBoost from PGWARE
Y	PCCClient.exe	PCCClient.exe	PC-Cillin 2002 antivirus software
Y	pccguide.exe	pccguide.exe	PC-Cillin 2002 antivirus software
Y	PCCIOMON.EXE	PCCIOMON.EXE	PC-Cillin 2000 antivirus software. This is the actual virus-scanner
Y	PCClient.exe	PCClient.exe	"Trend Micro PC-Cillin Internet Security"
Y	PccPfw	PccPfw.exe	"Trend Micro PC-Cillin personal firewall"
Y	PcCtlCom	Pcctlcom.exe	"Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security"
N	PCDRealtime	realtime.exe	"Apparently the monitoring device for PC Doctor Online. It provides a ""free"" examination on system files (i.e. registry)
X	PcEXPLODE	specialfile.exe	"Added by the RBOT.RH WORM!"
N	PCHbutton	PCHbutton.exe	Used by HP Instant Support
N	PCHealth	pchschd.exe	"This is a ""scheduler"" and does not turn off PC Health. For more information refer here"
X	PCHEasySearch	STUpdate.exe	PCH EasySearch bar
?	PCIMODEM	pcimodem.exe	"Associated with Lucent based Aztech MDP7800-U PCI modems. Is it required?"
U	PCLEPCI	ppe.exe	"Pinnacle Systems PCI Performance Enhancer. "This tool helps to increase the PCI Busmaster performance of all Pinnacle PCI boards.""
X	PClK	PClK.exe	"Added by the LEGMIR-BL TROJAN!"
?	PCMCIA Resource Monitor	nvp2pmon.exe	"NVIDIA nForce P2P Driver. What does it do and is it required?"
U	PCMMRealtime	pcmm.exe	"PC MightyMax - diagnostic program that identifies and fixes problems. However
U	PCMService	PCMService.exe	"Part of Cyberlink's Power Cinema. Commonly distributed with the Dell MultiMedia software suite. It is used to watch movies
U	PCPitStopEraser	PCPitStopErase.exe	"""PC PitStop Erase is both a free privacy scanner and paid tracks cleaner"""
X	PCprot	crcss.exe	Added by an unidentified WORM!
?	pcqmqgn.exe	pcqmqgn.exe	"??"
U	PCRecSA	PCRecSA.exe	"Part of the IBM/XPoint Rapid Restore backup utility. If you choose
X	pcServer	server.exe	"Ssppyy spyware"
X	PCShield	regsvr32 /s [path] sfg_***.dll [ = random char]	"SafeguardProtect/Veevo malware"
N	PCStart	Pcm25.exe	"Runs as part of PCMonitor which is a program for monitoring your activity on your system. It makes screen dumps and key logging. It can hang-up your system because the screen dump page gets VERY big"
N	PCSuiteTrayApplication	TrayApplication.exe	"System Tray icon for Nokia PC Suite. PC Suite lets you synchronize
N	PCSuiteTrayApplication	LaunchApplication.exe	"System Tray icon for Nokia PC Suite. PC Suite lets you synchronize
X	Pcsv	pcsvc.exe	"Delfin Media Viewer or ""Promulgate"" adware"
N	PcSync	PcSync.exe	"If a Nokia phone has been connected
X	PcSync	PcSync.exe	"Added by the RBOT-XJ WORM! Note - do not confuse with the Nokia application described here"
Y	PCTAVApp	PCTAV.exe	"Related to PC TOOLS Antivirus software"
U	PcThrust	PcThrust.exe	"PCThrust from SwiftDog - ""increases computer performance by allocating higher portions of CPU power to active applications and games"""
U	pctspk	pctspk.exe	Used for modems based upon PC-TEL chipsets. Normally used for some Voice and Speakerphone functions and also for some Power management options. If you remove it you may not be able to use any of those functions
U	PCTVOICE	pctvoice.exe	"The program PCTVoice is used by the modem to interface with your computer and also used for some V.80 functions for Video Conferencing. if you uncheck it
U	PCWatch	pcwatch.exe	"Added by PCWatch surveillance software. Uninstall this software if you did not install it yourself"
X	PDA Commander	stisvc32.exe	"Added by the AGOBOT-TX WORM!"
