Suspicious startup program

Mysha Shaikh 0 Reputation points
2026-09-20T08:26:07.37+00:00

I found two suspicious startup programs in my task manager. I cannot look at the properties or file locations when I right-click on them since both options are greyed out. The only thing I can do is search online which hasn't yielded any results.

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Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy
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  1. DaveM121 935.7K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-20T09:02:11.1033333+00:00

    Those two entries are usually left-over registry entries for some game that may have been previously installed on your PC.

    Click the link below to download a small free utility that does not require installation.

    https://download.sysinternals.com/files/Autoruns.zip

    When the file downloads, unzip it.

    Run Autoruns64 as Administrator

    Select the 'Logon' tab at the top of Autoruns.

    Please provide a screenshot of all entries on that tab.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-20T08:26:23.8166667+00:00

    Those entries are commonly leftover startup items rather than active malware. Similar cases in Microsoft Q&A identified random GUID-like names and numbers in Startup apps as orphaned entries left behind by software such as games, and the recommended cleanup was to remove the startup entries with Autoruns.

    Recommended steps:

    1. Run Autoruns as administrator.
    2. Look for the two startup entries that match the names shown in Task Manager.
    3. If found, first uncheck them to disable them.
    4. If they are clearly unwanted leftovers, use Delete in Autoruns to remove the startup configuration entry.
    5. If the entries do not appear immediately in Autoruns, enable them in Task Manager first, then return to Autoruns and click Refresh.

    Useful Autoruns actions:

    • Jump to Entry opens the Registry or file system location for the startup item.
    • Properties shows details for the selected executable when available.
    • Hide Signed Microsoft Entries can help narrow the list to third-party items.

    Caution: deleting startup entries is more permanent than disabling them. Disable first, restart, and confirm nothing important is affected before deleting.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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