How to monitor unauthorized changes to your computer system using WinPatrol

WinPatrol is a freeware app that monitors all critical changes that can be made to your computer system, such as startup programs (in the registry and startup folder), cookies stored on your computer, and active tasks. It’s a powerful, yet free, program that acts like many system utilities in one.

It includes a powerful security monitoring engine that will alert you if your computer is being hijacked, if malicious malware or spyware is being installed, and if certain programs are running that should not be.

The program takes a snapshot of your computer and alerts you if anything changes from the original snapshot. It’s also got a very nice interface with each type of task broken down into separate tabs like Startup Programs, Active Tasks, File Types, Services, etc.

The great thing about WinPatrol is that it has detailed descriptions of over 1,900 software programs in the database, so if you are not sure about a process listed in Startup Programs, just click the Info button to get more information on that process.

Here are a list of the most important features of WinPatrol that makes it a compelling program to add to your arsenal of programs to increase the performance and usability of your computer.
. Auto detect and approve/reject new startup programs
. Disable re-occurring startup programs
. Delay startup programs for faster boot time
. Monitor Internet Explorer tool bars and remove or block unauthorized toolbars
. Monitor and start/stop Windows Services
. Search cookies on computer and delete cookies with specified keywords in them
. View and kill running processes
. Monitor and edit the HOSTS file
. Monitor and prevent changes to file type associations
. Manage ActiveX controls and components
. Find hidden registry keys and modify them

Overall, WinPatrol 2008 is a great freeware program to monitor your computer and make sure it’s not hijacked by malicious programs. You can also use the local security policy on your computer to monitor and track changes to files and folders.