Protected before splash-screen?

[AGH1965 12]

ESET Internet Security shows a splash-screen at startup. Every now and then I start my browser already before the splash-screen appears, but now I wonder if that is wise. Is the system already protected at that time or does the protection start when the splash-screen is shown?

[Marcos 5,468]

It's the ekrn.exe service which protects you from malware. Gui starts a bit later when ekrn is already running.