Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I used the utilities of NirSoft, and I don't want them anymore. How do I uninstall them ?
A: First, some utilities provide an installer with full uninstall support. If you downloaded a utility with installer, you should go to 'Add/Remove' software of Windows and unistall it. If you downloaded a utility in a ZIP file, you should simply delete the zip file, and the other files that you extracted from it.
Q: I try to run your tool but I get an error saying that the .exe file is not a valid Win32 application. What should I do ?
A: This error message is usually displayed when Antivirus or Firewall block you from running the .exe file. It's very common problem for password-recovery tools. If you don't know how to bypass the blocking of your Antivirus , you should contact the support of your Antivirus software.
Q: The antivirus software on my computer reports that some of the your utilities are infected with a virus or trojan. What should I do ?
A: First of all, All the utilities in my Web site are clean, and they don't contain any virus or trojan. Unfortunately, Antivirus programs are not perfect, and in many times they detects innocent software as infected with trojan or virus. This problem is known as 'False Positive' or 'False Alert', and it's quite common in password-recovery tools. If your antivirus software reports that utilities you downloaded from this Web site are infected with a virus or trojan, I highly recommend you to contact your antivirus company and ask them to fix this 'False Positive' problem in the next update of your antivirus software. You can also contact NirSoft to report about 'False Positive' problems. Click here to view the latest 'False Positive' problems reported by users from around the world.
Q: I downloaded a utility from NirSoft Web site, but the zip file doesn't contain any executable file (with .exe extension). What should I do ?
A: Some firewall and Antivirus programs automatically block .exe files that you download from the Internet in order to protect your computer from malicious programs. In order to be able to run the exe file, you must change your firewall/Antivirus settings.
Q: When I try to run an executable file downloaded from your site, I get the following error message: "Windows cannot access the specified device, path, or file. You may not have the appropriate permission to access the item". What is the problem ?
A: This error message is usually displayed when Antivirus or Firewall block you from running the .exe file.
Q: I downloaded a zip file from Nirsoft Web site, and when I open it, there is no .exe file inside the zip. Is it possible that the zip is corrupted ?
A: It's very unlikely that a zip file downloaded from NirSoft is corrupted. Similar to the previous answer, this problem is usually occurs when Antivirus block/remove the .exe file because it detect it as a threat to your computer.
Q: When I try to open the help file of your utility (a file with .chm extension), I get the following error: "Navigation to the webpage was canceled", what should I do ?
A: First, try to copy the chm file to your local drive, and then double-click it. If the problem continues, right-click the chm file, choose "Properties", and then click the 'Unblock' button. after that, you should be able to open chm file without problems. You can read more about problems with opening .chm files in this link.
Q: I lost the password of my HotMail/MSN email account. Do you have any program that can find my lost password ?
A: If you use your email account in MSN Messenger or in Windows Messenger, you can try to recover your password by using MessenPass utility. If the password is saved on your system, MessenPass will reveal it.
Q:I lost the password of my Yahoo email account. How do I recover it ?
A: The answer is similar to the previous question. If you use your Yahoo email account in Yahoo Messenger application, you can try to recover your password by using MessenPass utility.
Q: Is it possible to instantly recover a password of Word or Excel file as Access PassView does it with Access Database files ?
A: For the latest versions of Word and Excel, the answer is No.
The passwords of Word and Excel files (97/2000/XP versions) are encrypted in different way than the passwords of Access Database files and thus they cannot be revealed instantly. The best way to recover the password of Word and Excel files is by trying all possible combinations of characters until finding the right password.

Q: Do you have any utility for recovering the password of Word or Excel files ?
A: No. Currently, this web site doesn't provide password-recovery utilities for Word and Excel files.
Q: When I try the open a ZIP file I downloaded from your Web site, I get an error message telling me that the ZIP file is corrupted. What should I do ?
A: All ZIP files on this Web site are checked before I publish them, so it's very unlikely that a ZIP file in my Web site is corrupted.
First of all, try to download the same zip file again. If it still doesn't work, try to clear the cache of your browser before downloading the file, or simply try to download it with another Web browser.

If you still get this kind of error message, it's possible that the problem is in your unzip software.
Your can try to use the following freeware zip/unzip programs:

You can find much more freeware zip/unzip programs in SnapFiles
Q: I want to remove your software from my computer, but I can't find it in "Add/Remove Programs" module. What should I do ?
A: A software is added to the "Add/Remove Programs" module only if you install it with ZipInstaller. If you haven't installed the utility with ZipInstaller, you have to remove it manually. In order to manually remove the software, simply delete the files that have extracted from the original Zip file. For more information about installing utilities at this Web site, click here

Q: I have downloaded your software, but I cannot open it from Explorer window. what should I do ?
A: All My utilities are compressed in a ZIP file, and you have to open them with a software that can open ZIP files, like CAM UnZip utility.
You can download CAM UnZip from the following address: http://www.camunzip.com/ You can also install all the utilities at NirSoft Web site by using the ZipInstaller Utility - this utility automatically installs the software directly from the Zip file, and allows you to automatically uninstall it in the future.

Q: Is there any option to download all your utilities in one big zip file ?
A: You can download most of my tools in one zip file from NirLauncher download Web site:
http://launcher.nirsoft.net/

Be aware that this download is updated around every 7 - 14 days. Also, some of my very old tools are not included in this package.

Q: When I try to download a software from you Web site, I get the following error:
Forbidden
You don't have permission to access [Filename] on this server.
A: This error usually occurs when your Web browser doesn't send the HTTP referer field inside the HTTP request. By default, most Web browsers send the HTTP referer, unless you change this behavior in the configuration of the Web browser or you install a plugin that removes the HTTP referer.

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