We have reviewed WinPatrol before years back. The latest version is WinPatrol 2010 and its compatible with all Windows operating systems including Windows 7 and Vista 32 / 64 bit and even Windows Server operating systems. The inclusion of Windows Server operating systems makes WinPatrol 2010 one of the few antivirus programs that have full function with a free license.
The concept of WinPatrol 2010 is that it is always running via a resident shield constantly monitoring the system for any malicious changes. Essentially, WinPatrol 2010 will detect virus behavior (antivirus heuristics) and alert the user. If the change was intended, then the user can easily verify via a pop-up that the change was legitimate. WinPatrol 2010 monitors modifications to the host file (used by viruses to redirect and legitimate website to another without users knowledge), keyloggers driver installation, rouge active x and browser helper objects, and malicious startups. All of this protection is provided in a tiny application that uses only 1.9 to 3 megabytes of Ram during testing.
Features
WinPatrol 2010 has another component of the software called the WinPatrol Explorer. In this menu, one can view all of the critical locations of one system. These include, startup programs, hidden files, scheduled tasks, ie helpers BHO, and more. However, I want to focus on two of the best features. The first is the Recent tab. One will find all the files that have been recently modified or created with helpful icons to identify which one. This an excellent area to detect malware or less desirable functions of software. If one finds a suspicious entry, you can right click and “delete the file on rebootâ€.
The next feature is the delayed start option. This is sort of a system tweak option. Windows by default will attempt to initialize all start ups simultaneous upon reboot, which can severely hamper system performance. WinPatrol 2010 can selectively initialize startups via a timer to minimize a systems performance burden upon every restart.
Cons:
One disadvantage to WinPatrol 2010 is that it doesn’t seem to monitor other browsers than IE. For example, I installed an add-on to Firefox and I wasn’t alerted. The same issue happens with Safari and Chrome under Windows 7. Hopefully future versions will include this functionality because rouge malware add-ons are becoming more common and often infect systems with toolbars and spyware. I would also like to see more advanced system area monitors combining the features that are available in Runscanner.
