Comment @ No.57 = "Can anyone clear me one thing: I’ve Comode firewall. Whenever something starts it asks me what to do as the setting is in ”Paranoid” mode.
Is this program necessary for me? Thanks in advance"

Hi - Yes - I use COMODO FireWall - I swear by it !!!

For help You can contact me on XP.Pro@NTLworld.com & I look forward to being of assistance if I can !
PLEASE remember to add me to your Approved list so you can receive my replies as a couple of other GAOTD users have struggled !

I hope this has been helpful for some of you :o)
Apologies for any Typos ...

Cheers for now & HAVE A GREAT DAY FOLKS !!

- - Mike - -
- Macs-PC -
LIVE in the UK ! :o)

missed the yesterdays giveaway but thanks so much for all your software Its always important to check everyday for your giveawyas

It works and it is useful !!
One condition: .Net Framework v4 MUST be on your computer !!!!

@mike Vaughan. .NET FRAMEWORK 4.0 is a part of the Windows operating system architecture. It can be downloaded as part of windows update. It's not "another program needed for this one to run". I suggest you learn about your computer and it's operating system before you start moaning.

I just changed my name on here as I am not the Alan that posted as #8

Although I already have two programs that monitor startup items, I tried this one out. I like the way programs, processes, and services are listed. It is very easy to find out what each one is by selecting the Google icon. I probably won't have it load on startup, but will run it when I need to find information about new startup programs.

If this program requires .NE framework version 4, then it should not be advertised as being able to run on XP. Either that, or:

-OR-

the requirement for a version of .NET framework which IS NOT STANDARD on XP needs to be documented as a requirement, up front, prior to downloading.

If the developer does not document the requirements properly, I refuse to use the product, and I will actively discourage anyone I have contact with to even try the software.

Clear documentation is a sign of good software, and bad documentation is a poor sign.

Cindi #51: In addition to the excellent suggestion of using Soluto, you can also type the name of the program in question into Google, and you'll find several websites that will give you information on what the program does, and how necessary it is.

Example sites:

www.processlibrary.com
www.what-is-exe.com
http://www.file.net/process/

So this uses 20mb of memory. My computer has 3GB and the maximum I use is around 45%. This leaves over 1.5GB of memory, plus the page file is not full. My point is, with todays PC's coming with 4GB of RAM and the average user not using even half of that then 20MB is nothing. In the long run it could save you way more than that. Yes there are other free alternatives, but few of the ones mentioned here monitor in real time what is being added. This program isn't bad and it does what it says it does. If you are afraid of stopping something essential to the OS startup, just use Google to find out. These programs are not going to list the OS files, only added apps unless you get into disabling services. Do not disable services unless you know what you are doing.

Your best protection is regular backups but if you like to catch attempts to change your system a free option is RegProt by DiamondCS that you can find by Google search. It is a realtime monitor of any changes to the registry including startup and does a good job but can be annoying. I haven't found anything as good as it except programs similar to Comodo Internet Security Software for catching changes to the startup portion of your system. I've tried WinPatrol free and paid version and neither are as quick as desired but they do eventually notify you of changes after the fact by a matter of seconds or minutes after the fact. Sometimes they offer to change it back but can be unsuccessful and the only way get your system back the way it was is to perform a System Restore or restore from a previous backup.

#6 - You don't have to search for msconfig. Start, Run, msconfig. How hard is that? I use it a lot.

#26 - NET FRAMEWORK is required by many programs to function under Windows. It is from Microsoft and does not unleash Trojans!

ESETNOD32 is not only an anti-virus/malware pgm, but it blocks programs that it thinks are suspicious, if you set that option.
It has also blocked websites that try to download Trojans.

It is never a good idea to run 2 anti-virus programs! Ask any of the anti-virus software companies.

I happen to use WinPatrol Pro and have done so for years. It does everything this program is advertising, does it well and does it with a very small footprint, so there is no need for me to even try this program.

BUT - for those of you who don't have a program like WinPatrol already on your computer, I would recommend trying this one out, because you really should have a program that alerts you whenever software is trying to add something to your start up or autorun lists, or wants to add a toolbar to your browser. As has been mentioned in earlier posts, you'd be surprised at the stuff that "safe" programs add to your startup lists - things that are totally unnecessary and just serve to slow down your startup procedure as everything and its brother start phoning home for those automatic updates. For example, everytime you update an Adobe product or Quicktime, they add a start-up entry. If you rarely use Adobe or Quicktime, like me, those start-up items are totally unnecessary.

