This blog will provide a deeper dive into what’s new in Install Monitor 5 (IM5). This release builds on earlier ones to give you even more control over your PC’s performance and reliability.
Unlike other software programs that treat the symptoms of a slow PC, IM 5 treats the root of the problem by intelligently tracking the changes installed programs make to your PC. The software then allows you to manage and fully uninstall those programs.
In IM5, we’ve added new features that give you even more control and visibility, such us the ability to backup and restore programs.
Let’s look at the latest improvements.
General Improvements
Better Look and Feel
The first thing you will notice when you launch the program is the new splash screen. This is a small change to improve the look and feel of the application. The splash screen allows you to know the program is loading. It doesn’t have any fancy animations or effects, so it doesn’t really affect the load time.
The new splash screen
Faster Loading and Improved Compatibility and Reliability
Usually, a splash screen is used when an application takes some time to load. However, under the hood, we’ve also made some improvements to the loading time. The application should now start sooner, especially when you have several programs.
We’re also constantly making improvements to make sure the software is compatible with the latest Windows 10/11 updates and other applications. However, if you run into issues, please let us know through our support page. A workaround if you do run into application compatibility issues is to add the application under Options|Monitoring. There is an option to add excluded processes.
There has also been much work into making sure Install Monitor works as expected and reliably without crashes or hangs.
New Tray Icon Showing Current Installs
One of the key features of Install Monitor is the ability to automatically monitor when software changes are made to your PC. In version 5, there is a new tray icon that will provide you information on what’s currently being installed.
Install Monitor has detected that a program is currently being installed.
Improved Monitoring
Install Monitor 5 has improved monitoring features, allowing you to monitor programs that don’t show up in the ‘Programs’ list by default.
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Manually Add Programs In The ‘Programs’ List
We occasionally received complaints that a specific program wasn’t appearing in the ‘Programs’ tab. In IM5, you can manually add a program to the list.
- Go to Programs > Add > Existing Program.
Manually add programs that aren’t showing up in the ‘Programs’ list.
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Windows Explorer Integration
Install Monitor 5 has greater integration with Windows Explorer. You can right-click a file on your desktop or File Explorer to monitor, inspect, or uninstall the program.
Monitor: Install Monitor will automatically start monitoring programs and display them once they are installed. However, you can use this for more advanced monitoring. For instance, to track a program that doesn’t fully install itself. You can also use this to directly monitor changes by any executable file including batch files!
Inspect: This opens the program in Install Monitor’s ‘Programs’ list and displays the software details, including registry and file size, date of installation, version, etc.
Uninstall: This option uninstalls the program with Install Monitor.
The right-click extension allows you to monitor/uninstall/identify a program.
New Desktop Control Feature
Install Monitor now includes a new ‘Desktop Control’ feature to tackle unresponsive programs during PC freezes swiftly. To use it, navigate to the same ‘Performance’ tab and click ‘Desktop Control’ at the bottom right. To get to it faster, you can also right-click the tray icon or press Ctrl+Shift+Del. It will quickly shutdown all non-essential background programs. This is like a fail-safe switch to regain control over an unresponsive system.
The Performance tab can be used for resource monitoring and now includes the ‘Desktop Control’ feature.
New Storage Tab
The Storage tab is another new feature. It allows you to see storage locations where Install Monitor has monitored for changes. You can view filesystem and registry changes by expanding drive letters/folders and registry hives/keys. An advantage of this view is that you can more easily see which programs have made changes in a particular location.
Looking at file and registry changes with the Storage tab.
Improved Uninstaller
As you’re likely aware, when most programs are uninstalled, they leave behind files and registry information. Even though the program icon is no longer there, residual files, such as configuration files, temporary files, registry entries, and shared files, are often left behind. This leads to unnecessary performance overhead and reduces system reliability and storage space over time. Install Monitor 5 builds on existing uninstall capabilities to make it easier to cleanup these traces.
System Cleanup
The System Cleanup feature provides a way to cleanup programs uninstalled outside of Install Monitor, for instance, by using the Control Panel or running the program’s own uninstaller directly. You can also cleanup programs that were uninstalled with Install Monitor but where the cleanup was skipped or only partial.
You can access the System Cleanup feature from both the Program and Tools tabs.
● Programs tab > More Options > System Cleanup
● Tools tab > System Cleanup
System Cleanup will display a list of programs that are uninstalled but not fully cleaned up. You can then select the programs you wish to fully remove and System Cleanup will guide you through the process.