a-squared HiJackFree is a detailed system analysis tool which helps advanced users to detect and remove all types of HiJackers, Spyware, Adware, Trojans and Worms.
View and edit all autorun entries. More than 50 different autorun locations are displayed. Beside the default registry autoruns of the current user (HKCU) and all users (HKLM), a-squared HiJackFree also shows autoruns in files like win.ini, system.ini, autoexec.bat and config.sys. Additionally it lists all programs which are automatically run by the autorun start menu folder.
Autoruns can be deactivated temporarily or removed permanently.
The tricky autoruns cover all locations of the registry which are not mainly used to autorun files, but can also be used to start processes like the default screensaver path and others.
The LSP section shows all installed Layered Service Providers which are some kind of network drivers. Some spywares use LSPs to place ads on transferred website files you view with your browser.
The Addons section of a-squared HiJackFree allows you to view and edit plugins and addons of the Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. Addons are mainly Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) which extend the functionality of the browser or additional Toolbars.
With the included Service Manager you can easily see which services are installed and started. Additionally to the Windows Service Manager it shows the full path to the executable service file in the list to help identifying potential harmful services quickly.
The Ports section of a-squared HiJackFree shows all local open ports. An open port means that there is a process running which listens on the port number for input from outside.
The Ports Manager shows also the processes which listens on the ports so you can quickly see which processes must be shut down to close a specific port.
The Hosts file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. This file is loaded into memory at startup, then Windows checks the Hosts file before it queries any DNS servers, which enables it to override addresses in the DNS.
You can use the Hosts file to redirect ad network server names to localhost to avoid ads on websites. Another 'feature' of the Hosts file is used by worms. Many of them use that file to redirect all requests to websites of Antivirus companies to localhost to avoid removal of the worm.
Like the Windows Task Manager, the a-squared HiJackFree Processes section lists all running processes. But additionally it shows the full path to the executed files and their loaded files and modules. Processes can be killed too. |