Seems like a decent program, but I can't imagine paying $20 for it.

A.) Windows 7 (Vista too?) comes with an easy-to-use tool for managing startup programs/services. Windows defender is free and also comes with a startup program/service manager (unless it's been removed from the list of features)

B.) Most Anti-virus programs that are worth anything come with their own way to manage startup programs/services.

C.) I wouldn't call something "easy" or a "pc optimizer" when it doesn't come packaged with the .NET Framework required to install it & once installed, it's a bit of a waste of resources.

I´ll pass for this

I have anvir, which also has been given by gotd.

anvir is just the best.

My thanks go to GAOTD, this softare publisher and Mike @52.

Can anyone clear me one thing: I've Comode firewall. Whenever something starts it asks me what to do as the setting is in ''Paranoid'' mode.
Is this program necessary for me? Thanks in advance

RE: .NET... simplified with no marketing or other BS, .NET is a set of reusable programming code libraries -- if/when you program a .NET app, in theory you have to do less work since common things that all .NET apps use are provided for you. In that sense .NET is like an improved version of the older Visual Basic programming. Beside providing a framework & resources for .NET apps, .NET also keeps track of an awful lot of stuff about installed .NET apps -- that can be problematic, & together with the higher overhead of running .NET, some folks feel it just isn't worth it. Worse case that I'm aware of, fixing a misbehaving .NET app may require uninstall/reinstall of not just the app, but the entire .NET framework... and when the .NET app is something like the ATI Catalyst Control Center that ties into their video drivers, you may not feel you have much choice in the matter. When that sort of thing can happen, the people it happens to can become very vocal critics of .NET whenever they have the opportunity -- among other reasons that's why you'll see a bit of pro/con debate on-line whenever .NET's mentioned or required.

* * *

#43: "... If your seeing messages about microosft .net framework it means you havn’t done your windows updates!"

.NET is NOT part of Windows, but rather an optional install that some [not all] apps use. Google/Bing if you want to find Pros/Cons but often it just boils down to if the software you *need* to use requires it or not. I've no doubt some people will find the .NET requirements not worth it to run Startup Defender, while others either won't mind or already meet any/all .NET requirements. Note that if you do install any .NET packs from Microsoft, **Immediately (or immediately after restart if nec)** run Updates again, as critical related security updates won't show up until whatever .NET version is installed -- And then run Update again after you install any .NET security-related updates, 'cause some only show up the 2nd or 3rd time around.

* * *

#51: "Help please…..is there anything in the startup that you should NOT DELETE. I’ve always been afraid to do anything for fear I might delete something that won’t let the PC start…or not let a program work…or affect the monitor or sound, etc."

Yes, you can break things, & when the entry you delete is for your Anti Virus suite, it can stall Windows starting. Generally if you track down [i.e. search on] the file set to auto start you'll get a good idea of what it belongs to &/or does, e.g. if it's in the same folder as your Anti Virus software, more than likely it's part of that package. If it's something like the Adobe PDF reader's preloading or ARM entries, chances are you don't need it, but you should still test the effects if/when you remove/disable it.

Startup Defender is a small, lightweight app that according to it's own error message requires .NET 4. Running with monitoring turned on, it'll show a warning if/when an app gets set to start with Windows -- the warning message window lets you block or allow the action & has a button to Google the app name. Right clicking the tray icon you're given 4 options: Show the Startup Mgr., Start/Stop Monitoring, & Exit -- a bit unusual, closing the Startup Mgr. window closes the app.

The Startup Mgr. window itself has 2 tabs -- the 1st, "Startup Programs" lists apps that autostart with Windows arranged into groups depending on where their autostart entry is located, e.g. "Local Machine - Registry Entries" &/or "Start Menu". Each app has a checkbox alongside to turn autostart on/off. The "Processes/Services" tab has 1 window listing running processes [same thing you'd see in Task Mgr.], 1 window lists services & if they're running or not, while a 3rd window named "Process Band List" remained empty [I haven't been able to figure out what it or the buttons next to it are for, as nothing in this area seems to work]. Below the Process List window are 2 buttons -- Kill Process [which didn't work] & Refresh [which did]. Likewise the Services List has buttons to Start, Pause, Resume, Stop, & Refresh list -- only Refresh List seemed to work.

