Whether you are on your computer or not, as long as it is on and connected to the internet, it is at constant threat of harms, infection and the other turmoil of using the internet. WinPatrol boasts being one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal against threats while at the same time using the least amount of system memory. WinPatrol helps you monitor changes to your computer by keeping a watch on all the critical parameters. If some program tries to add a startup entry – or remove it, or if some software tries to change your default search or browsers settings, it will immediately bark and alert you.
There are two options to choose from when you download WinPatrol as with most programs online, the free, and the paid version. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on using the free version to monitor changes on your computer.Download the installation file from WinPatrol Page and install it.
You will notice that the home screen for this program offers 14 different tabs with monitoring functions of which three are only available with the PLUS version.
Here are some excellent Winpatrol alternatives that frequently used by Consumers. You can use Emsisoft Anti-Malware, AnVir Task Manager, Process Hacker, Free Extended Task Manager and Task Manager DeLuxe.
2. Scheduled Tasks 1.0 : This tab is where you can see any tasks that are scheduled to run on your computer. If you select an item and press the “info” button, you will also see any information related to the program’s schedule. To change how frequently WinPatrol checks for changes to this section, just press the stopwatch and change the timer.
3. Services : The services tab will show you a list of all the services on your computer that are running and stopped. You will also see details about the startup settings, executable name, and the company that it comes from. To change how frequently WinPatrol checks for changes to this section, just press the stopwatch and change the timer.
4. Cookies : On the cookies tab you can search for, and remove, cookies with specific text in their titles. This helps you to filter out cookies that you don’t want to keep on your computer. You can also select which browser you want to search and whether you want to remove them. For example, if you type the word “Facebook” in the “Add” section, you can prevent the selected browser (Mozilla Firefox) from storing them.
5. Recent : If you happen to know that you had a recent malware infection and you need to ensure that all residual traces of the program have been removed, you can use the “Recent” tab. This will show you a list of all programs and processes that were recently active. You can select any item in the list and kill the task. Before or after killing the task, you can right click on the item and select “Delete on Reboot” to delete all traces of the program the next time you start your computer.
6. Options : The options tab will present you with several report functions which you will see on the right side of the screen. On the left, you can click on the two stopwatches to edit the time it takes before the corresponding actions take place.
If you click on the “Repair and rest tools,” you will be taken to a new popup screen with several other tasks to choose from. These are user tools to undo changes, cleanup specific areas of the program, and delete any files that have been deleted with WinPatrol.
Is WinPatrol a good guard for your system when you’re not?
If you choose to use WinPatrol, get ready for a whirlwind of learning about just what goes on with your computer, especially in the background. WinPatrol gives you access to just about every area Windows would rather you stay out of. This gives you control over things that may be affecting your system performance that you have no idea was happening. Giving WinPatrol a shot is another way to take control of your PC instead of it controlling you and what you do when logged on.
There are two options to choose from when you download WinPatrol as with most programs online, the free, and the paid version. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on using the free version to monitor changes on your computer.Download the installation file from WinPatrol Page and install it.
You will notice that the home screen for this program offers 14 different tabs with monitoring functions of which three are only available with the PLUS version.
Here are some excellent Winpatrol alternatives that frequently used by Consumers. You can use Emsisoft Anti-Malware, AnVir Task Manager, Process Hacker, Free Extended Task Manager and Task Manager DeLuxe.
How to Use WinPatrol to Monitor Windows PC for Changes
WinPatrol free offers a variety of options for you to monitor, change and work with.
1. Startup Program : From the “Startup Programs” tab, you can monitor the programs that turn on when you start up your machine. To enable or disable any item that is currently in the list, simply click on the entry then click the enable or disable button. The orange arrow shows a box that, when ticked, will make WinPatrol to check for any changes to the startup programs.By clicking on the pink arrow, on the small clock icon, you will be able to change how often WinPatrol checks for these changes. I recommend that you leave it at two minutes, which is the default.
If a new entry is added, such as when you install a program, you will be asked whether or not this task has permission to start with windows. You can either accept or reject the change from this window. You can also open the folder where the executable file is located or view the file’s properties. If you did not install a program or recognize the change, it is safest to reject the change. Since this is just a startup notification, it will not uninstall the program, just prevent it from automatically turning on.
3. Services : The services tab will show you a list of all the services on your computer that are running and stopped. You will also see details about the startup settings, executable name, and the company that it comes from. To change how frequently WinPatrol checks for changes to this section, just press the stopwatch and change the timer.
4. Cookies : On the cookies tab you can search for, and remove, cookies with specific text in their titles. This helps you to filter out cookies that you don’t want to keep on your computer. You can also select which browser you want to search and whether you want to remove them. For example, if you type the word “Facebook” in the “Add” section, you can prevent the selected browser (Mozilla Firefox) from storing them.
5. Recent : If you happen to know that you had a recent malware infection and you need to ensure that all residual traces of the program have been removed, you can use the “Recent” tab. This will show you a list of all programs and processes that were recently active. You can select any item in the list and kill the task. Before or after killing the task, you can right click on the item and select “Delete on Reboot” to delete all traces of the program the next time you start your computer.
6. Options : The options tab will present you with several report functions which you will see on the right side of the screen. On the left, you can click on the two stopwatches to edit the time it takes before the corresponding actions take place.
If you click on the “Repair and rest tools,” you will be taken to a new popup screen with several other tasks to choose from. These are user tools to undo changes, cleanup specific areas of the program, and delete any files that have been deleted with WinPatrol.
Is WinPatrol a good guard for your system when you’re not?
If you choose to use WinPatrol, get ready for a whirlwind of learning about just what goes on with your computer, especially in the background. WinPatrol gives you access to just about every area Windows would rather you stay out of. This gives you control over things that may be affecting your system performance that you have no idea was happening. Giving WinPatrol a shot is another way to take control of your PC instead of it controlling you and what you do when logged on.