Looking for install monitor tools

[LCF-AT]

Hi guys,

just would like to know whether you know some good working install / uninstall monitor tools which can show and remove everything what a app did install on a system.I just remember the total Uninstaller tool I tried many years ago (2012) but also cant remember anymore whether it was working good or not etc.Maybe in the meanwhile there was comming some new apps out I dont know yet.So if you know some good tools I could check out then just tell me.Freeware tools if possible etc.

Thank you

[amateur]

Hi, you can try one of those ( both are personal choices ):

• IObit Uninstaller 

• Revo Uninstaller

I don't remember about Revo, but with IObit you can also unistall some of the unecessary Windows 10 built-in applications!  

 

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by Am4t3uR

[Teddy Rogers]

InstalledAppView, gives a quick list of installed programs though does not uninstall. You may find it of use.

Quote

InstalledAppView is a tool for Windows 10 that displays the details of Windows 10 apps installed on your system. For every Windows app, the following information is displayed: App Name, App Version, Registry Name, Registry Modified Time, Install Folder, Install Folder Owner, Uninstall Command, and more...
InstalledAppView allows you to load the Windows 10 apps list from your local system, remote computer on your network, and from external disk plugged to your computer.
InstalledAppView also allows you to view the XML files of the Windows app (AppxManifest.xml and AppxBlockMap.xml), uninstall apps, quietly uninstall apps, open the install folder of the app, and more...

Ted.

[whoknows]

http://www.blueproject.ro/systracer/

Was packed on the last StrongNameHelper as well.

[LCF-AT]

Hi again,

I tried this Systracer app doing some before / after snaps and compare them.Now I just see I dont get all diffrents to see in this app (Not registered info). Great!Do you know some similar app which is free etc?

greetz

[whoknows]

old shits, dont know if working on modern systems @

 

for registry

https://sourceforge.net/projects/regshot/

for files SilentNight Inspector not sure is doing the job, but give a shot.

--

as trial 

https://www.softpedia.com/get/Authoring-tools/Authoring-Related/VMware-ThinApp.shtml

to convert to normal registry, use the build in app  :

//expport by c:\1.tvr to output.reg
vregtool c:\1.tvr ExportReg c:\output.reg

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by whoknows
add thinshit

[Sangavi]

4 hours ago, LCF-AT said:

Hi again,

I tried this Systracer app doing some before / after snaps and compare them.Now I just see I dont get all diffrents to see in this app (Not registered info). Great!Do you know some similar app which is free etc?

greetz

Which app is it? I can check.

[LCF-AT]

Hi,

hmmm so what is ThinApp?Just checked some vids and see you can use it to create portable apps for example (using on fresh OS VM).Also found a app called Cameyo to create portable apps too.Maybe not that kind of apps I am  looking so far.

So as I said before, my goal is it to prevent installed apps keeping any files or regentrys left on my system if I do wanna un-install them.All should be removed what was created by any app to get my system clean again like before the installation.So what kind of methods and apps I could use for this task?

1.) Using apps like systracer to make reg / file snaps and compare them. (App isnt freeware)

2.) Create a portable app

3.) Using  any install monitor app (dont find any free version)

3.) Are there more methods?

One question  about creating portable apps.If I see it right then normal portable apps just creating / using files from special folder locations.So what about regentrys?Are they writing something to reg or not?Maybe you have some infos about that whether it would make sense to work / create portable app versions in this case.

PS: There is no special app I wanna check / prevent to left datas on my system.Just asking about all apps.I wanna test some and if I dont like them or need anymore then I wanna remove them completely  1:1 and not 1:10 keeping files and regentry trash  left.Just wanna say "Hey app, thanks for coming but now its time to f*_* off!" You know, something like that if I dont wanna use each time a VM to test apps etc.

greetz

[CodeExplorer]

Quote

3.) Using  any install monitor app (dont find any free version)

Try InstallRite:
https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/InstallRite.shtml
it is free.

 

Quote

2.) Create a portable app

Most popular portable creators are Turbo Studio and VMware ThinApp, there is also Cameyo,
don't know if you want to create portable program!

 

[Sangavi]

27 minutes ago, LCF-AT said:

So as I said before, my goal is it to prevent installed apps keeping any files or regentrys left on my system if I do wanna un-install them.All should be removed what was created by any app to get my system clean again like before the installation.So what kind of methods and apps I could use for this task?

A VM is the only reliable way.

The other reliable way is to image your hard disk and restore it after every cracking task. But this will significantly shorten the life of your drives, especially your SSDs.

These days apps write to obscure places. So no one prog can reliably remove all traces of a software!

[NOP]

DeepFreeze is another option if you just want to test apps and then remove

[atom0s]

Would suggest using a sandboxing type tool that can hook and log all types of system actions. (ie. Sandboxie, Cuckoo, etc.)