Installation adds the program's folder [9 files, 1 folder, taking up just over 1 MB] & Start Menu shortcuts, while adding an uninstall key, an App Paths key, & the program's key to the registry -- activation adds 1 more key. In 7 I also recorded a new HKLM\SOFTWARE\Myown2.20 key that *may* have been caused by running the app as a trial once before activation. Running the app takes few resources, while Process Explorer [SysInternals] showed no .dll files or handles used. RE: .NET 4, I like to monitor installs in a very bare XP VM (among other places) because taking before/after snapshots chances are everything shows up -- if whatever components are already installed, they won't. While Startup Defender installed just fine in this bare XP VM, running it produced the error message that .NET 4 was required to run.

I didn't see anything that running Startup Defender can or could hurt, but personally I didn't see much that it could help either. AFAIK most malware is going to hide itself so your spotting it, with or without the help of Startup Defender is unlikely [check out the Microsoft "Security Intelligence Report": http://goo.gl/659O]. Nor does today's GOTD do much for Services [even if it does work for you], as most of the time you just want to set them to start manually, with whatever app rather than with Windows, & that Startup Defender cannot do. Startup Defender could come in handy though for annoyances, e.g. if Adobe Reader or similar auto-updates you might get things added to the Run [i.e. autostart] keys in the registry you might not want. For alternatives Autoruns [SysInternals] is king, but also a bit dangerous as you can easily disable things that will break Windows, while Windows built-in msconfig is far safer but can seem a PITA -- too many messages to restart & an unintuitive GUI if you ask me. For services I normally just go to that window [Admin Tools -> Services] & make sure anything new is set to manual, then stop the service & make sure it starts with the app that installed it -- if not I can either turn Automatic start back on, or copy the command line from the service properties to a shortcut. The Startup folder in the Start Menu takes seconds to check, & if you setup favorites in Windows' regedit, checking the Run keys hardly takes longer [2 keys 32 bit, 3 64 bit, located in HKCU, HKLM, & HKLM \Wow6432Node under Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run -- optionally also check the RunOnce key right below it]

#22 Winpatrol is slower in the free version. Paid version reacts immediatelly.

Indeed, lot of suggestions above are not working as a real time shield like this program, so they cannot be compared.

@Cindi (#51)

Try Soluto ( http://www.soluto.com/ ). When it presents a list of start up programmes it tells which are definitely safe to delay (or postpone or, indeed, get rid of if you don't need them), which programmes may be safe to delay if you know what you are doing, and which programmes you MUST NOT touch.
To use Soluto download from the above address, run the set-up, then reboot.
slaybelle

Comment by Alan @ No8 = “Helps remove Trojans or adware that starts automatically with your computer<—-as stated on there website, is this also and anti-virus program as well?? as one knows adding another anti-virus program to an already protected system will cancel each other out….”

Hi Folks

Alan . . . two points on your comments.

First up - It's perfectly SAFE to run two AntiViruses on the same system ( although NOT usually needed ) - You can run one as your 24/7 Real Time Scanner & one for Weekly Night Time Scans ONLY - that way there's no interference with speed.

I'd recommend this option ONLY if you've been having problems with your antiVirus FAILING to catch a virus ALSO - NO two AntiVirus Softwares work the same & since NOT one AntiVirus system in THE WORLD is 100% perfect - running one + a scanner as I indicated above - may catch anything that's hiding.

One Virus creator said that the BEST VIRUSES are the ones YOU DON'T KNOW ARE THERE !!! - Meaning - that if it runs silently - in the background & NEVER crashing your PC etc. It's a good one - ( Good for the creator - NOT US ) - IF on the other hand - it causes problems the instant it arrives - it's not good quality. - So it may be possible for you to have good quality Virus on your machine - running silently & it may be missed by one scanner but caught by another.

This doesn't mean that I'm suggesting that everyone should double up - BUT IF you have been hit by a Virus recently - the chances are it reported your IP details to it's creator / controller - meaning you may now be constantly bombarded with many more as it will see you as a soft target. - IF you are continuing to use the same A/V as before - you MAY be open to another attack - this is when I'd recommend you double up & maybe run a couple of LightWeight - ( on resources ) - FireWalls - I use COMODO FireWall & PC Tools FireWall Plus - BOTH of which can scan Program Starts etc.

