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More…In "Spyware Fighters," our October 2006 issue's antispyware roundup, Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.0 Beta earned our Best Buy distinction. Things have changed with version 5.5--and not for the better. The software demonstrates excellent behavior-based detection capabilities,. but we were disappointed at how the program struggled to remove adware and spyware from the PC.
Webroot SpySweeper 5.5
| Overall performance | Good |
| Inactive samples detected | 26% |
| Active samples detected | 100% |
| Active samples disinfected | 25% |
| Inactive samples detected | 10% |
| Active samples detected | 70% |
| Active samples disinfected | 15% |
| Inactive rootkits detected | 44% |
| Detected additions to HKCU Run keys | Yes |
| Detected additions to HKLM Run keys | Yes |
| Detected changes to Startup folder | Yes |
| Detected changes to default IE search page | Yes |
| Detected changes to default IE home page | Yes |
| Detected changes to Hosts file | Yes |
| Rate of false positives | 0% |
| Hard-drive scan speed | 132 seconds |
| Option for antivirus protection | Yes ($10 extra) |
| System scan scheduled by default | No |
| Scan custom files and folders | Yes |
| Scans POP3 traffic | Yes |
| Scans IMAP traffic | No |
| Scan SMTP traffic | Yes |
| Scans HTTP traffic | No |
| Antiphishing | No |
| Uses real-time analytics to recognize unknown phishing sites | No |
| Saves log files as text or html | Yes |
| Can quarantine individual items | Yes |
| Can set system restore point | No |
| Toll-free telephone support | Yes |
| Cost for phone support | Free |
| Weekday telephone support hours | 10 |
| Saturday telephone support hours | 0 |
| Sunday telephone support hours | 0 |
| E-mail support | Yes |
| Live chat support | No |
Pros
Behavior-based protection is good
Cons
Performed worse than the earlier 5.0 Beta version
Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5
SpySweeper 5.5 Review, by Ryan Naraine August 21, 2007
When AV-Test.org presented Spy Sweeper with 20 active adware and spyware samples, the program detected 85 percent of their files and registry entries, though it overlooked the Maran and Nilage password stealers and the Virtumonde.A. Trojan horse. When tested on how well it detected inactive adware and spyware (which involves recognizing malware files solely from their signatures), however, the program spotted only 26 percent of adware, just over 14 percent of password-stealing spyware, and less than 2 percent of banking keyloggers. Another disappointment: It detected just four of the nine inactive rootkits planted on the test machine. The program did poorly at disinfection, too, cleaning up only 25 percent of adware files and Registry entries and 15 percent of spyware files and Registry entries.
Still, Spyware Sweeper excels in behavior-based detection--its ability to notice suspicious changes to key areas of your system. It successfully flagged additions to 'Run' keys (HKCU and HKLM) and the startup folder as well as changes to default Internet Explorer Start and Search pages and the Hosts file.
Spy Sweeper installed without a glitch. It provides one-click access to its system scan, and in our tests at default settings it completed such scans in half the time that the next-fastest competitor did. Webroot doesn't set up scheduled scans by default, but the company says that it may add a setup wizard to the installation process to nudge users into doing so.
The software's 12 Shields feature, also easy to set up, offers real-time protection for monitoring browsers, startup programs, e-mail attachments, network connections, and other system areas for spyware-related changes. If you need help, the company offers 10 hours of free phone support on weekdays.
Annoyingly, the software asked us what to do during installation of four popular browser toolbars (AOL, Das Ortliche, Google, and Quero), whereas the other five programs in our October 2007 issue's antispyware roundup, "Die, Spyware, Die!" independently deduced that the toolbars were legitimate. We also disliked the program's habit of flagging of harmless ad-tracking cookies. This behavior introduced a noise factor to an otherwise well-designed application that, unfortunately, doesn't perform as well as it used to.
Ryan Naraine
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Discussion: Die, Spyware, Die!
