[BUG] Claude code auto launch on windows desktop even if set to not

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Hello,
Even after setting Claude do not start by itself in windows task manager, I observed that a "Claude" process is always active when I restart my computer.

Can you please solve this?

Thank you in advance for your help.

What Should Happen?

Claude should not start by itself before I launch the Claude Code app or use the "claude" command in a terminal.

Error Messages/Logs

No error just that a claude process is visible in the task manager when there should not be any if I don't launch the app.

Steps to Reproduce

Install Claude Code on windows 11

Claude Model

Sonnet (default)

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.177 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Windows

Terminal/Shell

PowerShell

Additional Information

The culprit seems to be the "CoworkVMService" that is set to start automatically. I temporarily managed to stop claude to start by itself by modifying windows editor registry:

1. Go to Ordinateur\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\CoworkVMService
2. modify the "start" key to a value of 3 (manual start)

It worked but after two days, the start key was reset to a value of 2 (auto start) and Claude launched itself again.