The latest versions of Windows 10 (Insider Builds) also now include a sanbox/virtualization system for these kinds of things too:

https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-safely-run-software-with-windows-10-sandbox

As for self-monitoring, there are things such as:

ApiMonitor: http://www.rohitab.com/apimonitor
procmon: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

[LCF-AT]

Hi,

didnt know that Win 10 has a own little Sandbox. I checked this out a little.The keyboard dosent work in the search mask of Windows and also not if I press the start button.Why this?Just wanted to enter something to find to prevent  manually search but dosent work but keyboard works for CMD or notepad file etc.Hhhmm.

Question: Lets say I use the WIn 10 Sandbox to install any app and make a snapshot before & after to find diffrents in registry & Disk.Is this also doable correctly using this Sandbox?Could I also use some of those portable app creater tools to make a portable app inside this Win 10 Sandbox or is this not doable?

greetz

[Taitor]

15 minutes ago, LCF-AT said:

Question: Lets say I use the WIn 10 Sandbox to install any app and make a snapshot before & after to find diffrents in registry & Disk.Is this also doable correctly using this Sandbox?Could I also use some of those portable app creater tools to make a portable app inside this Win 10 Sandbox or is this not doable?

I would suggest not to rely too much on the Windows toolbox at this time. It does not work correctly 100% of the time.

19 hours ago, NOP said:

DeepFreeze is another option if you just want to test apps and then remove

Yeah but not so good for reversing tasks since it sometimes interferes with debuggers due to its drivers.

 

[newhak]

Have a try for "Disk Pulse Ultimate". It can detect/monitor whatever action taken place within your system, really powerful tool.

 

[LCF-AT]

Hi guys,

short question about that Windows 10 Sandbox.What about re-starts in this Sandbox?I tried this and get any error about disconnect etc = dosent work.Is that gernerally that case or just for me?So my goal was it to create a portable app (just testing whether it works) using Cameyo but the app I wanted to make portable wants to re-start Windows = not working = make a portable fails.

Infos: Just wanted to try to make the latest IDM beta (Internet Download Manager) version idman637build8beta portable (not sure whether it works at all etc) and test it without to install this version on my system (have already installed the not beta version and dont wanna overwrite it with this beta version) and just checking this beta version out whether there are any changes which could be interesting (or not) compared to the not beta version.I also don't know why they release those 2 versions now seperated and dont update the latest not beta version anymore.So all in all I wanted to check this beta version just know whether its just time waste to check this or whether any good changes was added.The release notes on that IDM site about changes are really low described like "fixed bugs" and thats all without to read any details.

greetz

[whoknows]

https://crystalidea.com/uninstall-tool/force-removal

https://crystalidea.com/uninstall-tool

Edited May 2, 2020 by whoknows

[Progman]

I agree that a snapshot VM restore is the only way the hard disk can go back to net zero changes.  Even the install monitors won't restore the unused data on a magnetic disk for example which was overwritten as free space.

Now a silly exercise shows it is impossible to write a program to do it unless you at least have another drive or partition which can be deemed scratch space where preservation or restoration is possible.  Since the app installs in 4k or one sector needs 4k more to back up the original contents.  Wherever you back that 4k up will also need to be backed up requiring another 4k etc until you end up backing up everything and running out of space.  A partition is generally the logical limit to a restoration task.  If you want to undelete files for example a really good monitor could make it possible after uninstall.

Still yet if a crash or power outage occurs there is basic impossibility of perfect failsafe and rollback capability unless highly specialized hardware were involved which would likely be expensive as the more robust the solution the more scratch space that cannot be used would need to be present.

Also more practically speaking, many apps do not do all the contamination in installation but during normal execution and usage.  The impracticality keeps mounting.  A monitoring app is overkill as its resource intensive regardless of the technique it uses.

If for reversing, sandbox or VM is best.  If for overdoing bookkeeping to keep a "clean" system, relying on uninstallers and for bad ones some manual deletion of program directories, app data directories and registry keys is usually sufficient.  Every few years a reinstall of the OS can claim back some disk space if it really becomes an issue.  Windows installer/msi apps are good in this regard anyway as they offer rollback and proper uninstall capability unless special customizations to the script were done.

Lastly, have you considered built in Windows restore?  It's supposed to use the volume shadow copy to implement exactly this kind of reversal of net changes by keeping a reserved scratch space if some gigs around.

Just more thoughts on this.  In general your time versus the benefit of perfect cleanup is the biggest consideration which is why I've largely given this up as I've too many more important things going on.  Microsoft has pushed vendors in the right direction as to keep things contained.  But beyond the app store uwp apps which are constrained by OS API limitations, it's a never ending set of exceptions with desktop apps

[whoknows]

https://www.revouninstaller.com/products/revo-uninstaller-pro/#quick