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Hi :
Being somewhat "involved" in fighting Malware, was very unimpressed with the Programs selected by "AV-Test" ; last I knew AVG AntiSpyware, one of the best, is NOT Vista compatible ; their Users Manual says nothing about being Vista compatible, though I acknowledge "It" may be out of date . The other Malware-fighting program recomended by many such Experts, SUPERAntiSpyware, was not even in the test "group". Spybot has not been recommended by many malware-fighting Experts for quite a while. Spyware Doctor can be "matched" by FREE programs like SUPERAntiSPYWARE combined with SpywareBlaster, from www.javacoolsoftware.com . SpySweeper is turning into a bloatware "Suite" and another one of the best, CounterSpy from Sunbelt Software, also was NOT included in the Test "Group" . And "Windows Defender" !? -
Like a lot of programs that have been ported to Vista, Superantispyware does have one small glitch in Vista. Windows Defender keeps it from loading automatically. Superantispyware starts to load, then a popup requires approval for it to load. This is not the UAC popup, but one from Windows Defender, saying it is not recognized. Some would complain loudly, I just click approval and go on, letting Superantispyware do it's thing. Of course my first line of defense is the router, and the anti-malware is my second line. If 1 defensive line is good, 2 is better.
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I'm suprised Webroot Spy Sweeper was rated Third, as Four to Six months ago they rated this as the [b]best[/b] anti-spy removal software tested by PC World. This would be referring to the [b]detection rates[/b] and not so much as the program features. Interesting.
Carry on... -
I actually think this it was actually a really well done review; I've seen too many antispyware reviews lately that don't get hands-on but by using AV-Test it looks like they have done a [i]real[/i] down and dirty test of effectiveness. Kudos PC World. B-)
As a hint for those that didn't know you can actually get Spyware Doctor for [b]free[/b] too from [url="http://www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/google[u]pack/"]www.pctools.com/spyware-doctor/google[/u]pack/[/url] found this page one day when searching around their site. Don't think it includes everything in their review but it seems to be pretty comprehensive and from what I hear has the same level of updates/detections. May be a good way to try it out if ou don't want to hand-over the $30 straight way as the other trial is a bit restrictive for my taste. ;-)
==protocol== -
Should change the title to Die, Forum, Die , too dam funny , banning people yet there still listed as members , removing some of there posts but not all , removing there correct answers and posting them as your own , how low can you go ? Do you actually think people will continue to join when you treat them in this way , having access to several pc's we watch from time to time for any new posts ,all we see is the same posts over and over again ? So what should one do to improve it ? I know lets give the dumb lot some points for each answer , what does that produce ? some kid going "yeah thats what i would of said " . You dont actualy run a forum in this manner , it might work with children who want to collect points ,(in exchange for what?), for bragging rights , it actually demeans the whole process and makes whoever thought it up ,pretty dumb . I suggest you take a look at a proper forum where even the moderators dont correct spelling or ban someone just because someone pointed out that they were wrong , being adults they concede when they make an error , not you lot , not only do you ban those who rightly point out that you are plain stupid , you censor free speech , so much for tolerance its laughable , so we will watch with amusement as all 5 of you post to each other , too funny , btw which one of you is the bot lol.
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[b]Awwwwwwww upset the kiddies again , removing posts again lol :^0you lot are really sad ,lmfao[/b]
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Stating that PC Tools Spyware Doctor is the best Vista product is misleading. It only runs on the 32B version. It will not run on Vista Ultimate, which is 64B. PC Tools has no plans for a 64B on any of its products; same with WebRoot.
Vendors and reviewers should differentiate between Vista 32B and 64B -
OBVIOUSLY this is another representation of testing too few of times. If you did the real research which i unwillingly and unknowingly did. Where I paid for Spyware Doctor due to your recommendations. Did not remove 3 critical cases where i had to format my computer to remove the spyware. It can NOT even get rid of Zedo advertising which is a HUGE spyware program. Please be sure to do tests befor recommendations.. I had to waste my money twice once on this magazine and once on the software. I hope you advanced computer technicians can at least add that is two
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What about all the other Spyware programs---some free? Has PCM ever heard of A-Squared Free? It is excellent ---and FREE. How about SpywareBlaster? It is excellent ----and FREE. No spyware program catches all spyware---all of the time. To be secure, you need a few different programs to be as safe as possible. What one program may miss, another will catch. What programs cover just about everything and are FREE? Spybot, Search & Destroy, AdAware--they are free, but in my experience, the best---and the three I use are: A-Squared Free, SpywareBlaster and M'soft windows Defender. Free antivirus? Either AVG Free or Avast Free. I use Avast. FREE Firewall? Either ZoneAlarm Free or COMODO Free. I use COMODO. I haven't had security problems in years and all my security is---------FREE.
