Which startup programs should I remove?

It i easier on the computer to run only what is needed at startup. Why waste resources by running programs you aren't using? Because they are not in startup does not mean you can't use them, it just means they will strart when you need them. Also, why inject a lot of unnecessary drivers into the system at one time? You can cause driver conflicts that way. The only thing you need run at startup is your Anti Virus.

What daily needs? CCC? the graphics drivers are going to load by default, Realtek audio manager? The audio drivers load already, why do you need the manager running too. Everything you need is running. If you need another program, it will start up like every other program on your computer. Read up on Akami client. as far as I'm concerned, it's spyware.

Your motherboard has audio drivers. Your headphones have audio drivers, CCC has audio drivers. How many different audio drivers do you think your computer needs, or how many do you have to load at one time to conflict with each other? Your audio will work just fine with none of those loading at startup.

You can do it anyway you want to. I am just telling you 'best practices'.

You obviously don't understand what startup is. It does not disable them, it just doesn't load them at startup. They are still available when you want to use them. As far as the audio drivers, the point is, they are not all the same. They are all different. Why do you need the AMD audio drivers when you have motherboard drivers that do the same thing? So why throw 2 or 3 drivers at Windows that are different but do the same thing? Only 1 is needed. Akami, constantly sends and receives data about your computer, it's programs and usage back to Akami . I'm not sure what your definition of spyware is, but that is my definition.

essenbe said:

Akami, constantly sends and receives data about your computer, it's programs and usage back to Akami . I'm not sure what your definition of spyware is, but that is my definition.

For @batlhilz, here are some sources for this resource using peer to peer software that runs on the USERS PC in the back ground:

What is Akamai NetSession Client - Microsoft Community

Akamai does not come right out and say it, but the reason NetSession is installed on your computer is to allow them to use your computer to "upstream" content to other users. By installing NetSession, you are allowing Akamai to use your idle bandwidth to upload files to other Akamai users.

Untangling some of the statements from: Page Forbidden | Error 403 | Akamai

"The information that Akamai does capture is similar to a web server and that information is utilized for troubleshooting and network performance monitoring only." That means that NetSession continually sends information about your computer to Akamai.


They say that NetSession will only use your computer when it is "idle or utilizing minimal network resources." That means that NetSession is constantly monitoring your network use, and sending that information to Akamai. And since bandwidth usage varies from second to second, that info must be sent up to Akamai a lot. Wait a minute, didn't they just say they only captured the sort of info that web servers capture? Web servers don't capture info on bandwidth use. What other information does Akamai capture? I could not find any specifics on their site.


So if you install NetSession, you will be joining a peer-to-peer network, and allowing Akamai to deliver files from your computer at times when Akamai deems you to be utilizing your bandwidth minimally.


I also have a security concern about the files I am receiving from NetSession. It seems like it would not be difficult to download a file using NetSession, modify it to carry a virus payload, and then leave that computer idle, and wait for NetSession to transmit the infected file to other NetSession users. I would hope that Akamai has taken steps to address this concern, but I can't find any information on that.

Page Forbidden | Error 403 | Akamai

Safety The Akamai NetSession Interface must protect the user's privacy and be secure from Internet threats.

1. Privacy – A user's personal information must not be captured. The information that Akamai does capture is similar to a web server and that information is utilized for troubleshooting and network performance monitoring only. Please see Akamai's privacy principles for more information.
2. Security – Akamai must build secure software which will not add security vulnerabilities to a users' system operating environment. Akamai fulfills this pledge through rigorous systems in prevention, monitoring and 24x7 operations oversight. Please notify us of any concerns via our feedback form.

What is Akamai NetSession Client - Microsoft Community

Peer-to-peer networking[edit]

In addition to using Akamai's own servers, Akamai delivers content from other end-users' computers, in a form of peer-to-peer networking.[22][23] When users request a download of some large files served by this system, it prompts them to download and install “Akamai NetSession Interface,” a download manager used to reduce download time and to increase quality.[24] However, this software operates not merely as a download manager (delivering content from the Internet to the user's computer) but also as a peer-to-peer server, delivering content cached on the user's computer to other users' computers.