What are true differences between the two?
Both serve the same purpose: to run a program on windows startup.
The obvious differences are:
- User can easily manage Startup Folder
- Run registry seems to run programs earlier when computer is started.
I don't think this is enough to justify both. What am I missing?
Best Answer
You are missing nothing. The startup folder is for the user to manage, while the registry one should contain things which shouldn't be directly managed by the unexperienced user. For example programs that extend hardware drivers (for example the Catalyst Suite for ATI Cards)... Theres no other difference other than what you have noted already.