I had not used WinPatrol before so I am completely new to this but from what learn so far from the reviews of WinPatrol is that it’s must have for any Computer user. This program monitors crucial system areas that have been commonly altered by malware programs so it does alert you to hijacking, malware attacks and critical changes made to your Computer without your consent. WinPatrol 2012 version 24.0 has been released.
(You can skip this and scroll to the bottom to view what’s new in WinPatrol 2012) Launch it from Start Menu or shortcut on desktop, interface isn’t prettier one reminds you bit of Sysinternals Autoruns if you’re new to this. WinPatrol watch dog, scotty review system changes and alerts you. You can hear about this through out this post or you will come to know once you use it.
Startup Programs displays all programs and processes that loads on startup, you can add, remove or disable programs from automatically loading on startup. You can right-click on any program that is not immediately required after startup and move it to Delayed Start tab to delay their start.
IE Helpers lists Browser Helper Objects or links installed for your Internet Explorer. Scott monitors for IE Helpers and alerts you when a new toolbar add-on or BHO is installed for your IE browser, you can find installed toolbars and BHOs in Toolbars and Extensions when you select Manage add-ons from Tools in IE browser.
Scheduled Tasks shows tasks that are scheduled to run by Windows Task Scheduler at predefined date and time.
Active Tasks reports the programs currently running on your Computer. You can kill any selected program that unable to close manually by clicking Kill Task button. Check to show all active files shows all active system files.
Hidden files displays all legitimate system files some malware may disguised along with them you can unhide them.
Cookies can’t harm your Computer, they are more for your privacy concerns .You can manage cookies of IE, Firefox and Google Chrome browsers from Cookies tab. You can use WinPatrol to remove cookies having the text you enter on the Cookies tab.
WinPatrol warns if it detects changes to system files, Windows hosts file, and IE home and search pages. To test WinPatrol I have changed IE homepage from Google.co.in to Google.com it detected and alerted as shown below in the screenshot.
You can always customize and tweak WinPatrol options for your own performance and security needs.
What’s new in WinPatrol 2012 version 24?
Performance – You’ll Love it
• First and foremost I’ve been working on making WinPatrol robust and hidden away so under normal circumstances you’ll never know its running.Cookies – Filter out Bad Cookies Automatically
• Earlier this year Microsoft updated how they name cookie files. They now use random file names but they’re still just unencrypted text files.
Now WinPatrol 2012 will provide a fix and provides even better information about your cookies.Localization Fix – 64 bit versions
• I’m not a big fan of Windows 64 bit OS and our language service packs broke using Windows 64 bit. I’ve fixed this bug and look forward to showing our international friends how much we respect them by releasing new versions of our local versions. Our language packs are created by volunteers and I couldn’t think them enough.WinPatrol Enterprise – Now Available for Small Business
• Most users don’t realize there is a version of WinPatrol designed for large companies with over 100 employees. One of the main features of Enterprise is centralized administration. When a change is detected instead of the user being notified, an Email is generated and sent to a main administrator.• WinPatrol 2012 Small Business is a special partnership now available for 10 systems and one administrator for $179 USD. You can order via our online store and your small business key will be sent within 2-3 business days.
WinPatrol 2012 available in free and paid versions, works on Windows XP/Vista/7 (64-bit) also.
Download WinPatrol 2012 free version.
Source: BillpStudios blog