Cleanup Tools for Windows OS

Here is an updated list of cleanup tools I use pretty frequently on Windows based computers.

Infection Cleanup Tools

RKill:https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/rkill/ This program is downloadable as 4 different file types. Some malware keeps cleanup tools from running correctly so if the standard program doesn’t work you can try one of the other links. This tool looks for actively running infections and attempts to kill the process running them. Once that’s done it’s possible to run some of the other cleanup programs that might get blocked by an actively running infection. RKill also resets network settings to get around infections that set a proxy server on the actual network interface to prevent internet access from working.

AdwCleaner:https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/ A focused malware scanner that primarily cleans up a variety of browser hijacks and dangerous extensions.

Malwarebytes Free Version:https://www.malwarebytes.com/ A very comprehensive full system scanner. This program is very good at getting rid of infections that a traditional virus scanner tends to miss. Can also be purchased for an active shield that works alongside traditional virus scanners like Windows 10 built in security suite. Not a bad idea for those prone to constantly getting infected. Otherwise, the free version runs as an on demand scanner as needed.

SuperAntiSpyware: https://www.superantispyware.com/ Very much like Malwarebytes and serves as a good second scan to find anything the others miss. SAS is good at cleaning up adware trackers in browsers above all else.

Geek Uninstaller: https://geekuninstaller.com/ A program that runs the built in uninstaller for programs you want to remove and then does an extensive scan to remove all leftover files and registry entries the uninstallers fail to remove.

System Info Tools

Advanced IP Scanner: https://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/ This is a network scanner. It can find and list other devices connected to a network along with IP addresses and MAC addresses.

Wireshark:https://www.wireshark.org/ A very in depth network protocol analyzer. AnyDesk:https://anydesk.com/en Free (for personal use, but whatevs) remote access utility. Good for providing tech support to a customer without having on site access. As long as their internet is working.

Speccy:https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy System information utility to pull a lot of OS info.

CPU-Z:https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html GPU-Z: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/ Utilities for pulling a lot of information about a systems hardware.

Android Apps for Network Diagnostics

Fireprobe Speed Test: Test your wireless network speeds. The one in the Eero only tells you haw fast the connection between the Eero and the ISP is. This one tells you how fast your speed is between the Eero an the endpoint device.

WiFiman: Ubiquiti’s WiFi analyzer tool. Lets you see the layout and signal strength of nearby hot spots. Good for plotting where to put a beacon. Just don’t trust the built in speed test. For some reason the Upload test is janky and seems to be artificially capped. That’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a lot of the main stuff. The first couple are the big ones for a customer to clean up their messes.

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