How good are these tools: HiJackFree vs HijackThis and WinPatrol

mikecorbeil · 12. Sep 2010, 07:30 AM

It would be useful to have your evaluation of these Emsisoft tools or apps, as well as evaluations from other users of TSA (this website), but the list you provided is already useful. It can at least be used to get a quick idea of what the various free tools from the vendor are and then we can use the names of these softwares to search for reviews.

HiJackFree (HF) vs HijackThis (HT) and WinPatrol (WP):

Firstly, does WP even fit in this comparison, at all; does WP provide anti-hijacking? I don't recall WP having ever alerted me to a program being installed or that was just installed and is being run trying to change the home page of IE, f.e., only or mostly recalling WP alerting me to softwares being installed or that were just installed trying to add themselves to Windows start-ups, which is not immediately hijacking, but I think it could potentially be a program that's malware and it could potentially try to hijack a lot more than only the home page in IE, or any particular apps.

How does HF compared to HT? Is one better than the other? Does one of them do everything the other does, but while also doing more? Et cetera.

Softpedia has a full, considerably thorough editor or staff review for HF, and gives a 4 of 5 star rating, btw.

1002richards · 12. Sep 2010, 07:44 AM

They are for different purposes:

HijackThis can generate a plain text logfile detailing all entries it finds, and some entries can be fixed by HijackThis. Inexperienced users are often advised to exercise caution, or to seek help when using the latter option, as HijackThis does not discriminate between legitimate and unwanted items, with the exception of a small whitelist of legitimate entries — thus allowing a user unintentionally to prevent important programs from operating, which may cause their system or its peripherals to stop working. HijackThis will, however, attempt to create backups of the files and registry entries it fixes, which can be used to restore the system in the event of a mistake.
A common use is to post the logfile to a forum where more experienced users can help decipher which entries need to be removed. Automated tools also exist that analyze saved logs and attempt to provide recommendations to the user, or to clean entries automatically.[1] Use of such tools, however, is generally discouraged by those who specialize in manually dealing with HijackThis logs: they consider the tools to be potentially dangerous for inexperienced users, and neither accurate nor reliable enough to substitute for consulting with a trained human analyst.
Later versions of HijackThis include additional tools like a task manager, hosts file editor and alternate data stream scanner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HijackThis)

WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS) takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge. WinPatrol was the pioneer in using a heuristic behavioral approach to detecting attacks and violations of your computing environment. It continues to be the most powerful system monitor for its small memory footprint. WinPatrol works and plays well with other security program giving you additional protection without slowing you down.

WinPatrol's easy tabbed interface allows you to explore deep inside your computer without having to be a computer expert. A one-time investment in WinPatrol PLUS provides a unique experience normally requiring 4-5 other programs. (http://www.winpatrol.com/).

I hope that helps a bit?
ard
Rich

12. Sep 2010, 07:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
mikecorbeil Banned Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 62	How good are these tools: HiJackFree vs HijackThis and WinPatrol It would be useful to have your evaluation of these Emsisoft tools or apps, as well as evaluations from other users of TSA (this website), but the list you provided is already useful. It can at least be used to get a quick idea of what the various free tools from the vendor are and then we can use the names of these softwares to search for reviews. HiJackFree (HF) vs HijackThis (HT) and WinPatrol (WP): Firstly, does WP even fit in this comparison, at all; does WP provide anti-hijacking? I don't recall WP having ever alerted me to a program being installed or that was just installed and is being run trying to change the home page of IE, f.e., only or mostly recalling WP alerting me to softwares being installed or that were just installed trying to add themselves to Windows start-ups, which is not immediately hijacking, but I think it could potentially be a program that's malware and it could potentially try to hijack a lot more than only the home page in IE, or any particular apps. How does HF compared to HT? Is one better than the other? Does one of them do everything the other does, but while also doing more? Et cetera. Softpedia has a full, considerably thorough editor or staff review for HF, and gives a 4 of 5 star rating, btw. Last edited by mikecorbeil; 12. Sep 2010 at 08:03 AM. Reason: Setting, enabling instant notification

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12. Sep 2010, 07:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
1002richards Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Sussex, UK. Posts: 167	They are for different purposes: HijackThis can generate a plain text logfile detailing all entries it finds, and some entries can be fixed by HijackThis. Inexperienced users are often advised to exercise caution, or to seek help when using the latter option, as HijackThis does not discriminate between legitimate and unwanted items, with the exception of a small whitelist of legitimate entries — thus allowing a user unintentionally to prevent important programs from operating, which may cause their system or its peripherals to stop working. HijackThis will, however, attempt to create backups of the files and registry entries it fixes, which can be used to restore the system in the event of a mistake. A common use is to post the logfile to a forum where more experienced users can help decipher which entries need to be removed. Automated tools also exist that analyze saved logs and attempt to provide recommendations to the user, or to clean entries automatically.[1] Use of such tools, however, is generally discouraged by those who specialize in manually dealing with HijackThis logs: they consider the tools to be potentially dangerous for inexperienced users, and neither accurate nor reliable enough to substitute for consulting with a trained human analyst. Later versions of HijackThis include additional tools like a task manager, hosts file editor and alternate data stream scanner. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HijackThis) WinPatrol's Host-based Intrusion Prevention System(HIPS) takes snapshot of your critical system resources and alerts you to any changes that may occur without your knowledge. WinPatrol was the pioneer in using a heuristic behavioral approach to detecting attacks and violations of your computing environment. It continues to be the most powerful system monitor for its small memory footprint. WinPatrol works and plays well with other security program giving you additional protection without slowing you down. WinPatrol's easy tabbed interface allows you to explore deep inside your computer without having to be a computer expert. A one-time investment in WinPatrol PLUS provides a unique experience normally requiring 4-5 other programs. (http://www.winpatrol.com/). I hope that helps a bit? ard Rich