X	PDASCAN	pdascan.exe	"Added by the AGOBOT-QY WORM!"
U	PDDM	pddm.exe	"Patchlink Update - ""core product of the leading patch and vulnerability management software solution for medium and large enterprise network security"""
U	PDEngine	PDEngine.exe	"PerfectDisk from Raxco - disk defragmenter. Only required if you schedule disk defragmenting at re-boot"
N	pdexplo	PDEXPLO.EXE	"PowerDesk Pro by Ontrack. Enhanced desktop and file manager. Available via Start -> Programs"
?	PDF Converter Registry Controller	RegistryController.exe	"ScanSoft PDF_Converter related - what does it do and is it required?"
U	pdfFactory Dispatcher v2	fppdis2a.exe	"pdfFactory - create PDF documents from any program printing to the virtual PDF printer. Available via a desktop shortcut or Start -> Programs"
N	pdfFactory Pro Dispatcher v1	fppdis1.exe	"pdfFactory - create PDF documents from any program printing to the virtual PDF printer. Available via a desktop shortcut or Start -> Programs"
U	pdfMachine dispatcher	mapisnd.exe	"pdfMachine Windows print driver"
N	pdfSaver3	pdfSaver3.exe	"PDF-XChange - create Adobe compatible PDF files from virtually any Windows software such as MS Word
N	PDirect	PDirect.exe	IBM Presentation Director software
U	pdp Server	ctpdpsrvr.exe	Included and setup with the drivers for my Compaq A3000 all-in-one printer/scanner - maybe for networking. Works fine without it - but may be needed when used over a network
U	PDService.exe	pdservice.exe	"Related to Utimaco Safeware Easy. ""Your electronic safe for protecting confidential data"""
U	PDVDServ	PDVDServ.exe	"Remote Control background application for Cyberlink's PowerDVD version 5 and above. Enables you to use a remote control with your DVD drive if your drive came with one. Not required if you don't have a remote control
N	Pe2ckfnt SE	chkfont.exe	"Used to check whether the fonts are installed properly on your computer or not for a scanner. If you don't want to execute it
X	PECarlin	PECarlin.exe	"Adware - see here"
?	Peeramid	PService.exe	"In a ""Koptimizer"" folder in Program Files. What does it do and is it required?"
N	PeerGuardian	PeerGuardian_1.99b_pr14.exe	"PeerGuardian - IP blocker for Windows. Used to protect privacy on P2P networks by blocking IP addresses specified in blocklists. Features support for multiple lists
U	PeerGuardian	pg2.exe	"PeerGuardian - IP blocker for Windows. Used to protect privacy on P2P networks by blocking IP addresses specified in blocklists. Features support for multiple lists
U	Pent@VALUE 3.2	Pent@VALUE.exe	Pent@VALUE Digital Satellite Internet PC Receiver
X	PeqBL100	PEQBL100.exe	"Added by the ENVID.D WORM!"
Y	PER Email Protection	pavmail.exe	"PER Antivirus"
N	PerfectPrint	pfppop70.exe	Print engine used by Corel WordPerfect 7 and Presentations 7
X	PerfFont (Performance True Type Font)	perfont.exe	"Added by the MUTECH-E TROJAN!"
U	perfmon	perfmon.vbs	"MindStorm AnalyzerPro from Secure Associates. ""A security management tool for customers easy to manage report and analyze security events across heterogeneous security devices"""
X	Perfomance Monitor	davcsync.exe	"Added by the LAMUD-A WORM!"
X	Perfomance Settings	svchost.exe	"Added by the TOFGER-AP TROJAN! Note - this is not the legitimate svchost.exe process which is always located in the System (9x/Me) or System32 (NT/2K/XP) folder and should not normally figure in Msconfig/Startup! This file is found in the Winnt or Windows folder"
X	Performance	MyHeart.exe	"Added by the PESIN-D WORM!"
Y	PersFw	PersFw.exe	"Kerio or Tiny Personal Firewall"
N	Persistence	igfxpers.exe	Associated with the Common User Interface module for Intel graphics cards
X	Personal Computer	scvhost.exe	"Added by the RBOT-AJE WORM!"
X	Personal Firwall	ptmedsrv.exe	"Added by the SDBOT.XY WORM!"
