Bits from Bill

Technology thoughts leaking from the brain of "Bill Pytlovany"

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Remove Unwanted Programs with One Click

One complaint I've heard, especially from new users, is the volume of alert messages when WinPatrol reacts to a new program installation or malware attack. Over the years,  the number of critical settings protected by WinPatrol has grown but it’s also source of frustration. While everyone appreciates WinPatrol alerting them to an infiltration, the number of changes revealed combined with numerous malware pop-ups can be overwhelming.

Installing a legitimate program will typically cause new entries in the Startup Programs list, an IE Helper or two and multiple Services. A malware attack may create 10 times the changes all generating individual warnings from WinPatrol. Instead of having to respond to each change most of us would rather just have everything fixed with a single action. Welcome to WinPatrol v29.

This new version will save users from as much frustration as possible and includes new options when unexpected changes occur. Based on a single user response, WinPatrol will evaluate how to handle other immediate changes without requiring extensive user interaction.

adobe700

More Options when you need them.
WinPatrol v29 has added new clickable links on some of our alert screens. Open Folder and Properties features are currently available by right-clicking on a filename in our main tabbed interface. More than one user has pointed out how useful this information would be when an initial alert appears. Disable is also available on our main interface and now can be used immediately to tell WinPatrol you never want this change to occur. This choice is available for those programs (Apple, Adobe, Oracle, Google) which come back anytime you use its parent program.

Hopefully, the Exit WinPatrol won’t be needed now that we’ve added our other new feature but based on the panic I sometimes read I thought folks would appreciate an emergency exit.

Simple Question: Did I install this program?

My goal is to offer a single alert with all the information you need to know if you’ve installed a useful program or you’re under attack. You'll receive a single screen with information to help you decide.
Were you installing something new? Were you visiting new websites? Did you click on a link and wish you hadn't?  If you know the answer WinPatrol will fill in the blanks and let you decide if it's safe to continue or if you're being attacked by malware. If there is a vulnerability in any software already on your computer you don’t have to do anything to be attacked.

Naturally, this new feature can be turned off but it will default to the more friendly, and usable status. If you'd like to see messages for every change uncheck the "Suppress alert" box under Options, "Hide Alerts Messages". This power feature is only available for WinPatrol PLUS users. Feedback indicates that most people don't need to know every detail. They just want it fixed. Any changes will continue to be stored under the History button so any unwanted change can be restored.

Options Tab
suppress
Clicking on the Options tab will show the Hide Alert Messages button

I hope this enhancement will be welcomed and perhaps generate interest again from past WinPatrol fans. I am confident it will be accepted by anyone new to WinPatrol and allow them to continue using WinPatrol so they can discover all its power.

You learn about other changes and to download the newest version just go to http://winpatrol.com/upgrade.html

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