Windows Medkit is a collection of tools which may be able to help repair the damage left after you're removed a virus (and it can probably assist in a few other situations, too).

Launch the program and you're presented with a tiny console, where clicking on the WinMedkit menu reveals its various options. So clicking Manage > Startup reveals a simple startup program manager, for example. And if viruses have disabled Task Manager then you can click Manage > Tasks to launch the WinMedkit equivalent. It's extremely basic, but does allow you to select multiple processes at once, then terminate them all with a click, useful if you still have malicious programs running.

You also get "Safe Explorer", a very simple file manager. Again, it's extremely basic, but there's enough here to browse your system, then copy, move or delete files, along with a few useful extras (you can set Windows to delete particular files on your next reboot, or reset NTFS permissions to give you access to certain files and folders).

A "Fixes" module applies Registry tweaks to fix common problems. If a virus has disabled Regedit, Task Manager or the Command window, say, then the program can restore access at a click.

And there are a few smaller tools and options. The program can help you delete hidden or autorun files, for instance. And a System menu allows you to launch common Windows tools (Explorer, Task Manager, Command Prompt, MSConfig, the Run box, and more).

Windows Medkit includes several options which we don't really understand. The program comes with an English language interface, but the translation leaves some areas rather unclear. What might "Prevent Tasks" do, for instance? "Delete/ Show File Have Name"? "Drives Dog", or "Files Dog"?

Exploring these less obvious dialogs reveals some possible answers, but we still weren't entirely clear on everything, and there's no real help to explain the fine points, either.

If you like this kind of portable tool then Windows Medkit is still worth the download. It's ridiculously small, delivering everything we've mentioned in a single, portable 112KB executable, and even if you only use its basic functions - the "Fixes" module, "Safe Explorer", the file manager - that's still more than enough to justify the program's existence.

If you do stray into Windows Medkit's more complex areas, though, be careful. There are some powerful options here, and if they're applied incorrectly then you might cause more PC problems than you solve.

1.7 changes include:
[Fixed Bugs]
1- "Manage->Startup" All Programs\Startup files not added.
2- "File System->Safe Explorer" Hidden/System files not shown.
3- "File System->Safe Explorer" Delete on reboot not operational.

[What's new]
1- "File System->Safe Explorer" can delete entire folder on reboot.
2- Update tray icon tips.