84,488,480 programs installed

Should I remove Stardock Start8?

What percent of users and experts removed it?
8% remove it92% keep it
Overall Sentiment
Good
What do people think about it?
Be the first to rate (click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #1,707
United States Rank #1,878
Reach 0.3969%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 9.31 days
274.53 days >
Average installed length: 144.24 days

Versions

VersionDistribution
1.56 3.87%
1.55 2.39%
1.50 3.50%
1.47 5.40%
1.46 0.29%
1.45 15.76%
1.44 0.04%
1.41 19.11%
1.40.1 4.12%
1.40 0.88%
1.31 18.19%
1.30.1 10.04%
1.30 0.23%
1.29 0.04%
1.20 8.07%
1.17.2 0.04%
1.17.1 0.19%
1.17 0.51%
1.16 6.98%
1.15 0.35%

Typically installed together

Other programs by Stardock

Stardock Start8

What is Stardock Start8?  (from Stardock)

We put the "Start" menu back in Windows 8. We accurately recreated the most used desktop feature billions of users depend on every day and packed it with additional functionality. Windows 7-style Start menu with Windows 8 enhancements.

Overview

Stardock Start8 is a program developed by Stardock. The most used version is 1.41, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. Upon installation and setup, it defines an auto-start registry entry which makes this program run on each Windows boot for all user logins. It adds a background controller service that is set to automatically run. Delaying the start of this service is possible through the service manager. The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. The main program executable is start8config.exe. The software installer includes 82 files and is usually about 13.16 MB (13,801,177 bytes). In comparison to the total number of users, most PCs are running the OS Windows 10 as well as Windows 10. While about 52% of users of Stardock Start8 come from the United States, it is also popular in United Kingdom and Germany.

Program detailsProgram details

URL: www.stardock.com
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8
Uninstaller: "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\uninstall.exe" "/C:C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\Uninstall\uninstall.xml"
Estimated size: 13.16 MB
Language: Turkish (Turkey)

Program filesFiles installed by Stardock Start8

Program executable:start8config.exe
Name:Stardock Start8
Stardock Start8 Configuration Utility
Path:C:\Program Files\stardock\start8\start8config.exe
MD5:f611a072de2a50de213af9f2407bbf1d
Additional files:
  • Start8tweak.exe
  • SasUpgrade.exe - Stardock Application Services (Sas License Upgrade)
  • SdAppServices.dll
  • SdDisplay.exe - SdDisplay
  • Stardock.ApplicationServices.dll - Stardock.ApplicationServices
  • Start8Shell32.dll - Start8 Shell Extension
  • Start8Shell64.dll
  • DeElevate.exe - DeElevate Application (De-elevation tool)
  • DeElevate64.exe
  • Start8ThemeEdit.exe - Start8 Theme Editor
  • Launch.exe - Stardock ModernMix (Launch)
  • ExtractS8Theme.exe - Stardock Start8 (Stardock Start8 Theme Extractor)
  • hlp.exe
  • Start8.exe - Start8
  • Start8_32.dll - Start button for Windows 8
  • Start8_64.dll
  • Start8_64.exe
  • Start8Srv.exe - Stardock Start8 Service
  • sddlc.dll - Stardock SDDLC (SDDLC)
  • SDActivate.exe - Activate (Product Activation)
  • lua5.1.dll (by Lua.org) - Lua - The Programming Language (Lua Language Run Time)
  • uninstall.exe (by Indigo Rose) - Setup Factory Runtime (Setup Application)
  • DeElevator.dll
  • DeElevator64.dll
  • unins000.exe - Setup/Uninstall
  • zip.exe

Program behaviorsBehaviors exhibited

Service
  • Start8Srv.exe runs as a service named 'Stardock Start8' (Start8) "Stardock Start8 Service".
2 Startup Files (User Run)
  • Start8.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'Start8' and executes as "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\Start8.exe".
  • Start8_64.exe is loaded in the current user (HKCU) registry as an auto-starting executable named 'Start8_64' and executes as C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\Start8_64.exe.
Startup File (All Users Run)
  • Start8_64.exe is loaded in the all users (HKLM) registry as a startup file name 'Start8_64' which loads as "C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\Start8_64.exe".
Windows Firewall Allowed Program
  • Start8Srv.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\Stardock\Start8\Start8Srv.exe'.

Program resource utilizationResource utilization averages

Start8.exe
Memory:600 KB
21.09 MB average
Total CPU:0.0001562677%
0.031193% average
Kernel CPU:0.00011784%
0.016088% average
User CPU:0.00003843%
0.015104% average
CPU cycles/sec:1,834
8,062,084 average
Start8_64.exe
Memory:1.23 MB
Total CPU:0.0001232130%
Kernel CPU:0.00011434%
User CPU:0.00000888%
CPU cycles/sec:10,613
I/O reads/min:2 Bytes
Start8Srv.exe
Memory:702 KB
Kernel CPU:0.00002217%
CPU cycles/sec:3,120

How do I remove Stardock Start8?

You can uninstall Stardock Start8 from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
  1. On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
    • Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
    • Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
  2. When you find the program Stardock Start8, click it, and then do one of the following:
    • Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
    • Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
  3. Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove Stardock Start8.
OS VERSIONS
Win 10 100%
Win 8 0%
  
HOW IT STARTS
Automatically starts? Yes
(Found in the run registry)
  
USER ACTIONS
Uninstall it 8%
Keep it 92%

Windows OS versionsWindows

Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
Windows 10 100.00%
Which OS releases does it run on?
Windows 8.1 Pro 27.72%
Windows 8.1 27.21%
Windows 8 Pro 9.02%
Windows 8 8.89%
Windows 8.1 Pro with Medi... 7.54%
Windows 8.1 Enterprise 4.02%

Distribution by countryGeography

51.67% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
  United States 51.67%
  United Kingdom 4.69%
  Germany 4.21%
  Canada 3.34%
  Netherlands 3.25%
  France 3.20%
  Italy 2.28%
  Australia 2.22%
  Brazil 1.80%
  Sweden 1.46%
  Spain 1.36%
  Russia 1.17%
  Iran 1.03%
  Belgium 0.99%

OEM distributionPC manufacturers

What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
Hewlett-Packard 23.58%
Dell 16.89%
ASUS 15.20%
Acer 12.65%
Lenovo 8.79%
Toshiba 7.80%
GIGABYTE 6.18%
Samsung 4.07%
MSI 1.64%
Intel 1.35%
Apple 0.70%
Alienware 0.61%
Common models
ASUS All Series 9.60%
Dell XPS 8500 3.43%
HP Pavilion 15 Notebook P... 3.27%
Parallels Software Intern... 3.22%
HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... 3.01%
Dell XPS 8700 2.85%

About Stardock

Stardock is a software development company that initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but switch to Windows.
Publisher URL: www.stardock.com

comments2 comments

user comment
user comment
Anthropophage•over a year ago
By Jupiter, how I hate Windows 8 and 8.1. I've used the trial version and will now pay the fee.
user comment
Scubarogue•over a year ago
I am not enthralled with the Windows 8 interface. This allows me to use Windows 8 in an environment where I am more at home.
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