-----------------------------------------

With regard to the comment about how this software stops Viruses - I think what it means is - In order for a Virus to continue to spread & cause further damage - IT MUST BE STARTED ! - as a result - they always insert a file into the Windows Start-Up system - usually in the higher-level - as a Service rather than a Program in the Start-Up folder. - As a result - you have no way of seeing it PLUS if it starts as a Service - & it starts with Maximum Privilege Rights - You can't manually STOP IT ! - Often the Virus will Boot up & Start BEFORE WINDOWS so even Safe Mode is useless to stop it !

THIS PROGRAM STOPS the Virus from creating the Start-Up procedure in the first place ! - Meaning that every time the Virus attempts to lay a Start-up setting etc. it's rejected by Startup Defender. - So after NEXT Re-Boot - the Virus is not able to start with Higher permissions. In this scenario - the Virus will still exist on your PC BUT until you start the infected file - it should be easy for an Anti-Virus to Find & Destroy it !

Obviously there are many types & strengths of Virus. - I've even heard of one that detects a Virus scan & automatically STOPS behaving like a Virus until the scan stops - then it's back to normal - Incredible ! - There are also Viruses that can live inside hardware - like the FirmWare - ( Hardware Update ) - chip of a Video Card etc. although thankfully these are quite rare ! :o) The only way to this one is to throw away the infected hardware BUT you have to figure out - IF THAT'S WHERE IT IS HIDING FIRST !!!

Most Viruses have a Primary & Secondary Function & almost always the Primary Function - ( & this might surprise you ) - is NOT to cause crashes etc. - It is actually SELF PRESERVATION ! - The SECOND Function - ( of most Viruses ) - is Damage etc.

Think about it - IF a Virus is mainly concerned with doing damage etc. to a Computer - it's not going to notice that it's being monitored & then removed BUT if it's always on the lookout - it's far harder to eradicate !

Alan's decision to totally disregard this software on the mentioned grounds is mis-informed & so also self-defeating. - This software - ( & others like it ) - also prevent general & totally legitimate softwares from slowing down your system ! - Take for example Microsoft Office - or the free alternative - Open Office.org - Both of these will AUTOMATICALLY place a Auto-start runner - without your knowing. They do this so that if you decide to use their software - it will be partly ready & so start a little quicker. I ALWAYS remove these Auto-Runners because the are they are not needed for the programs to function. - On a Brand New PC / Installation - there can be as many as 15+ Auto runners kicking in at boot up - including Adobe Reader / Nero / Encarta & MOST other softwares ! - Nero & other Writer softwares CAN put 3 or 4 up there - depending on release & Version ! - Other Auto Runners can include Auto-Updaters as well. IMPORTANT NOTE - IF you EVER manually remove Auto-Runners with programs like MsConfig / Process Viewer etc. - BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL & only remove WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE SAFE - IF you don't know what you're doing - DON'T DO IT ! - PLEASE DON'T ! Removing a simple Auto Runner like Explorer / desktop or UserInit will prevent Windows from opening ever again - you won't get passed the Login Screen ! When you click to Logon you'll see "Loading Settings" followed by "Saving Settings" & then back to Login Screen !!!! Even in Safe Mode ! IF YOU ARE LUCKY - you'll be able to load last known working settings @ F8 during Boot - otherwise - you'll have to restore a backup - FROM BOOT :o(

I personally believe softwares like this one can save you A LOT of problems & would have no problem installing or recommending it & I'm definitely going to try the Beta that BuBBy suggested earlier !
I hope this has been helpful for some of you :o)
Apologies for any Typos - ...

Cheers for now & HAVE A GREAT DAY FOLKS !!

- - Mike - -
- Macs-PC -
LIVE in the UK ! :o)

Help please.....is there anything in the startup that you should NOT DELETE. I've always been afraid to do anything for fear I might delete something that won't let the PC start...or not let a program work...or affect the monitor or sound, etc. I do know to keep the anti-virus and my dock stuff. oh...does it delete it completely or let you check mark it to not run so if you decided later you want it you just have to uncheck it. Thank you for your help.

I agree with 47. Do certain types of programs run in a group as far as what is delivered daily?
This is probably not of help to anyone but me.
Thanks

This is a surprising handy utility enabling users to keep control of their system at boot time providing also a permanent active protection to remove Trojans, Adware or any other crap from your startup that your AV failed to detect

So THUMB UP for me!



