14 DAY TRIAL // Being the most popular operating system, Windows is also the most likely to be attacked using malicious software parasites. This is the main reason of the increased launch rate of "X-Ware" programs, like Ad-Aware, Anti-Spyware, ZeroSpyware, Spyware Guard, Ad-Purge, Spyware Terminator and many others.
With a lot of new applications in this family popping out each week, it is good to know that there are good ones available that have a lot of experience to back up the claims that every software producer has, like "our product is the best solution to help you with..." and other similar ones.
Today's subject is an old dog, being almost 10 years old, but still has a long way to go. The name of the dog is Scotty, and its house is called WinPatrol. Current version is 10.0.1.0 and its purpose is to protect your computer from hijackings, malware attacks and critical changes made to your computer without your permission.
Before we start checking out the features of the program, its download and installation should become a part of the past. WinPatrol is a real joy, its installation kit being only 1MB in size and the setup process passing away like a speeding Lamborghini.
The program is completely free, but if you want something extra, you can purchase the PLUS version for only 24.95$. This is a one-time fee, and you will receive full refund if not satisfied. For your money, you will get Premium Access to PLUS Knowledgebase, Real-time Infiltration Detection and Advanced Examination of Alternate Registry Startup Keys.
Now, let's see what has the free version of WinPatrol in store for us.
The interface of the program is nice to look at and easy to use. The main window has ten tabs leading to the areas of the program.
First area is called Startup Programs and takes care of the programs that run automatically at system startup. You can get information about the existing items, disable or remove them, as well as add new ones.
IE Helper programs or links installed on your computer are available from the next section of WinPatrol, called IE Helpers. They can be removed or you can find out more about them.
Third stop is a short one, Scheduled Tasks area only allows you to get information and remove items, so let's move on.
Next stop- the Services area. Here you can view all system services, their current status and the detailed information. From the information window the startup type of a service can be changed as you wish, but be careful with that.
Scotty can sniff out the programs running on your computer, and WinPatrol will display them in the Active Tasks area. The available options here are Info, Refresh and Kill Task.
Cookies usually make you think about food, but it's not the case here. This section allows you to automatically remove cookies that contain certain text strings in their title.
The registered file types and their associated applications can be added, removed or you can get more info about them from the File Types area, while the Hidden Files section displays all "undercover content" inside your computer and allows you to unhide it, get more info about each item or refresh the view.
At last, the PLUS area allows you to upgrade to the PLUS version and check for a new WinPatrol release, while the Options available are basic ones, but can prove quite useful.
The reports delivered by this program as Web pages can be extremely detailed and help you a lot, especially in times of trouble.
The review was my part, now yours is to download and install this program and let Scotty guard your computer!
The Good
Before being useful, this program is funny to use, just thinking about "Scotty the Windows Watch Dog" makes me laugh. Your system can be well protected from parasites without sacrificing speed.
The Bad
WinPatrol has a very basic Help system, and I always like to see as much as possible when talking about this. Apart from this, it would be nice to have a system scan function available, because sometimes the parasites may already be in when you install the program.
The Truth
WinPatrol is free, useful and easy to use. When you think about your security, there can't be "too much". The same thing can be said about your computer, so don't wait any longer, get WinPatrol!
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
