File Summary/ Knowing when a file is created and deleted/ The first program started when windows starts

From: Christopher J. Holland (msnews_at_microsoft.com)
Date: 03/30/04 

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:49:30 -0800

Hi,

I was infected with a few viruses/spyware/ads, etc.I was able to clean them
up.
I also got some program that cleans disk of 0 byte, bak, tmp files and such.
(Hopefully I didn't delete any important files.)
I also started browsing directories and I see files that I have no idea what
they are and who they belong to.
Some of the files have "Version information", which I can only assume is
correct.
I click properties of some files and notice a "Summary", with no
information. Is it good file bad file, obsolete, or ?
I also know that a lot of programs don't get rid of files and directories
after the program is uninstalled.
I am tired of these problems.

I am doing a feasibility study of a project that monitors the Hard Drive for
added /deleted files
and reports them. Then maybe filling in the Summary window with infomation
about the file.
That way the user would know if some file is inadvertantly added without
consent.
The Remove programs would "really" work.
I could scan the entire hard drive periodically, but may there is some API
that would
alert my program of a newly created file.
I suppose I would have to ignore some directories like temp and such.
No program should be able to install to anywhere without an option to remove
every associated file.

Can you point me to some API/information to automatically know if any file
is added or deleted?
Can you point me to some API/information on how to fill in Summary
information?

Also, the program needs to be the first thing started, for it to be able to
monitor
when some program adds files before the windows UI is launched.
There are programs that install upon reboot of Windows and before other
programs are launched. So, it needs to launch before any other program. Even
with windows service packs and such. Maybe having to scan the harddrive
after those type of programs is necessary?

Maybe I would not have to add Summary information, but have a list of
programs and their associated files.
when I right click a selected a file and choose "Associated Program", the
Monitor Program would launch and
tell me when the program was installed and who the file belongs to. Then I
would know if the file was safe to delete.
==========================================================================
== Monitor Program
==========================================================================
The program would monitor the hard drive to see if file is being created.
Some thing would flash in the taskbar to alert the user.
After each program installation, the user would have to add summary
information.
(Deleted files would be noted. They are not as important as added files.
The deleted files would just be removed from the programs associated files)
------------------- Program Layout ----------------------------------------
Programs installed - Date - Directories - Associated Files
-Windows Basic - 01/01/04
                                                                notepad.exe
                                            System32
                                                                freecell.exe
+Windows SP1 - 01/02/04
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to seperate Programs from data. A layered approach.
Programs usually save the data to the same drive, with an option to save
elsewhere.
This would keep the program to minimal operation.

CDrive: Executable programs only
DDrive: Data only

Thanks for your help,
Christopher J. Holland
Monday, March 29, 2004

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