U	Pervasive.SQL Workgroup Engine	W3dbsmgr.exe	Database Service Manager for Pervasive SQL 2000 Workgroup edition. Required if you use Pervasive SQL but it's recommended you start it manually before using it as it has a tendancy to crash/freeze if loaded with other applications at startup
U	PestPatrol Control Center	PPControl.exe	"PestPatrol Control Terminal - launches PestPatrol features such as PPMemCheck and CookiePatrol"
?	PestPatrolCL	PestPatrolCL.exe	"PestPatrol's command line scanner
N	PestTrap	PestTrap.exe	"Spyware remover - not recommended
U	Petit Larousse 2001	HIPL2000Popup.exe	Popup dictionary tool
X	Pex Sound Driver	Today's Results.vbs	"Added by the TRODE-A WORM!"
X	pex Sound driver 2	Today's Results.vbs	"Added by the TRODE-A WORM!"
?	PFW_CfgEngine	PFWCFG~1.EXE	"Personal Firewall related?"
?	PFW_PullSrv	PULL.EXE	"Personal Firewall related?"
X	PgMonitr	PgMonitr.exe	"Delfin Promulgate adware variant"
Y	PGPSDKSVC	pgpsdkserv.exe	"PGPsdkServ.exe is the new SDK service which is responsible for performing all PGP key management and cryptographic functions. This functionality was moved into a service to allow multiple modules simultaneous read/write access to the keyrings
U	PGPSERVICE	pgpservice.exe	"PGPservice.exe has two main purposes: (1) it handles a large part of the PGPnet functionality (along with the PGPnet driver) and (2) it allows efficient access to the PGP preferences database. The individual PGP modules normally access the preferences through PGPservice
N	PGPtray	pgptray.exe	PGP 7.x. Provides icon tray shortcuts to PGP programs from Network Associates. Available via Start -> Programs
X	PGStub.exe	[various filenames]	Unidentified adware
X	pgtaff	pgtaff.exe	AdRotator adware variant
N	Phime2002a	TINTSETP.EXE	"Part of Microsoft's Input Message Editor (IME) for translating Japanese/Chinese text in IE
N	PHIME2002ASync	TINTSETP.EXE	"Part of Microsoft's Input Message Editor (IME) for translating Japanese/Chinese text in IE
X	PHIME2OO2ASyst	[path to trojan]	"Added by the DBDOOR-B TROJAN!"
U	PhoneFree version 6.2	PHONEF??.EXE	"An Internet telephony application. Complicated registration and ad banners tailored to your profile - see here"
N	Photo Express Calendar Checker SE	CALCHECK.EXE	"If you create multiple Weekly/Monthly/Yearly calendars to use as your wallpaper
N	Photo Loader supervisory	Plauto.exe	"Casio's Photo Loader software. Hook up your camera to the USB port
X	Photoshop	svchost.exe	"Added by the CDOPEN-E TROJAN! Note - this is not the legitimate svchost.exe process which is always located in the System (9x/Me) or System32 (NT/2K/XP) folder and should not normally figure in Msconfig/Startup! This file is located in the ""Program Files"" folder"
N	PhotoShow Deluxe Media Manager	mssysmgr.exe	"Simple Star PhotoShow Deluxe photo editing and organizing software
N	PhotoWise QuickLink	quicklnk.exe	"Agfa PhotoWise - "PhotoWise QuickLinkTM lets you drag and drop photos right from the camera into your document (applications must be OLE-compliant). Use PhotoWise to print contact sheets and photographic prints. Create slide shows
X	PIC SYSTEM	picx.exe	"Added by the MYTOB.LL WORM!"
N	Picasa Media Detector	PicasaMediaDetector.exe	"Media detector for Picasa's automatic photo organizer"
N	PicasaNet	Hello.exe	"Hello is an application that allows Blogger users to post digital photos and captions directly to their personal weblogs
N	Pickatag	pickatag.exe	"Pick-a-tag - ""freeware utility for random selection of your taglines. This utility randomly picks a tagline out of a list of taglines. It will create a signature file which your mailer can use to place under your messages"""
N	PICPRTR	PICPRTR.EXE	Program for viewing and measuring a variety of 3D CAD data formats
X	picsvr	picsvr.exe	"Delfin Promulgate adware"
N	pictureBUZZTray	swtray.exe	"System Tray access to PictureBUZZ on-line printing software from Streetwise Software. If you use the software set the page you use as a favourite in your browser and run it manually"
U	PiDunHK	PIDUNHK.EXE	"Part of the Prodigy Internet software - part of the dialer/DUN. Presumably needed for users of that service otherwise you may not be able to connect
X	pigglett	pigglett.exe	"Added by a variant of the SMALL.EP TROJAN!"