FREEWARE ALTERNATIVES, along with SOLUTO, worth trying to speedup Windows boot may be also the following two ones:


1) XPUD

hXXp://dottech.org/freewaresr/13751#comments


2) STARTUP DELAYER

hXXp://www.online-tech-tips.com/free-software-downloads/speed-up-windows-startup/




Enjoy!

R2 Studios Startup Delayer which is freeware is brilliant. It smoothes out the startups in an order set by you. It makes the startup consistant and shutdown is faster too. It shows everything in all the startup locations and is a program that everyone should be using. Meanwhile Microsft Security Essentials (I recently dumped AVG which screwed my PC with false positives) and ThreatFire take care of malware and 'auto starts'.

A lot of what is being recommended here by some of these posters does NOT do the same thing as this program. I almost bought into some of the postings here but fortunately I did my own research. Some of the programs being recommended do not automatically block unauthorized entries into your startup or optimize. A lot of what's being recommended here only allow you to disable items (i.e. Autoruns by Sysinternals or msconfig.exe).
I wish Ashraf would come back. His reviews clarified a lot of misinformation that is commonly seen in these comments.

startup.cpl = free = embedded?
http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml

I also use Anvir for this function. Whatever you use, this sort of program is very valuable and will save your computer more than once.

I have to agree with the comments about Sysinternals Autoruns, and though many people may find it overly 'techie' for their taste, it will definitely show you EVERYthing that, well ... auto-runs. And it DOES allow you to disable any item you like with a simple click on a checkbox, though you DON'T get any guidance on this: they assume YOU know what you're doing!

Another freeware tool I use and now recommend (again, SLIGHTLY 'techie,' but less so than Autoruns!) is Startup Delayer from r2 studios. As the name implies, it allows you to delay startup items and (uniquely?) you can decide which ORDER they run in. I can thus make sure that my anti-virus, firewall, and anti-malware utilities truly start FIRST, AND in that order.

So, between those two utilites, AND Soluto (which I admire for its USP of doing its best to advise you about 'all this stuff'), I'm afraid I can't see why I would want to spend money on Startup Defender, or any software like it. Sorry, Zards Software, but even $20 looks steep for what is on offer here. I note that Soluto have promised to always have a free version for personal use, even if they start charging commercial users later, in case anyone else is wondering.

That said, thanks as always to GOTD for keeping up the offerings, and thus frequently starting some worthwhile debate on the specific 'type' of software being offered each day! :)

Please remember to do your windows updates people! - If your seeing messages about microosft .net framework it means you havn't done your windows updates!

Programs that automatically add themselves to startup almost always do so during an install, or first run. Users who apply common safety procedures such as malware/antivirus checks, installation tracking, etc on such "new" programs should not need this. However, since most inexperienced users are unaware of such software behavior in the background, a program like this is highly recommended for them.

I always track installations with programs like "Total Uninstall", "Ashampoo Uninstaller", "Sandboxie", etc.. That's because I want to know "everything" that's going on behind my back (so to speak). Plus, you can learn a lot about what programs are doing to your computer that you wouldn't know otherwise, and prevent problems you don't want before they take hold.

@Marty ... I've done that before and, everything else being equal, I go with the program that does the job better i.e. faster/quicker.

What is the .NET Framework?
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms973850.aspx


The Microsoft.NET Framework is a platform for building, deploying, and running Web Services and applications. It provides a highly productive, standards-based, multi-language environment for integrating existing investments with next-generation applications and services as well as the agility to solve the challenges of deployment and operation of Internet-scale applications. The .NET Framework consists of three main parts: the common language runtime, a hierarchical set of unified class libraries, and a componentized version of Active Server Pages called ASP.NET.

Installed and registered just fine. I checked the Processes and it was running but otherwise you have to check the Tray (W7). As someone mentioned it takes about 20mb to run it. It is the kind of program that I would not keep running in the tray since I do not have all that many changes occuring. Run it once a week manually to take a look at what is going on in Startup and the rest of the time save the processor effort. So far, so good.
Thanks to Zards

@ Mike Vaughan & Deena
you need the NET Framework for the architecture of programs to run
its not malicious software its part and parcel to be used to create the operating system to run with applications etc.