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Well I must say spyware is just what it is a spy. Looks hard in the system to check for it but in its self is a spy on its on. Anti virus they all say there the best and as mentioned some of these hate VISTA or wont work with VISTA.
I learned the hard way after buying 5 CA Programs to run on 3 computers so that will be a total of 15 and hate how CA now runs... -
eh spyware and virus are no big problem for me lol. I just have 2 antispyware programs i run avg and spybot, but i mostly scan with avg more. I have windows defender but i never run it lol, it doesnt pick up crap anyway. Then avast i run while im out or something. Firewall i use none besides for windows vista because zone alarms screws up my vista bad so many problems
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I brought Webroot spyware based on previous PC World recommendation. It seemed to work fine (or at least didn't create any problems) until I got new PC (Dell) which came with preinstalled McAfee Security System. Now it seems I often have to uninstall spyware when I get an update from McAfee. Also, according to Dell techs, something about the combination is causing the port serving Outlook to stop sending/receiving (shows error messages and no incoming or outgoing email). I'm spending all my cell phone minutes with tech service from one of these vendors to work it out. VERY frustating! Anyone else have a similar problem - or a solutiion? Thanks
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Rosemary - you will not find too many fans of "Security Suites" among the regulars of this forum. They have the effect of slowing down the system. In a recent article it on PC World about Norton Internet Security 2008, a referecnt to the fact that the size is reduced from the 15 Megabytes that 2007 used. That's a very large program to have running in the backgound all the time. McAfee's suite is almost as bad. Both have a tendency to take over your machine and fight any other protection program you have.
The layered approach is preferred with a good Anti-Virus and several anti-spyware programs. If you have a home network with a router, you already have a hardware firewall in the router. If you are a direct connect, some software firewall is needed. -
djbrohm - 2 years ago
rgreen4 -
You're right about the security systems - I've got McAfee because it came installed on my new computer. Before working at home this year, I had a great IT dept. to call on when I had problems, so now I'm having to learn to work on my own. I've kept McAfee because I can still get related tech support from Dell --- and I've had so many problems of all kinds with my computer (expensive model, too) , including having to replace the hard drive already, that I've been reluctant to make any major changes. I'm reading blogs/discussions like this to learn more - thanks for your suggestions! -
Hi Rosemary :
McAfee came pre-installed on your Dell computer because McAfee PAID Dell to put it there; there is no need for you to agree with what they arranged . An Engineer developed a FREE program to remove what is nicely called "crapware" in situations like your, which was originally called "Dell De-Crapifier" but is now called "PC De-Crapifier" and available at http://www.pcdecrapifier.com .
There are many good, and sometimes FREE, Alternatives to McAfee and IF you ever decide on a different antivirus, different antispyware programs, a different firewall, etc, the McAfee "Removal Tool" is located at http://ts.mcafeehelp.com/faq3.asp?docid=71525 . -
Thanks for the advice, SpiritWind -
De-Crapifier sounds like a very appropriate name! When I get the basic problems with my computer itself ironed out, that seems like a good thing to try. -
As I like to say, the forums will be here 24/7. Some members may sleep, but the forum never does.
-
Sunbelt's CounterSpy 2.5 isn't being rated???
This HAS to be the best anti-spyware product around! And its dirt cheap. -
I can understand why you would test only 20 active spyware and adware samples. After all, a machine with more than that many infections might not even boot. But if there are at least 110,000 different adware/spyware in existence (the number of INactive samples you tested), how meaningful could it possibly be to test only 20 live ones? For all we know, Windows Defender, which failed to detect or remove a single one of the 20, may do a superb job on the remaining 109,980.
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I've tried all those other spyware detectors, and AdAware is the best one by far...SpySweeper is a joke compared to AdAware...AdAware always detects spyware that those others do not....I think because AdAware is free it is getting a bad rap from the reviewer of this atricle....
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Why didn't you test Windows Live OneCare?
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bwildasi - 2 years ago
After reading Ryan Naraine's review of spyware app killers (in the Oct 2007 edition of PC World), I went to look for discount pricing for PCTools Spyware Doctor 5.0 and found at Amazon.com 37 users' reviews which stated that version 5.0 caused numerous problems. These included (in no particular order of importance) drastically slowed performance including web browsing, using up of all resources, automatic credit card renewals, removal of nonspyware that made Windows booting impossible or extremely slow, BSODs, difficulty in removal, lack of support, a trial-ware version that can't be easily removed and so forth. Apparently, there have been several re-releases of version 5.0. The overwhelming consensus among the reviewers was not to use this version, which they felt was not ready for prime-time. With that additional information, it appears that there are no safe and effective spyware removal applications available at this time.
