Windows Boot Process – WINDOWSSHELL.MANIFEST

If you run WinPatrol 10.x or later, you'll see files called windowslogon.manifest and windowsshell.manifest listed under Hidden Files. Windowsshell.manifest will be found in your Windows folder while Windowslogon.manifest will reside in your Windows\System32 folder. These files run when you boot your system and load as part of the Windows shell. They're safe to have around. More information can be found at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnanchor/html/anch_winshell.asp.

This article will tell you more about what happens when you turn on your computer. It was written with Windows NT in mind but the process is similar for other versions of Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/archive/ntwrkstn/reskit/booting.mspx?mfr=true.

Safe

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