ADS Scanner

ADS Scanner is an easy-to-use software application made to scan all local disks and compile a list with all files that have Alternate Data Streams attached. It doesn't integrate complicated options or configuration parameters, making it accessible to all types of users.

Fast setup and user-friendly interface

Setting up this program is a fast and simple task that shouldn't impose any difficulties. It's wrapped in a classical-looking interface, made from a single panel that provides direct access to all available options.
You can ask the tool to locate all Alternate Data streams in the Windows directory, on all NTFS drives, or in any other folder you indicate, whether we're talking about local, network or removable locations. Plus, the app can be asked to ignore safe ADS content.

View scan results, delete or extract ADS

The scanning procedure is initialized with one click, and it shouldn't take too long to finish, depending on the dimensions of the scan scope. Results shows the full path, name and size of each identified ADS.
It's possible to examine the contents of each stream and copy this information to the Clipboard or save it to file, make a custom selection to remove the streams, save the complete scan log to file, or save the selected ADS items to the disk.
Buttons for selecting and deselecting all entries, as well as for inverting the current selection are available. There are no other noteworthy options provided by this software utility.

Evaluation and conclusion

Everything worked smoothly in our tests, thanks to the fact that ADS Scanner didn't hang, crash or prompt error messages. As expected, its impact on the overall PC performance was minimal, since it needed low CPU and RAM to work properly.
All in all, this lightweight application delivers a fast and effective solution to locating, extracting and deleting Alternate Data Streams.