WinXP startup list

[tommy888]

I have Spybot installed and in the Tools, Startup list I noticed some entries relating to WinLogon. What do these do and are they essential to the running of the OS, because if not, I would like to remove them. Can anybody enlighten me? Thanks.

 

[jiffy]

I don’t see WinLogon in my tools with Spybot and usually don’t use this feature, because I just disable something from starting in the startup, by running msconfig. Here are two descriptions on WinLogon. Doesn’t look like you should delete them.

Description:
WinLogon.exe is the Windows NT login manager. It handles the login and logout procedures on your system. This process is an essential part of your OS and should be left alone.

Windows NT4/2000/XP Logon application. This process manages users’ logons and logoffs on your PC/Server. The window which pops up and prompts you for your username and password, or which allows you to logoff or shutdown, is the WINLOGON process.

Recommendation :
An integral part of the operating system, leave alone.

 

[jiffy]

By the way do you have more then one user name on you computer? I don’t and I'm guessing that is why I don’t see WinLogon, but I do see it in windows task manger.

 

[tommy888]

There is only one user name on my pc and that's mine, so why does the winlogon still shows?

 

[folken]

Don't mess with it, your computer won't load windows correctly if you mess with it

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

 

[jiffy]

I don’t know why WinLogon is showing. Do you also see it in the start up through msconfig? I don’t see it there either and my only guess would be the way you have your services set. I would think if it’s showing up in the startup through msconfig it would be safe to stop from loading, but I’m not going to advise it, because I don’t want to be responsible if something should go wrong. Maybe safe mode will save you, maybe not. It’s a good ideal or I should say a must to have some type of back up for when you make such changes that could jeopardizes the OS, more then just WinXP Restore points, because if you don’t you could find yourself doing a repair or reinstalling the OS.

 

[folken]

I had winlogon become currupted once, windows does NOT load w/o it. It doesn't use much in the way of system resources so there isn't much point to removing it.

<A HREF="http://www.folken.net/myrig.htm" target="_new">My precious...</A>

 

[jiffy]

Yeah, but I don’t have it showing in my Spybot startup tools or msconfig start up, so I can’t remove it anyways. Sure it’s in my task manger and I leave it alone. If tommy has it showing in Spybot and maybe msconfig, then I suspect he may have more services running then I do. Maybe he didn’t disable any unnecessary services.

 

[rubikian]

You got password for logon? If you do, it will show...

P4 1.7Ghz @ 2GHz, 512MB PC800 RDRAM, 64MB Abit Ti4200, 60GB Maxtor, 120GB Western Digital, 48x24x42 TDK CDRW, 16X ASUS DVDROM, SB! live 5.1DE, Lifeview 3000 TV card

 

[mjjohn]

WinLogon.exe is the Windows NT login manager. It handles the login and logout procedures on your system. This process is an essential part of your OS and should be left alone.
The process "winlogon.exe" runs in the background. It's a part of the Windows Login subsystem. Winlogon is necessary for user authorization and checks the Windows XP activation code.
You will see it running in 'Processes'.

For it is not what is seen, but what is not seen.