The honest way to make Setup nags stop: don't run Setup again

Trace first

1. Task Manager → Startup tab: sort by Startup impact, read names suspiciously vendor-matchy to the nag you saw.
2. Autoruns (Sysinternals): Logon + Scheduled Tasks + Services tick-boxes — vendor monetizers often hide the revival logic one level down from what you expect.
3. Registry proof: HKCU\…\Run/HKLM\…\Run + StartupApproved blobs decode who disabled what — the startup deep-dive maps it byte-for-byte.

The reversible flip

• Disable the approval, don't delete the entry — enabling back later costs one bit-flip and keeps the command line.
• Waiting period: two sign-ins minimum before declaring victory; vendor updaters legitimately re-add their Run entry sometimes, and knowing whether it's persistence or repair decides whether you also uninstall it.
• Document the decision: a one-line note on what you disabled and when beats re-learning the trace work twice.

What you don't do: half-disable by unchecking in one tool, unaware that a scheduled task resurrects the UI at 18:00. Multi-layer advertising badness answers systematically, not with one lucky click.

ProofTune ProjectEngineering notes — every claim here names the bytes a real tool touches. Verify first, install second.