current best free adware/spyware detector?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kris
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K

Kris

Lavasoft AdAware seems to have changed to now include long pauses on
startup, and update check. Unless I give them $27 a year.

Others that I have tried want to "imunize my system" (no thanks!!!)

Thoughts?

tia!!!
 
Kris said:
Lavasoft AdAware seems to have changed to now include long pauses on
startup, and update check. Unless I give them $27 a year.

Others that I have tried want to "imunize my system" (no thanks!!!)
Click to expand...

SuperAntiSpyware...
Spybot Search and Destroy...
SpywareBlaster...
 
Lavasoft AdAware seems to have changed to now include long pauses on
startup, and update check. Unless I give them $27 a year.

Others that I have tried want to "imunize my system" (no thanks!!!)

Thoughts?
Click to expand...


I have no problems with the freeware version of Adaware 2007. It works
fine here.

But, note that a single such program is not good enough to protect
you. Note what Eric Howes, who has done extensive testing on
Anti-Spyware products, states:

"No single anti-spyware scanner removes everything. Even the
best-performing anti-spyware scanner in these tests missed fully one
quarter of the "critical" files and Registry entries" See
http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

So given that a single product is not enough for good protection, two
are better than one, three are better than two, and so on.

Do you "need" more than two? There's no clear answer to those
questions. My own practice is very conservative, and I
personally run

Spybot Search and Destroy
Adaware
Spyware Blaster
Windows Defender
Super-Antispyware
 
I have no problems with the freeware version of Adaware 2007. It works
fine here.

But, note that a single such program is not good enough to protect
you. Note what Eric Howes, who has done extensive testing on
Anti-Spyware products, states:

"No single anti-spyware scanner removes everything. Even the
best-performing anti-spyware scanner in these tests missed fully one
quarter of the "critical" files and Registry entries" See
http://spywarewarrior.com/asw-test-guide.htm

So given that a single product is not enough for good protection, two
are better than one, three are better than two, and so on.

Do you "need" more than two? There's no clear answer to those
questions. My own practice is very conservative, and I
personally run

Spybot Search and Destroy
Adaware
Spyware Blaster
Windows Defender
Super-Antispyware
Click to expand...

AdAware used to work great for me, but then they changed it so it would get
an error on updates (SE personal), so I installed adaware 2007 and now I
get to sit there and watch a banner for 20 seconds (yeah, I counted...) on
startup.

Spybot S&D and superantispyware(which I had not known about) seem to work
fine for me. Thanks all.

I do not want a realtime checker. - "too many cooks... !

Spywareblaster does not give me any mechanism to scan my system, that I can
find.

I run Antivir, XP Firewall (full stealth on Gibson), Firefox, and Tbird. I
only use IE for updates. I do not use Outlook, OE, whatever.

Thanks for your thoughts!!!

I am just a home user. But I am rather geeky. :o)
 
Kris said:
it wants me to create an account. There's no need for that. I'll pass.
Thanks, though.
Click to expand...

That's news to me. Are you sure you tried the "Free"?
No account necessary, in my experience.
 
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