#7 Bubby--Good to hear from you as always. If you say Soluto is worth trying, then that's good enough for me, so I'm going to get it right now before I forget about it. Wish me luck. (I especially like the part of your post that referred to Soluto as being a "sexy" solution.)

Sorry guys. I don't have a comment: just a question. Can you (me) run two such programs on your computer at the same time without it affecting the computer in a negative way? The reason I ask the question is because I'd like to try Anvir Task Manager and this giveaway to see which is the better.

Another vote for WinPatrol.com; free and paid versions and has been available for many years.

As to programs needing .net, there are a lot of different languages and frameworks out there, and a programmer needs to choose one. he .NET framework (by Microsoft) provides a series of libraries and an environment in which to build code, so that you are not programming everything from scratch. These libraries have been tested and debugged, so the programmer can concentrate on the application and not have to worry about the innards of every detail. Whether you want .net on your system or not is your choice, just like having the JAVA runtime environment. It just means that you'll have to bypass those programs that use it.

You can download the latest .Net framework from Microsoft:

http://www.microsoft.com/net/

OK, I decided to install and give it a try. This is what I've found so far:

Like:
o Supposed to block unauthorized programs from being added to Startup
o Easy to navigate interface
o Google lookup is a really nice feature
o It’s focused what it’s designed to do; doesn’t try to add anything else to the program.
o Runs well on my Win7 64-bit computer
o Doesn’t slow it down (as it shouldn’t)

Don’t like:
o Uses nearly 20mb running in background
o No portable version

I will continue to use it and see if it is effective at blocking malicious programs from adding things to my startup. If it does than it’s a keeper.

One other free alternative is ADVANCE SYSTEM CARE FREE, HERE IS THE LINK http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html
It has a start up manager and just about every thing you need in one program.

@Ben Anvir may still be available at dottech However it is the shareware version which doesn't have the ability to permanantly block processes if they add themselves to startup.

The zonealarm program has a place to block all programs from changing the startup, or IE page, or search page or install active x, or change the Host file. Other firewall software, already running in your computer, do similar things.

Why install this? You can get any anti-virus program for free which does exactly what this does.

Thanks to John about that function in CCleaner...wasn't even aware of it BUT am using it now. Thanks also to GOATD for todays offer but I'll give it a miss, don't really want to bloat puter with duplicate progs

Anvir Task Manager includes this feature I believe and you can also get it free. It also includes a "Start Up guard" to automatically block programs that try to continually put themselves in the startup area.

I have installed Startup Defender on windows 7 32 bit with no problems and it does make my computer startup quicker and I don't think it is using a lot of system resources, I know I am only supposed to talk about today's giveaway but recently when Phantom Armor was given away I installed it on two computers and it messed up both computers and I could not uninstall it off aether one of my computers, one was hit by a virus and has to go to the repair shop and I had to restore the other one, the Phantom Armor authors won't even answer their emails so my advise is do not install that program under any circumstances, it is a virus.

Unless you have the appropriate version of NET FRAMEWORK installed on your computer this programe will NOT run !!!!

My opinion is: Programes should work on any computer and not have other programes attatched, who knows other programes that have to be installed as well, could unleash trojans that are hidden from view and have the potential at best of releasing sensitive information stored on your computer, or a worst closing it down altogether and corrupting the drives and taking all your programes with it !!!!!!!

Thanks for the answer to my question, Brian (",)

Why do I need NET Framework v.4.0.30319? What is it? And where do I download that from?

I've used a similar product (http://www.mlin.net/StartupMonitor.shtml) that's small and has proven effective. It can 'stop' SOME virus infections because some of them put their garbage in the start up programs of your PC. So next time you start, the virus is insured it's up and running.

I am sure GAOTD's offering today is the same type product and will not only HELP keep virus out of your PC but prevents a lot of those wonderful helper programs we all love, from cluttering your memory, and delaying your start up, so that they can check for the version 5.0.0.0.0.01 updates. You may not realize what a good program this is to have and I would definitely recommend getting this from the experiences I have had with the similar product!

Anvir Task Manager does the same job (and much, much more besides) for free, although there are paid-for editions too. For me, one of the most used and useful previous Giveawayoftheday offerings.

http://www.anvir.com/taskmanagerfree/

WinPatrol also good but much slower to recognize new start-up additions. No longer use it.