Hack your way !

By Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell

Introduction

This utility, which has the most comprehensive knowledge of auto-starting locations of any startup monitor, shows you what programs are configured to run during system bootup or login, and shows you the entries in the order Windows processes them. These programs include ones in your startup folder, Run, RunOnce, and other Registry keys. You can configure Autoruns to show other locations, including Explorer shell extensions, toolbars, browser helper objects, Winlogon notifications, auto-start services, and much more. Autoruns goes way beyond the MSConfig utility bundled with Windows Me and XP.

Autoruns' Hide Signed Microsoft Entries option helps you to zoom in on third-party auto-starting images that have been added to your system and it has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts configured on a system. Also included in the download package is a command-line equivalent that can output in CSV format, Autorunsc.

You'll probably be surprised at how many executables are launched automatically!

Screenshot

Usage

See the November 2004 issue of Windows IT Pro Magazine for Mark's article that covers advanced usage of Autoruns . If you have questions or problems, visit the Sysinternals Autoruns Forum.

Simply run Autoruns and it shows you the currently configured auto-start applications as well as the full list of Registry and file system locations available for auto-start configuration. Autostart locations displayed by Autoruns include logon entries, Explorer add-ons, Internet Explorer add-ons including Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), Appinit DLLs, image hijacks, boot execute images, Winlogon notification DLLs, Windows Services and Winsock Layered Service Providers. Switch tabs to view autostarts from different categories.

To view the properties of an executable configured to run automatically, select it and use the Properties menu item or toolbar button. If Process Explorer is running and there is an active process executing the selected executable then the Process Explorer menu item in the Entry menu will open the process properties dialog box for the process executing the selected image.

Navigate to the Registry or file system location displayed or the configuration of an auto-start item by selecting the item and using the Jump menu item or toolbar button.

To disable an auto-start entry uncheck its check box. To delete an auto-start configuration entry use the Delete menu item or toolbar button.

Select entries in the User menu to view auto-starting images for different user accounts.

More information on display options and additional information is available in the on-line help.

Autorunsc Usage

Autorunsc is the command-line version of Autoruns. Its usage syntax is:

Usage: autorunsc [-a] | [-c] [-b] [-d] [-e] [-g] [-h] [-i] [-l] [-m] [-n] [-p] [-r] [-s] [-v] [-w] [-x] [user]

Download Autoruns and Autorunsc (565 KB)

By Mark Russinovich

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

The Process Explorer display consists of two sub-windows. The top window always shows a list of the currently active processes, including the names of their owning accounts, whereas the information displayed in the bottom window depends on the mode that Process Explorer is in: if it is in handle mode you'll see the handles that the process selected in the top window has opened; if Process Explorer is in DLL mode you'll see the DLLs and memory-mapped files that the process has loaded. Process Explorer also has a powerful search capability that will quickly show you which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded.

The unique capabilities of Process Explorer make it useful for tracking down DLL-version problems or handle leaks, and provide insight into the way Windows and applications work.

Download Process Explorer (1.6 MB)

Do you use windows network file sharing. If yes then here is a lightweight utility from windows that helps you to quickly over view the current network shares and their security settings.

Network share is the most vulnerable aspect of windows systems and a system can easily be compromised if the security settings of your network shares is not properly configured. The worst part is that windows does not provide any standard utility to over view network shares and their settings. Hence Microsoft recommends ShareEnum which gives a control over your network shares.

Multiple desktops or virtual desktops is one utility that Microsoft never supplied with the default windows installation. But Microsoft provides a third party small utility software called Desktops that enables a windows user to have multiple desktops at once.

Microsoft Desktops helps to organize your applications over four alternate desktops. Now you can surf web on one, edit documents on second and watch movies or listen to songs on the third in a simple and easy way without any burden on the computer. Using Desktops you can configure your own hot keys for switching in between desktops or directly use the icon in system tray.

Unlike other third party software Desktops implements this functionality in a neat and simple way making it very lightweight and bug free. Though Desktops does not provide very advanced features like moving applications across desktops or deleting a desktop, it makes the multiple desktops functionality simple, safe and lightweight.

Red color is considered as the symbol for danger everywhere except in the world of windows. In windows world danger is attributed to the color blue. Blue is one of the most feared colors in windows world. In windows whenever some thing terribly goes wrong the first thing you will see is the blue screen infamously called as the "blue screen of death"(BSOD).

In fact this screen is so popular that people at Microsoft released a screen saver that mimics a BSOD(Blue Scren of Death) and simulates a reboot. It simulates the whole system crash and reboot process so perfectly that it leaves even the most experienced windows user in panic. So what are you waiting for, download this screen saver and install it on one of your friend or colleague PC and watch n enjoy while he panics for a moment.

Download link

Microsoft page for Installation/Use instructions
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897558.aspx

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