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According to Microsoft, the Windows registry contains settings and configuration data that allow the operating system to function correctly. Included in the registry are instructions that prompt programs and files to run -- usually when the user first turns on the computer and Windows boots up. Some of these files that the registry instructs to run are critical Windows files, while others are optional programs.
Windows Live Messenger
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When the user has arranged for Windows Live Messenger to run at start-up, the registry will contain a key that instructs the file "msnmessenger.exe" to run in the background. There is also a basic version of the program, Windows Messenger, that comes installed with the Windows operating system and will start instead if the user has not disabled Windows Messenger.
Windows Sidebar
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The Windows registry instructs the sidebar to run in Windows Vista and 7 if the user has the sidebar enabled. The sidebar includes user-customizable widgets such as a clock, calendar, weather updates and a slideshow of images from the user's files. The registry instructs the file "sidebar.exe" to execute when the user starts his computer.
Additional Programs
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Other files may run at the instruction of the Windows Registry if the user has modified these settings so that the program runs at start-up of Windows. One example of a file that may run from the registry is "teatimer.exe," the resident scanning tool from Spybot Search & Destroy, a spyware scanning program. However, it is impossible to name every additional file that may run from the Windows Registry because every computer user will have different programs installed.
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