SoftDetective

Every time you install a new application on your computer, one that is not portable, changes are made to the local system. Evidently, new files and folders are being created, but the registry and the system settings are usually affected as well. And, since malicious content can also be deployed via what seems to be a clean executable file, it is highly important to be aware of the changes that might betray the presence of malware.

Having that in mind, the development team of SoftDetective created an application that can help you get a closer look at the changes a program running on your PC makes to the system. In other words, this software tool can assist you in examining the actions an executable file or a running task is taking, allowing you to spot unauthorized or malicious activities.

SoftDetective uses an executable file or a running task as input, but you can also use it to monitor the uninstallation process of an application. This way, you can see whether the uninstaller removes all the data properly or whether some traces are left behind on your PC.

Additional command line parameters can be added optionally for the execution of the selected program. Moreover, you can launch the target app with administrator privileges.

A report is created for each program analyzed by SoftDetective, which you can easily assign a name that is easily recognizable. Alternatively, the application can continue writing its conclusions to an already existing report.

To begin, all that is left for you to do is hit the “Start” button. By doing this, you instruct SoftDetective to begin the monitoring process. The application minimizes the system tray, and the target app is executed.

When the report is ready, you can navigate to the designated tab to browse its contents. SoftDetective allows you to view a list of added files and folders, check out deleted, renamed, moved or updated files. SoftDetective even reveals the temporary files created by the monitored task. You can check out differences in time stamps, sizes, or even portions of text files that suffered modifications.

You can also check out the changes in the system’s registry, as SoftDetective enables you to view lists of registry keys and values that were added, deleted or updated during the installation or uninstallation of a program or while running a task.

SoftDetective can be used for analyzing the way an application or a task modifies the state of your system in terms of file and registry changes. However, please be advised that putting an app or task under the magnifying glass of SoftDetective results in the execution of that respective task, so make sure it is safe for your PC or run it in a secured, sandboxed environment.