Download: HiJackThis

HiJackThis is a powerful utility that examines key areas of the registry and hard drive and lists their contents. These are areas which are used by both legitimate programmers and hijackers. HiJackThis should be used by advanced users to remove known malware, but it can also be used by new computer users to see what is being loaded when the computer starts.

Another safe way to view a similar list is with a feature built into Windows. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click on System Information. This Microsoft program is designed to tell you about your computer. In the folder list, open up Software Environment, then click on Startup Programs. It will show a similar list to HiJackThis (but not as complete), and it has a side benefit of not allowing you to delete any entries.

Sometimes malware, spyware or viruses can install themselves in these areas of the registry. HiJackThis will list them and allow you to remove the entries you want. If you are just curious, you can safely run this just to take a look without changing anything on your system. But if you do remove anything, do so at your own risk. Again, this is not for the faint of heart, make sure you know what you are removing first! HiJackThis is available on the PDS Downloads page.