Best spyware program

Certain programs have real-time protection, some don't. Ad-aware SE Personal doesn't. Windows Defender does. Usually the one's that cost money have real time protection.

 

Spybot is supposed to be good and Lavasoft Ad:aware. From what I hear its good to have atleast 2 different spyware programs because alot of times 1 will pick up a spyware problem that the other didn't

 

I use Ad-Aware SE and Spybot (free editions) on my notebook and have used them on our desktop for a few years all with success. I also use SpywareBlaster and a Hosts File.

I've recently installed Spware Terminator on our desktop and another notebook and I like it, it's quite a comprehensive piece of freeware.

 

I've been using Spybot for quite some time. Actually I used it on several machines, including my own, when it became obvious that it was infected. It has worked for me.

Lately I have been reading a lot of reviews on several websites that SpyBot is actually very mediocre. This has me concern and now I am thinking of using it in conjunction with Adware or just purchasing a good one like Spy Doctor.

 

Spy Sweeper is the best, though its 30 bucks. Ad-aware is decent, but Spybot always catches more than Ad-aware, even if I run it after ad-aware. All ad-aware ever gets for me is tracking cookies, and even then spy-bot picks up one or two extra tracking cookies.

 

I prefer to use anti-spyware programs. I don't believe that you can keep your system safe with a single program. For me, I use Ad-Aware SE Personal - free, does a great job of sweeping my system (I do not pick up much to begin with).

Ad-Aware won't do everything though, and only removes spyware. To prevent it, I have found that having a modified .HOSTS file is extremely useful, see here:

It's updated every couple of days, I only change it once or twice a month. Basically, you don't see any ads, and it won't let you go to nasty, spyware-ridden sites; so if your peer sends you a dirty link and you click it without thinking, the modified .HOSTS will prevent you from going there. It also blocks certain stuff from accessing the Internet. Here's from the site:

Enjoy,
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm

 

I use Spyware Terminator and Avast and haven't had any problems.

 

After reading around I now use

Spywareblaster
Spybot
Ad-Aware
Modified Hosts file (thanks Chaz)
Harden-It* (using recommended settings)

(in conjunction with firefox with ad-block and no-script extensions)

*No jokes

Used the laptop 2 weeks now on uni isp and nothing. Nada.

 

I had to stop using that MVPS Hosts File because it started to block genuinely safe tracking links for some reward sites I use and I couldn't work out how to add exceptions.

 

How do you people get spyware/adware anyway? I've had this laptop for four months now and I've never gotten even one. Do you guys actually click the popups you get from websites? Or those Yes/No confirmation boxes?

The free scanners work OK, Spybot is good and AdAware is mediocre. For serious protection you need a pay program though. Yes, people who get paid to make and maintain a product tend to do better and on a more timely basis than people who don't.

 

I have McAfee installed and it's always on. I know I get popups from it saying there's some registry change. Are those always bad? Do I need to check on them each time to see who's doing the change, and allow accordingly? What types of programs would be changing my registry?

 

I have both Spybot & AdAware. Spybot is a bit lagging in update, AdAware a lot faster, may be my server a bit slow for Spybot

 

The best spyware program? Well, it'd have to be one that you use frequently. It'd also have to anonymously and surreptitiously report back to its makers about your activities. It'd have to be able to blend in with the general background noise of other processes running concurrently. And lastly it might to cause your computer to crash every once in awhile.

Oh. It's Windows!

 

I voted for Spybot.
Small, fast, powerful and easy to use, also highly configurable.
Regular updates too.
Best of all, it's free!

 

My vote goes to PestPatrol although I do not like the new CA Security Center that comes with it - PP5 is a nice program though and it finds things that spybot and Ad-aware either dont or leave behind - con - it isn't free - unless you make it that way

 

I use Spyware Terminator because it doesn't take too much system resources,it's easy to use and it has real time protection.And it is freeware,what is important to me.Program gets the updates of a small packages of new definitions every couple of days.
I used Ad-Aware Personal before,but in Personal version program hasn't got a real time protection,which is big defective.
Many says that Spyware Doctor is the best program of this genre,but it is too big for me to download with dial up(better to say,a half dial up...).

 

World's best program is AVG Antispyware (former Ewido)

I use it in combination with:

Spybot - Seach & Destroy
Windows Defender
Hijack This!
AVG AntiVirus Free
Comodo Firewall Pro

 

Today, there are so many malware out there that you can't just use one scanner anymore. So far, Spyware Doctor is my favorite, but AVG anti-spyware (not virus) seems to be good also.

 

I tried Spyware doctor and AVG simultaneously today, AVG identified 104 infected items while Spydoctor identified 94 infected files. I'd say they are almost equally matched.

 

104! What have you been doing with your computer? At most, I got AVG, or any other anti-spyware software, only found 2 instances of them. You should try a few others to make sure that Spyware Doctor or AVG didn't miss anything. Try ad-aware and spybot S&D.

 

Most of the indentified objects were cookies.. Only one real threat, a Trojan.

 

I've been testing out SUPERAntiSpyware free edition and it seems to work pretty well.

http://www.superantispyware.com/

 

I use spybot S&D and adaware. They're good enough for me.

*b00m h34dsh0t*

 

Spyware Terminator gets my vote too - free, well updated and real time protection. It has good options but is easy to use and light on resources.

 

Currently I do not have any anti-virus or anti-spyware for maxium performance on my computer and I can tell you as long as your are decently cautious about what you are doing and what you are clicking on you are pretty safe.

Personally I have never been infected with spyware or a virus without knowing in the back of my head that what I was doing had a possibility of contracting some type of malware.

 

Spywareblaster works well for me.

 

A word of warning about using the modified hosts file

Forget spywareblaster or other such programs. The hosts file is king. I was wondering why I couldn't access certain sites via Quidco (its a cashback site). Turns out that "tradedoubler" cookie had to be deleted from hosts file. Allowing it via spywareblaster didn't do it

Signed
Happy-again DVD buyer

 

Do we need to run those anti-spyware on start-up?

 

Run them weekly. If you run on startup, then your computer's "boot-to-desktop" time will slow down

I realize that this thread is really old.