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I would be interested to see different malware cocktails tested and reviewed. As a consumer level computer repair tech, I see a lot of infected computers. We used to use a Norton Internet Security / Ewido (now AVG) / Windows Defender / SpySweeper with Antivirus combination to clean them up. We have since removed Norton IS because it bogs a computer down so much. Not having the time or resources to really test different configurations, however, I would love to see PCWorld show different configurations for different security scenarios (users that just check email all the way up to users who regularly visit and download from porn, poker, and social networking sites.
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After reading PC World's glowing review of Webroot SpySweeper,I purchased the utility and was happy for about four months. Each upgrade notification seemed to degrade the product until a normal scan took over six hours to complete.
Contacting support was an exercise in futility ; reinstall, etc.
After uninstalling SpySweeper my pc's speed jumped dramatically.
Question, if I now buy PC World's new pick;Spyware Doctor, will I again find myself sinking money in software that becomes unusable as the company makes upgrades? -
Hey spiritwind, Yeah I dumped Symantec ( had to use their tool). I jumped on the freebies. I got AVG anti virus, Webroot for adware, keyloggers and all that kind of stuff. I also got Adaware as and adjunct to spysweeper. It seems to do well, at least I haven't had any complaints and was free. I guess I'll stay with what I've got for now. As for Mcaffe, that came with my internet service (msn). I didn't bother as already had Norton installed. I eventually decided on the combo I've got now. Mostly from reading comments on this forum. coastie65
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I have Spysweeper installed on my two XP machines, but have not seen that problem.
1. What size is your HD?
2. How much of that space is used? -
random750 - 2 years ago
I feel scammed by PC Tools Spyware Doctor. Based on your review of Spyware Doctor, I just purchased 2 for my desktop and my laptop. I downloaded the trail and it did a scan in about 2 minutes. It found about 40-50 infections. To remove them I had to buy the subscription. I did that and ran the scan again and this time it took about 45 minutes and only found 6 infections, all rather minor. The trial scan must have been some "canned" product to scare the customer into buying and I fell for it. I would like you to investigate this and if you find an irregularitiy, report it in a followup report. Thanks, Tom
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I'm a pro PC tech and biz owner in that same line, so cleaning infections is kind of second nature to me at this point.
PCWorld is missing the mark [b]by far[/b] in this review of available cleaners. SuperAntiSpyware, mentioned earlier, is amazingly effective at killing off even the most tenacious spyware and trojan infections (SmitFraud, WinAntiVirus, etc). I use it every single day to clean off infections that slipped right past SpySweeper, Spyware Doctor, Norton/McAfee/Trend security suites, and most of your more popular products.
To be wholly truthful, the best combination I've found so far is AVG Pro (or Free Edition, depending on your own situation), combined with full version SuperAntiSpyware. Better still, the combination can be free for home users, and runs about $50/yr for organizations.
If you want to be extra anal about it, you can tie in site blockers like the 'immunize' function of Spybot, or the blocker of SpywareBlocker.
It's not that tough to be safe folks :) -
dwt1966 - 2 years ago
im totaly harsed by following spyware can u plz tell me how these spyware infected
autorun.exe
system.exe
printer.exe
WinAvXX.exe
[i]Edited by MPHEnterprises - Please do not post your personal information within the forums for your own security and privacy. Instead, ask individuals to send you a Private Message. If you do not know how to send or access your Private Messages, click [url=http://forums.pcworld.com/docs/DOC-1095]here[/url].[/i] -
other then running updated scanners, and fixing it in safe mode, I suggest you google the filenames of what you suspect is wrong in order to find out more information along with making your own post in Privacy and Security so everyone can help you in a more detailed fashion.
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Andy - I would suggest you post your exact problem with a catchy headline in the Privacy & Security community. Your posting is a little vague and does not tell us about your system.
