Tiny Watcher 2.0

Discussion in 'other anti-malware software' started by kubicle, Oct 1, 2020.

  1. kubicle

    kubicle Registered Member

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    Helloooo...
    Sorry, long delay as usual... But I have good news!
    I have sent to both of you (Bellgamin and Ichito) a link so you can try TW2 on Win7.
    I have a few more improvements to make for Win10, but Win8.1 looks good as far as I can tell, so I am hoping Win7 will work not too bad.

    About the Admin VS Non-Admin, thank you both for your feedback!
    I think the way it will work now should be up to your expectations.
    With Windows UAC (User Account Control), I could have forced TW to always request for Admin level, but leaving the option to run it from a Non-Admin account made sense.
    So I focused my efforts on the Admin use-case, while making it more obvious to the user when TW is running in Non-Admin mode: for example, some of the windows will display "Non-Admin" in their title bar, and a warning will be added to the list so there is less chance of not noticing when this happens.
    The settings (both in tinywatcher.ini and registry key) and log files are not cleanly separated. So you can run alternatively in Admin or Non-Admin and the 2 sides stay in their own world. (for example, back then, a system-level process would have been flagged as "new" if you ran first in Non-Admin then in Admin)
    NB: there will be no password input from TW, because this is not really needed - the settings are "per-user" so there is no risk/issue of someone else modifying your settings.
    Cheers
     
  2. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    Tests are ongoing :)
    New window of scanning - initial scann just after installation. We can observe where issues are detected (red line)
    201107130434_2.jpg
    Resource usage "at rest"
    201105180645_4.jpg
    and while scanning...sometime I've observed CPU 10% and more than 51K/s of disk load
    201105175223_3.jpg
    TW files in system Win7
    201105180828_5.jpg
    Some changes in "Option" window - we can use more commands from menu bar what is more useful.
    201107130840_3.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2020
  3. bellgamin

    bellgamin Registered Member

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    Due to a dll problem on my computer, I am awaiting TW's new test version 2.0.2.

    @Blackcat and @FanJ -- I hope you remember Tiny Watcher from "back in the good old days." It is now being updated for latest versions of Windows. kubicle is TW's original & only developer. He is now working on TW's update, presently in test status. Hope to see both of you around here. Aloha from Hawaii!
     
  4. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    Sure is good to see TW's new development. It's like a long lost friend come back from a coma.
     
  5. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    :thumb:
    We are already wile testing next build - 2.0.3. I'm impressed how smooth it works but @kubicle still has something to carve...so we are waiting for the next :)
     
  6. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    Amazing! Only even better! :)
     
  7. kubicle

    kubicle Registered Member

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  8. Pliskin

    Pliskin Registered Member

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    Cool app, could be useful. Thank you.
     
  9. jmonge

    jmonge Registered Member

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    Thank you
     
  10. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    As always many thanks @kubicle for all the efforts put into keeping Tiny Watcher simple and useful as ever those many years ago and to even today.
     
  11. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Hmmm, Microsoft Defender (formally Windows Defender) SmartScreen blocks the download file, reporting it "could harm your device". According to MS,
    I am going to assume it is being blocked because the download is meeting the 2nd criteria - that is, it is not a "known to be safe" file so as a precaution and to be better safe than sorry (a good thing, IMO) it is being blocked and should not be a point of contention against Defender or Microsoft.

    I fully understand "not known to be safe" is totally different from "known to be unsafe, or "known to be safe". But not sure all other users (especially first time users) do and that warning may cause potential users (or first time users) to back off and abort the installation.

    I don't know if there is a path the developer staff can take to register the program with Microsoft to stop these warnings in the first place. If so, I recommend that be done. If not, perhaps some warning about the warning should be posted on the download page until enough users download it, report it as safe, and MS updates SmartScreen's databases.

    I also note while SmartScreen does block the download and offers, by default, the "Delete" option, it still gives user the option to "Keep" and "Report as safe".
     
  12. ichito

    ichito Registered Member

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    It was pleasure working with you my friends :thumb:
     
  13. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    I'm on Windows 8.1 and it does that. Not blocks but red lines a rebuff phrase. I ignore it.

    Then again there's other programs where that little whiny strip occasionally pops up.

    For me its always been but a small thing to do a test run installing thru Sandboxie if there's any real concerns, which with TW there wasn't any to begin with.
     
  14. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    It's no big deal for me either. But I'm not a "normal" user.
     
  15. scip

    scip Registered Member

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    wise vector says Malware detected = Heur.ML.PE.A maybe a false positive?
     
  16. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Just about any program that digs deep into the Registry will (should, IMO) trigger some security program as suspicious, if not worse.
     
  17. scip

    scip Registered Member

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    i didnt installed it yet because when i download the file i become this message and so i delete this file before it land in my download folder......
     
  18. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    We know that Bill. That's what makes your posts so worth reading given your extra sensory ambitions which are more often than not appealing. Be they suggestive or argumentative :)
     
  19. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Which was my point for mentioning there should be a warning about the warning. You got that message because your security program either was not familiar with TW and/or did a little analysis on it and saw what it was going to do. And since many malicious programs like to snoop around inside Windows and the Registry, red flags went up. So better a false positive than a false negative.

    In this case, it was a false positive - that is, your security program tagged it as malicious when it is not.
    Extra sensory ambitions? I don't know what that means. My ambitions are only to ensure readers (current and future) have all the "true" facts and unbiased information they need to make informed decisions.

    Sadly, there are many on this site who (1) forget that many who come here are newbies and (2) that they were newbies once too. :( That means stating the obvious is not so obvious to many. :confused: ;)
     
  20. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    Just a figure of speech Bill. In candor of course.

    the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness :)
     
  21. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    Ah! I see. Thanks. I have just never heard that expression or figure of speech before (and Google doesn't help).

    In any case, being frank and concise helps avoid misunderstanding - important in "technical" discussions where "fact" matters.
     
  22. EASTER

    EASTER Registered Member

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    @Bill_Bright

    Out of pure curiosity on my part, and with full knowledge that your expertise is above board all things considered. Can you or have you tested THIS Tiny Watcher and might you offer your own take on it's usefulness given i'm sure Windows 10 to your satisfaction about covers all you expect anyway or regardless.

    Also, can you remember when Tiny Watcher was an option for some users who found it adequate on Windows 98 back before powerhouse 3rd party apps came roaring on the scene onto Windows XP.

    Thanks.
     
  23. Bill_Bright

    Bill_Bright Registered Member

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    I have tried this latest Tiny Watcher to see what it does. About all I can say is it "appears" to work. By that, I have not run a before and after image file, then compared all 343,544 files in 307,928 folders on this boot drive to make sure those that have changed were properly detected by TW as having changed. And, I'm not going to either. Plus, I prefer to keep my startup programs to a minimum so I do not have TW set to start with Windows. And I'm not going to do that either.

    In any case, my impression is, if we keep Windows and our security current, and we avoid being "click-happy" on every unsolicited link, attachment, download, and popup we see, then TW, like most other extra security programs, is not needed.
     
  24. scip

    scip Registered Member

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    after install i cant find the programm as a runnig task so how i open tiny watcher then ?
     
  25. kubicle

    kubicle Registered Member

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    Hello ! Try to find the shortcuts/icons in your Start menu. Depending on which version of Windows you are using, these can be displayed in various ways, but the "Windows" icon in a corner is usually a good way to get there. Then look for TinyWatcher group.
     
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