Trend Micro HijackThis - Free download and software reviews

Trend Micro HijackThis 2.0.2 - Check the potential risks on the computer

If you suspect your system at risk, but the anti-virus programs available in the machine did not detect any risk, try using HijackThis to analyze the registry and file settings.

Interface Trend Micro HijackThis

Trend Micro HijackThis digs down into parts of your hard drive and Registry that malicious programs often target to help you eliminate them for good. It works quickly to generate reports and presents them in an organized fashion, so you can sift through them to find items that may be trying to harm your system.

Fast scans: This program scans very quickly, no matter how much information you're asking it to sift through. That also means that you'll never have to block out time to complete additional scans since they barely take any time out of your day.

Logfile reports: In addition to presenting scan results in the main interface viewing window, this app also lets you save them to your computer as a log file. That makes it easy to refer back to it later, compare the results of multiple scans, and also to get help and advice from other users on forums when you're trying to determine what to remove.

Cons

Need experience: The scan results that this app generates are not lists of malicious programs or files. Instead users get a compilation of all items using certain locations that are often targeted by malware. If you don't know what you're doing, then it will be very hard for you to figure out what to get rid of, what could potentially be a threat, and what is an important part of a legitimate program that you use on a regular basis. Along these same lines, the interface is very utilitarian. While it gets the job done, there is not much guidance built in for novice users.

Bottom Line

Trend Micro HijackThis is a good tool for experienced users who need to eliminate malware that's dug in deep. It delivers on all of its promised features and is completely free, but it's not much use to anyone without at least some experience.

HijackThis lists the contents of key areas of the Registry and hard drive--areas that are used by both legitimate programmers and hijackers. The program is continually updated to detect and remove new hijacks. It does not target specific programs and URLs, only the methods used by hijackers to force you onto their sites.

As a result, false positives are imminent, and unless you're sure about what you're doing, you always should consult with knowledgeable folks before deleting anything.

What's new in this version:

• Fixed "No internet connection available" when pressing the button Analyze This
• Fixed the link of update website, now send you to sourceforge.net projects
• Fixed left-right scrollbar when in safe mode or low screen resolution