Ultimate Startup Manager

While this start-up manager offers plenty of features to impress, a less-than-perfect interface and lack of guidance on potential malware keeps it off our top list. Ultimate Startup Manager goes beyond simply listing programs that automatically launch with Windows. It allows you to create several profiles so you can then select which start-up you want through a special menu. For example, if you're looking for a quick, clean launch, you simply select the "Clean System" profile. We were impressed by the program's ability to notify when new programs are added to the start-up list, a good way to keep an eye on malware. Yet while Ultimate Startup Manager detects new files, it doesn't give any hints to whether the software is good or bad. An option to launch without Windows Explorer we thought was an interesting extra feature. While the interface isn't the best designed, it doesn't significantly detract from the program's features. Overall, Ultimate Startup Manager is a good tool for people looking to kick-start a sluggish PC.