Permanently blocking startup non-spyware programs

[StanF]

There are many legitimate applications that add entries to
the Registry Local Machine or Current User Run. If you
remove those entries once and start the application again,
then the startup entries are often recreated. MSAS offers
a way to permanently block spyware startup software. Could
this feature be extended to permanently block any program
from running at computer start-up?

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Perhaps, but why? You can uninstall those legitimate programs, or use
whatever facility they provide to stop the autostart. You can also use the
system explorers within Microsoft Antispyware to do that job--i.e. removing
the entries, or permanently blocking them.

I think there are legal issues here, to say nothing of needing to restrict
the scope of the product so that costs of providing the service can be as
predictable as possible.

Microsoft has a clear set of criteria that qualify an application for
listing and possible removal:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892340 Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware (Beta)
identifies a program as a spyware threat (Listing criteria and Dispute
process)

 

[StanF]

"You can also use the system explorers within Microsoft
Antispyware to do that job--i.e. removing the entries, or
permanently blocking them."

The problem is that it doesn't work the way you have
described it. If software is not recognized as spyware by
MSAS, then it can create new entries in RUN even if
identical entries have been blocked.

"I think there are legal issues here..."
I am the owner of my computer and I paid for software that
runs on it. If, for example, an application wants to check
for updates every few hours or load components I don't
wish to use, I think I have the right to say "NO".


Bill,

Thank you for your answer. I appreciate it. I guess I have
to wait till MSAS handles 95% of system-control issues I
have. Now, it addresses only 70%, and that is not enough
to load one more application (I already have fire-wall,
anti-spam, anti-virus, anti-popup etc).

Stan

 

[Bill Sanderson]

But you can already say no to the non-spyware apps, by uninstalling them and
not installing them in the first place.

I understand what you want, and sympathize. Quicktime, for example, loads a
system tray piece that appears to have no UI to disable. I have
successfully blocked that via Microsoft Antispyware's system explorers,
though.

I agree that you should have that control. If an app doesn't have an
uninstall, that will probably qualify it for coverage by Microsoft
Antispyware. If it does have an uninstall--you have the control.

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Settings-->Real-time protection-->Startup options and
check the "Enable the Microsoft AntiSpyware security
engines on startup

 

[Bill Sanderson]

You own your system, but you don't own Microsoft Antispyware, nor do you
bear any legal and financial responsibility for what it detects and how it
handles what it detects.

I'll admit that the above is stretching a point, but using this app doesn't
change your rights and abilities to remove software running on your
machine--so it takes nothing away from you. You're asking it to do
something more than it, in fact, does. This is the place to make that
request for sure--but as designed thus far, it doesn't have that ability.
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