U	piiserviceOE	N/A	"Spam Inspector (nee Postal Inspector) from The Giant Company or iHateSpam from Sunbelt Software - spam filter add-ons for OE"
X	pilif	pilif.exe	"Added by the FILI WORM!"
N	Pinger	pinger.exe	"Pinger is the resident program for Toshiba updates. Periodically checks to see if there are any software/driver upgrades for your particular computer model. If it finds any
X	PingTimeout Institution	pingchek.exe	"Added by the SDBOT-VY WORM!"
Y	PinnacleDriverCheck	PSDrvCheck.exe	"Part of Pinnacle Systems InstantCD/DVD and InstantCopy CD/DVD copying software that verifies drive settings. Once loaded it doesn't use any resources so you can leave it enabled"
N	Piolet	piolet.exe	"Piolet - peer-to-peer file sharing client"
X	PIPE SYSTEM	pipe.exe	"Added by the MYTOB-FF WORM!"
N	Piracy	SysUtil.exe	"Software Piracy Alert feature bundled with PGWare software. Cries foul when it detects an 'illegal' version. The alerts are reported to disappear as soon as the software is correctly registered. There are privacy issues though: ""The Software includes a feature that assigns a unique order number to GameGain based on purchase information. The Software reports this number to us via the internet either when you run the Software or enter the registration number
N	PivotSoftware	wpctrl.exe	"PivotPro from Portrait Studios - allows a screen to be rotated to match rotated LCD screens
X	Pixel32	Pixel32.exe	"Added by the GEMA TROJAN!"
X	Pixelpwr32	Pixelpwr32.exe	"Added by the GEMA TROJAN!"
X	Pixelsvr	Pixelsvr.exe	"Added by the GEMA TROJAN!"
U	pjWebCam	pjWebCam.exe	Webcam automation software that saves regular photos from webcam and can also act as HTTP server
X	PK Guard	pkguard32.exe	"Added by the GUAPIM WORM!"
X	PK Services	pksvc.exe	"Added by the FORBOT-BW WORM!"
U	PktAnything	PocketCompanion.exe	"PocketAnything lets you save anything on your computer to your mobile
U	Planl�gningsagent	mstask.exe	"Windows Task Scheduler (on Danish language versions of Windows) - displayed as a box with a stopwatch in the System Tray. Required if you have regularly scheduled tasks like defragmenting
X	Plasdll service	[random filename]	"Added by a variant of the SDBOT WORM!"
X	Playboy	playavi.exe	"Added by the GAMANLOCK TROJAN!"
U	PLEAPCPUCPL	pleapu.exe	"CPU Control Panel for the Powerleap CPU upgrade"
?	PLFFAP	HotfixQ0306270.exe	"Prolific Technology Inc. USB Flash Disk driver - is it required in startup?"
N	Plguni	Plguni.exe	"McAfee QuickClean 3.0 - removes internet clutter and unwanted programs"

DISCLAIMER: It is assumed that users are familiar with the operating system they are using and comfortable with making the suggested changes. I will not be held responsible if changes you make cause a system failure.

This is NOT a list of tasks/processes taken from Task Manager or the Close Program window (CTRL+ALT+DEL) but a list of startup applications, although you will find some of them listed via this method. Pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL identifies programs that are currently running - not necessarily at startup. For a list of tasks/processes you should try WinTasks 5 Standard/Professional from LIUtilities or the list at AnswersThatWork. Therefore, before ending a task/process via CTRL+ALT+DEL just because it has an "X" recommendation, please check whether it's in MSCONFIG or the registry first. An example would be "svchost.exe" - which doesn't appear in either under normal conditions but does via CTRL+ALT+DEL. If in doubt, don't do anything.