Windows Sysinternals[1] is a part of Microsoft Technet web site which offers technical resources and utilities to manage, diagnose, troubleshoot and monitor a Microsoft Windows environment.[1] Originally, the Sysinternals website (formerly known as "ntinternals"[citation needed]) was created in 1996[1] and was operated by the company Winternals Software LP, which was located in Austin, Texas. It was started by software developers Bryce Cogswell and Mark Russinovich.[1] Microsoft acquired Winternals and its assets on July 18, 2006.[2]
The Web site featured several freeware tools to administer and monitor computers running Microsoft Windows operating systems. The software can now be found at Microsoft. The company also sold data recovery utilities and professional editions of their freeware tools.
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Winternals Software LP
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| Genre | Software development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder(s) | Bryce Cogswell and Mark Russinovich |
| Headquarters | Austin, TX, USA |
| Key people | Bryce Cogswell and Mark Russinovich |
| Parent | Microsoft |
| Website | www.winternals.com |
Winternals Software LP was founded by Bryce Cogswell and Mark Russinovich, who sparked the 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal in an October 2005 posting to the Sysinternals blog.[3]
In April, 2006, Geek Squad, a tech support company working in cooperation with Best Buy, was accused of using unlicensed versions of Winternals software. Winternals supplied Best Buy with copies of its software so that Best Buy could evaluate the software while conducting contract negotiations for using it on a permanent basis. When contract talks broke down Best Buy did not notify its Geek Squad Agents to stop using the software and discard all copies. A judge granted a restraining order on April 12, requiring that use of all unlicensed software be stopped, and forcing Best Buy to turn over all copies of Winternals software within 20 days.[4] After settlement, a version of the Winternals software was released to be used by Geek Squad.[5]
On July 18 2006, Microsoft Corporation acquired the company and its assets. Russinovich explained that Sysinternals will remain active until Microsoft agrees on a method of distributing the tools provided there.[6] However, NT Locksmith, a Windows password recovery utility, was immediately removed.[citation needed] Currently, Sysinternals web site is moved to Windows Sysinternals web site and is a part of Microsoft Technet.[1]
Source Code and Technology
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This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009) |
Most of the utilities that were developed were usually accompanied with the source code written in C, C++ or ASM. The code was compatible with Visual C++ v. 6.0 and could be compiled with little effort by a Windows developer. Some of the more interesting utilities did not come with source code, or a lesser version would be available with the source. In later releases, there were 64-bit versions of the utilities and even Linux versions as well.
However since the Microsoft acquisition, none of the utilities currently available is accompanied with source code, and the Linux versions are no longer maintained or available.
Some of the coding tricks used were based on the Windows Native API (NTAPI), which was (and still is) mostly undocumented by Microsoft. Using these coding examples - with source - would enable developers to create extraordinary programs that performed operations that would otherwise have been impossible using a standard API. Examples include hiding Registry information, intercepting or hooking APIs to monitor file operations by the OS, as well as Registry operations.
Products
Windows Sysinternals supplies users with numerous free utilities, most of which are being actively developed by Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell[7], such as Process Explorer, an advanced version of Windows Task Manager[8], Autoruns, allegedly the most advanced manager of startup applications[9], RootkitRevealer, a rootkit detection utility[10], Contig, PageDefrag and a total of 65 other utilities[11]. NTFSDOS, which allowed NTFS volumes to be read by Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system, is now discontinued and is no longer available for download.[11]
Also very popular was[citation needed] the Winternals Administrator Pack which contained ERD Commander 2005, Remote Recover 3.0, NTFSDOS Professional 5.0, Crash Analyzer Wizard, FileRestore 1.0, Filemon Enterprise Edition 2.0, Regmon Enterprise Edition 2.0, AD Explorer Insight for Active Directory 2.0, TCP Tools.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Windows Sysinternals". Microsoft Technet. Microsoft Corporation. 12 August 2009. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Microsoft Acquires Winternals Software". Company Press Releases. Winternals Software. July 18, 2006. http://www.winternals.com/Company/PressRelease92.aspx. Retrieved 2006-07-18.
- ^ Mark Russinovich (October 31, 2005). "Sony, Rootkits and Digital Rights Management Gone Too Far". Sysinternals Blog. http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2005/10/31/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights-management-gone-too-far.aspx. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
- ^ "Best Buy's Geek Squad Accused of Pirating Software", FOX News. Retrieved on December 16, 2006.
- ^ "Winternals & Best Buy/Geek Squad Settle Federal Lawsuit", Winternals press release. Retrieved on December 16, 2006.
- ^ Mark Russinovich (July 18, 2006). "On My Way to Microsoft!". Sysinternals Blog. http://blogs.technet.com/markrussinovich/archive/2006/07/18/on-my-way-to-microsoft.aspx. Retrieved 2006-12-18.
- ^ "What is new (August 5, 2009)". Windows Sysinternals. Microsoft Corporation. 15 August 2009. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/default.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Process Explorer v11.33". Windows Sysinternals. Microsoft Corporation. 4 February 2009. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "Autoruns for Windows v9.53". Windows Sysinternals. Microsoft Corporation. 12 August 2009. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ "RootkitRevealer v1.71". Windows Sysinternals. Microsoft Corporation. 1 November 2006. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897445.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ^ a b "Sysinternals Utilities Index". Windows Sysinternals. Microsoft Corporation. 12 August 2009. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb545027.aspx. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
External links
- Sysinternals page on Microsoft TechNet
- Sysinternals Live
- Winternals homepage - (Redirected to Microsoft Winternals announcement page)
- Web Archive.org link to historical information Winternals
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