Tools « gruntpc

Tools

Overview

GruntPC services are offered to save you many hours and hassle of computer maintenance. Our expert technicians stay current on the latest malware removal tools and techniques. We have provided a list of software we use on our own computers in case you would rather give computer maintenance a try yourself.

The following is a list of tools and sites used to help maintain a Microsoft Windows based PC. In addition we also have included some of our favorite PC applications and web sites.

DISCLAIMER: Please backup your data and familiarize yourself with these tools before using.

We are not responsible for your hardware / software or how you use it.

Malware removal tools are not perfect, they can return false positives.

Please research files before you hit delete. We hope you find this list helpful.

If you use the following tools please consider purchasing the full license from the developer.

Please be proactive.
System exploits often happen through your software applications. Please keep all of your applications up to date.

Security News Feeds

Basic Tools For Your PC

Keep Windows Updated!
Avast! * or AVG Free * or AntiVir * or NOD32 Norton Internet Security 2010 Select Only One! (Recommend Norton Internet Security 2010, AVAST or NOD32)
Immunet Protect Works along with your Primary Anti-Virus Suite
Spybot Search and Destroy * Installation Note: compact install, select none on extras. This will help solve incompatibility problem with Ad-Aware. Trend Micro will say it still doesn’t like Spybot, but can still be installed. If TeaTimer is installed, and compatibility issues are present – expect some system slowdowns.
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware Great product.
SUPERantispyware *
Windows Firewall , Comodo , or Zone-Alarm Firewall Free * (Select Only One)
Secunia PSI (This is a MUST HAVE program! Most vulnerabilities exploits happen through software other than the OS. Older PCs will have to turn off constant monitoring )

Want More? Add These Tools:

WinPatrol *
Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2008 *
SpywareBlaster *
f-secure blackLight rootkit scanner (xp or vista)
MS MRT download page run this…it’s fast, it’s free
MS Disk Error Checking XP or Vista
MS Windows Disk Cleanup XP or Vista
Disk Defrag or JkDefrag * or Defraggler (works with Vista)
For more defrag information see The Great Defrag Shootout ( a little dated but very useful )

Want Even More? Add These Tools:

HiJackThis, * (expert tool only, new users create and save log file and exit)
CCleaner * Beware of the included registry cleaner. Registry cleaners are not recommended by GruntPC. Other than backups, leave the registry alone. Registry cleanup and editing is best left to the experts. More harm than good can be done if you do not know what you are doing. If you choose to use this tool as a cleanup tool, it is also not recommended to cleanup system log files. System log files are a great way for tech support to trace issues with the computer. Removal will hinder that process. We prefer to use ATF-Cleaner for our cleanup.
ERUNT / NTREGOPT
PageDefrag (xp only)
Panda antirootkit (xp only)
Autoruns *
ProcessExplorer *
RootkitRevealer (advanced)
WinDirStat *
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
ThreatFire Supplement your Anti-Virus.
The PC Decrapifier
ComboFix (Expert tool only, use with expert supervision only! Follow the instructions carefully!)
smitRem (expert tool only)

Most Tools on this page are free or donation-ware. Please do not use these applications if you are not completely familiar with their functions, as they may affect the performance of your PC if used incorrectly. I did ask if you had a backup of your system and data, did I not?

Other Additional Tools and Software

Microsoft FixIt
xp powertoys
CWShredder Removal Tool *
a-squared free *
Avira Rootkit Detection
Advanced WindowsCare
Comodo Firewall
RogueRemover
ATF-Cleaner *
McAfee Removal Tool
Norton Removal Tool
Ultimate Boot Disk 4 Windows
SendShield
System Virginity Verifier (no longer supported)

Online Virus/Malware Scans

Eset NOD32 Online Scanner (will scan and remove -few false positives returned)
Jotti’s Malware Scan (scan just one file – 10MB file size maximum)
VirusTotal (scan just one file)
TrendMicro Housecall (scan only)
BitDefender Online Scanner (scan and remove – many false positives returned-use caution)
Kaspersky (scan only)
Symantec Security Check
Panda Active Scan (scan only)

Tech Support Sites, Forums, Blogs and Spyware Information and Removal

System Lookups

Graphics

colorpic
faststone photo resizer and image viewer
Instant-Eyedropper
Inkscape
paint.net
Microsoft Image Composite Editor
Microsoft AutoCollage 2008
Photosynth (will crush older PCs. Memory: 3 to 4gigs of ram would best. Graphics: Minimum 32MB of graphics memory required, 64MB or more is recommended but 128 or more would be ideal. Photosynth runs on some DirectX6 capable cards and all DirectX7 cards. )