Autoruns vs Eraser

Autoruns shows programs and drivers configured to run during Windows boot, login, or when certain built-in Windows applications start. It reports startup items from locations such as the Startup folder, Registry keys, Explorer extensions, services, scheduled tasks, and Winlogon entries. Users can hide signed Microsoft entries to focus on third-party items, inspect startup images configured for other accounts, and disable an entry or delete its configuration. Scan options include signature verification and VirusTotal hash checks; submitting files not previously scanned requires the upload option, and VirusTotal features require accepting its terms. The download includes Autorunsc, a command-line version that can output CSV or tab-delimited data, verify signatures, and scan an offline Windows system. The Autoruns and Autorunsc download is listed as 3 MB, and Microsoft offers a Sysinternals Live option. Autoruns costs nothing, with no limit on installation or use on devices owned or supported by the user, but no redistribution license. Microsoft says Sysinternals tools are provided as is without official support and points users to a community forum.

Eraser is a free Windows security tool for overwriting sensitive data on drives. It can erase files and folders, previously deleted data, unused disk space and the current user’s Recycle Bin. Its methods include pseudorandom data and named overwrite schemes such as HMG IS5 and DoD 5220.22-M. Users can also define custom methods by choosing a number of passes and specifying text, hexadecimal or random data for those passes. A customizable scheduler handles recurring tasks and missed schedules. Optional Windows Explorer integration adds a context menu for supported items, and the help documentation lists a command line interface. The site lists support from Windows XP SP3 through Windows 11 and Server 2012–2025, and says Eraser works with drives supported by Windows. The download page cautions that erasure security has not been verified internally or externally and that the code may not remove all traces of files. Unused-space erasure on network drives may also require NAS knowledge and may not handle enforced quotas as expected, even when a task reports success. Eraser costs nothing.