If you know your way around the Windows Registry, the free MJ Registry Watcher can help protect your PC from Trojans and other unsavory software that attempts to make malicious registry changes. But you'll need some real techie know-how to set it up properly and make the right decisions based on what it presents.
To use the lightweight app, choose a destination in which to unzip the download, and double-click the RegWatcher.exe file inside the resulting MJRegWatcher folder. There's no actual program installer, and the app immediately tucks itself into the system tray when you run it.
Once started, the Registry Watcher will scan your registry every
30 seconds (or your choice of frequency) and alert you about
registry changes. You'll need to decide whether to accept or reject
the change based on the alert, which presents the raw data and
won't be clear to the average user. For example, I got this alert
after changing the default browser setting:
Command Handlers and Associations Registry Key
hkey_classes_root\ftp\shell\open\command Value (S) will be a new
value with data "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox 3 Beta
5\firefox.exe" -requestPending -osint -url "%1"
The Watcher will also notice some changes immediately, without
having to wait for the 30-second scan, and you can choose a
security level ranging from light to highest, or create your own
custom set. If you so choose you can also automatically accept or
reject all registry changes.
If you're an expert, you may like the fine-tuned control afforded by the program. But unless you really know your way around the registry, you'll likely want to let your antivirus program act as your registry watchdog.
While the program is a free download, the author requests a donation via PayPal or Google checkout on his site (http://www.jacobsm.com/mjsoft.htm).
--Erik Larkin
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