Autoruns vs Parted Magic

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.

Parted Magic is paid, bootable Linux software for managing storage from USB, optical disc, or PXE. It requires a 64-bit x86 processor and at least 2 GB of RAM, and supports UEFI Secure Boot, legacy BIOS, and Intel-based Mac hardware. Its tools securely erase ATA, NVMe, SAS/SCSI, and eMMC/SD drives, choosing methods according to drive capabilities. Successful erases produce signed PDF destruction certificates, with exportable cryptographically signed evidence packs. The maker says sanitization follows NIST SP 800-88 Revision 2 and technology-specific methods conform to IEEE 2883. VisParted handles MBR and GPT layouts, filesystem operations, partition moves, and conversion between MBR and GPT. Parted Magic Clone copies disks, partitions, and images while keeping the source read-only and creating verification certificates. Workflows can use local, USB, SSH, Samba, and NFS targets, plus multicast deployment with udpcast. PM Report Server receives status and evidence over a local network and can send email, webhook, or ntfy alerts. It is not an installable Windows application.