One of the tools in my computer defense arsenal is a free program called WinPatrol, which lets me have easy access to control automatically starting programs and a lot more.
Actually, I’ve registered WinPatrol, so I’m running “WinPatrol Plus” with access to their program information database.
I used the free version for several years before I broke down and bought the Plus license. At the time, the only difference was that the Plus gave only access to their program information.
The change was an epiphany. It was like going from a VCR to a Home Theater PC (or even a TiVo®. Like going from dialup Internet access to a cable or DSL connection.
WinPatrol will monitor my computer, if I let it (and I do!), to allow me to block changes that are made to certain Internet Explorer and Windows settings, as well as allowing me to block programs from starting automatically.
Does your computer start up slowly? Do you have a bunch of icons in the Windows Status Bar? Each of those programs took some time to start, each takes some of your RAM all the time and some CPU cycles to monitor whatever they are monitoring, and each takes some time to shut down, too.
Is your computer slow? If your anti-virus and anti-spyware (your ARE running both, aren’t you?) are up to date, the problem usually falls into one or both of these categories:
- There are too many slightly-valuable or useless programs running all the time
- Not enough RAM
WinPatrol Plus can give you the information and ability to control those extra programs — and speed up your computer in the process!
WinPatrol is free. WinPatrol Plus is $30 — but, during September’06, the author has made the “Plus” information available to everyone free of charge. Give it a test drive. I think you’ll like it.
Technorati Tags: autostart programs, startup programs, WinPatrol, Win Patrol
