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Windows users have long had issues with broken installed software, sluggish performance, and startup programs delaying system startup and responsiveness. There are many utilities available for download to help clean your PC and improve performance. However, one you may not be familiar with is Mirekusoft Install Monitor.
The main difference between Install Monitor and other performance tools is its proactive layer of protection. Many uninstallers, system optimizers, and other cleaning utilities are reactive and set out to resolve issues once they are present, whereas Install Monitor provides system monitoring to prevent issues before they happen.
Install Monitor offers four main features:
- System cleanup
- Startup program management
- Change monitoring
- Resource monitoring
System cleanup
It's long been known that uninstalled programs in Microsoft Windows leave behind orphaned files, registry keys, and other resources. Over time, these can contribute to system instability and performance issues. In addition, users can accumulate programs that simply take up space.
Install Monitor helps reduce disk space and eliminate programs that are no longer needed. It provides detailed information on install programs, such as the last time the program was used and the space it consumes. If you find files or registry keys that you are unsure of, Install Monitor helps identify which program they belong to. When you want to remove a program, it will run the uninstaller and then guide you to clean up any leftover files and registry settings.
In addition, it helps keep your browser clean by removing unwanted toolbars and other potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) from your browser.
Startup program management
The Startup tab in Install Monitor identifies and provides control over which programs start up, and it shows the impact of programs that run at startup. The Performance tab provides visibility into and monitors system performance, grouping programs together, showing related processes, and the programs that are running them.
Change monitoring
Install Monitor will notify you in the system tray when a program is detected as installed.
Install Monitor has detected that a program is currently being installed
With the Install Monitor Search and Inform functionality, you can easily and quickly see all the changes a program has made. It also provides forensic-type tools, helping you to see how specific background programs, toolbars, popup boxes, and other software is installed. You can use Install Monitor's search and inform feature in various ways:
- Find program by window—Identify the program a window or toolbar belongs to
- Timeline—Shows changes based on time
- Program tree—Groups programs that were installed together to easily identify them
- File history—Shows the history of how a file/registry key was created
- Storage tab—Browse file and registry changes by location
- Explorer integration—Enables you to right-click a file in Windows Explorer to inspect or remove the related program
- System cleanup—Allows cleaning up leftover files and registry changes for uninstalled programs
Resource monitoring
Install Monitor displays which programs use the most system resources, such as CPU, disk, and RAM. It allows you to stop the processes associated with the program, and Desktop Control allows you to regain control of an unresponsive desktop by enabling you to terminate noncritical processes.
Backup and restore
Install Monitor provides backup and restore functionality, allowing you to back up files and registry settings to completely restore the program, if needed.
Using Install Monitor
The installation of Install Monitor takes you a few seconds. When you first run Install Monitor, it will run a Getting Started wizard that gives a good overview of the program's features.
Install Monitor Getting Started wizard
Next, Install Monitor will scan your system.
Running the initial software scan
When the scan process has finished, Install Monitor will display an overview of your system.
The Programs tab in Install Monitor
When you right-click a program from the list on the Programs tab, you will get the context menu shown below, which allows easy uninstallation and complete cleanup of the program. Other features here that are handy are a quick online search for the program or executable. You can also choose the Open in Regedit option, which takes you straight to the registry entry for the program without the need to search through registry keys.
Program options in Install Monitor
Install Monitor allows you to control various options related to the uninstallation of software, including the cleanup level, whether you want to back up the program, create a restore point, exclude items, or restart.
Uninstall options with Install Monitor
When you back up a program, Install Monitor creates a backup package that contains information required to run the program, such as existing files and registry settings. This feature is useful if you want to restore the old version after you upgrade the application.
Backing up a program using Install Monitor
When you click a program, you can view relevant information about the publisher, such as version, installation date, size, how many files, and registry keys.
Viewing the additional options in Install Monitor
One of the handy features offered by Install Monitor is the ability to see all the resources, both file and registry, associated with a particular program. Below, I am viewing the resources of WinDirStat, which I installed on a test PC.
Viewing all the changes made by an application
The performance tab gives you insights into which programs are taking what resources. Here, you also see the options for Desktop Control Mode and End program. Desktop Control Mode helps regain control if the PC is unresponsive, killing all nonessential processes.
Viewing applications and their impact on performance
The Startup tab gives you insights into applications that run at Windows startup. You can enable or disable them from here and get insights into their load time.
Viewing startup applications and their performance impact
On the Storage tab, you can browse files and registry changes made by applications.
Looking at file and registry changes
Looking at file and registry changes
The Tools tab provides a wide range of utilities, including:
- Find programs by window—Identify the program for a window or toolbar
- Program tree—See what programs are installed together
- File history—See how a file was installed
- Search items—Search file and registry items
- Scan programs—Scan for missing program information
- Export—Export a program list
- Timeline—Remove changes based on time
- History—View history
- System cleanup—Cleanup leftover files and registry
Mirekusoft Install Monitor tools options
The Timeline feature on the Tools tab is a good tool to see what changes were made to your PC during a specified period of time and which programs made those changes. You can then remove those changes based on the timeline. This can be an excellent tool for forensics or investigating sudden performance or instability issues.
Using Install Monitor tools to view changes and remove files
Wrapping up
Mirekusoft Install Monitor is easy to install and use. You get a good overview of your system, and you can easily track changes made by applications and their installers. Its cleanup features can help you to significantly improve the performance of your PC.
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The backup and restore functionality is a nice feature, along with the ability to quickly see registry modifications and other changes to your system based on a timeline. With these features, Install Monitor delivers on its promise to provide proactive management of applications and cleanup of your Windows PC.
Why not tell us it costs $25?