Startup Discoverer

Startup Discoverer is a lightweight and portable application that shows all programs which run by default every time you turn on your computer, giving you the possibility to export information to file for closer inspection.

Before proceeding any further, you should know that the tool doesn't come equipped with options for disabling autorun entries or adding new ones to the sequence. It acts as a viewer only, so you will have to resort to other tools designed for those tasks.

Wrapped in a user-friendly interface, Startup Discoverer displays 19 categories with startup items, such as machine and user runs, common and user objects, System.ini, Win.ini, BHO (Browser Helper Objects), Winlogon, and Sessions Manager.

The last group shows all runs from all the other categories, so you can check out the full path of each object, process or application name, along with any additional commands.

The entire list can be saved to a plain text document by indicating the output directory and filename. It's also possible to print or refresh data if any changes were made in the meantime.

The entire app's packed in a single .exe file that can be saved anywhere on the disk or copied to a removable storage unit to directly launch it on any PC without setup. It doesn't need DLLs or other components to run, and doesn't create files on the disk without asking for permission.

It remained stable throughout its runtime in our tests, without hanging, crashing or prompting errors. Unsurprisingly, CPU and RAM usage was minimal.

On the other hand, Startup Discoverer doesn't provide a deeper insight into autorun objects, such as opening an item's location in Windows Explorer or Registry Editor. It seems that the Windows msconfig.exe built-in utility has richer features than this app. Nevertheless, it can be used for printing or saving the startup details to file.