They seem to imply that it would work on "any Windows OS" i.e., that the program can create the security policy even if it's not "displayed" (I assume that means that it can create hive and the entries in the registry, which can be easily checked by examining the registry after it runs) but that "any Win OS" will nonetheless act on it. I have no way to test it at the moment, since I run Ultimate on my machines.
For a general rule is that we should keep an eye on what is running, and a primary free prog. for that is the well known Win Patrol
Check out AnVir Task Manager - does practically everything that WinPatrol ("Scotty"!) does, plus just about everything that System Explorer does, including event logging and other functions. It's a "freemium" model program, most people will be happy with the free package, but for even more features Pro version is available.
Besides Process Explorer, SysInternals (now owned by Microsoft) has an amazing collection of small utils that are very useful, especially in "silent" batch/non-interactive and scheduled modes. Similarly, some tiny free utils from NirSoft, by Nir Sofer, can be great time savers (and he checks his emails for suggestions or bug reports, too).
CCE (Comodo Cleaning Essentials) from Comodo Group contains excellent Autoruns, KillSwitch process monitor/manager and antivirus scanner.
Comodo (a security specialist and world's second largest Certification Authority, behind Symantec) also provides (free for personal use) firewall, antivirus, integrated Internet Security package, VPN, rescue disk, secure/encrypted email, secure DNS service, and "fortified" Web browsers Comodo Dragon (based on Chromium open source) and Comodo IceDragon (based on Firefox/Mozilla open source)
Or you can use get a USB 2.0 to IDE SATA 2.5 3.5 Hard Drive Converter Cable for about $3.35 for old drives. ... For a little more you can find ones with a power adapter
IDE/SATA-to-USB adapters are pretty cheap and are great for reusing older end-of-life IDE/SATA drives as a removable backup/archive solution - larger and slower than "native" USB 3.0 drives (such as WDC Passport), but excellent use for off-hours backup to portable media, especially for laptops.
Thanks. I think i have to try AnVir Task Manager Free, and NirSoft, have used some of NirSoft, offerings, and am familiar with the Comodo name.
I use Chrome rather than IE now, but FF for the main and power uses. Thank God for such helps.
Yes, I stand corrected on the Home/Premium situation. While secpol.msc is not installed with Windows 7 Home/Premium, the registry keys can still be populated, which is exactly what CryptoPrevent does. I installed it on my Win7 gaming machine, and while I don’t use it for email or much of anything remotely “dangerous,” it feels a little better knowing that my %appdata% user directory is “safer.”
Reiterating: CryptoPrevent works on ALL versions of Win7/8 by utilizing the registry keys normally modified by secpol.msc, which is not native to “lower end” versions of Windows. You would think that with something like CryptoLocker out there, Microsoft would make secpol a free download for people who want it.