In the News discussion page where you are, in 5 hours this discussion was on the second page. Most browsers don't make it past the first. On Privacy and Security you will have a better chance of catching the eye of those experienced in these matters. -
That's a SmitFraud Infection, Andy It probably took out access to your control panel and maybe the admin account. =/
SuperAntiSpyware will almost surely fix it, if not today, then in a day or two, with an update to the definitions....assuming you can get past the unique challanges you now face in actually loading anything onto the PC. SmitFraud is tough =/
-PillowPC -
dahveedgr - 2 years ago
Why did Spyware Doctor 5.0 cause my Vista os
machine to freeze up.
dirtsailor -
I was attacked by the most malicious rogue antivirus software ever. It took over my home page, a very tame and easily fixed item. It disabled mcafee virus protection. I used pc doctor to eliminate it. It seemed that as quickly as I eliminated it it would download to my computer again. I had to go on vacation which gave me sometime to think. I realized that what I had to do was pull the power cord on the modem and run the antivirus program and elininate the malware. It worked-the malware was gone. Mcafee was still disabled. I was due for an upgrade on Mcafee anyway so I went to the comcast site to download it. Some how the malware came back. I ran pcdoc again without the modem on. Mcafee ran also and so far the malware has not returned. I am keeping my fingers crossed. The rogue antivirus software would have cost $50.00 I had no intention of buying it since even the best antivirus software is free. The malware was holding my computer for ransom. If 50,000 people fall for the scam the scammers will make 2.5 million dollars.
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kirat - 2 years ago
The way security programs tie into Vista is different from the way they tie into Windows XP. I don't know of any security program NOT having some kind of issue w/ Vista...the beloved programmers are just too new at working with Vista's unique requirements for now. It will take some time for their techniques to mature. You figure it took WinXP until about 2002-3 to really stabilize and become the realiable old friend we trust today.
You should check frequently with Spyware Doctor for new versions and updates, until the issue resolves to your satisfaction. You might have more immediate success by posting into THEIR forums for actual support answers. And you should probably start your own thread, if you want to drill down on any specific software issues, going forward.
-PillowPC -
[b][color="#ff0000"]WRONG[/color][/b] Symantec and McAfee are equal agrivation anti-malware suites causing equal headaches on XP and Vista. PC Doctor caused my laptop running XP to lock up. AVG Free runs perfectly well on Vista as does Avast. We had one new member complaining about his Vista machine locking up. It was finally identified as AVG Free version 7.0 which was replaced by version 7.5 in November, 2006. Version 7.5 runs just fine in Vista. Avast runs just fine in Vista. For anti-spyware, our resident Guru, SpiritWind recommends Avast for anti-virus and Superantispyware for spyware. Superantispyware also runs fine in Vista, I am running it on two machines. For those running Windows Defender, as I am, Windows Defender will ask for permission to allow Superantispyware to load. Note - this is not the UAC, but Windows Defender in this situation
I am unaware of any anti-virus, anti-spyware or firwall that is up to date that causes more problems in Vista than XP. -
The 'Spyware Warrior' over at spywarewarrior.com keeps a list of known-rogue anti-spyware programs, and Spyware Doctor is not on that list. Sadly, it is a legitimate product.
Usually when one scan detects 'infections', but subsequent scans detect nothing (assuming same product, w/ no quarantine/delete in between), then our 'infections' are usually just advertising cookies. Heck, there are 3 advertisers on this page right now that will come up hot in a spyware scan. Since your browser can delete its own cookies (and this tends to happen [b]frequently[/b] in the course of fighting a spyware infection), it's perfectly plausible that scans could change, even by opening/closing/reopening your browser windows.
Don't get me wrong here either...I'd love to have a reason to crush Spyware Doctor from the Earth, but it does (albeit 'good not great') what it says it does.
Going forward, I'll offer that SuperAntiSpyware is far more effective at actually removing infections (especially the really serious, tough infections), uses fewer resources, and the free download has the full-function scanner enabled.
I'm telling you guys, this is the product you're looking for. I slammed PC World (slammed? Ok, I posted a mouthy note...=) a month ago for recommending less-than-best-of-breed products with their lackluster Editor's Choice awards. When was the last time these 'Editors' had to actually earn a buck successfully cleaning [b]all[/b] the spyware from a PC. I'll guess its been a while. Here's an update: Cleaning 88-94% of the infections doesn't do [b]anything[/b] to earn we-the-techs our pay. Either it's free of infections or it's not. If it's not clean today, there better be a working software update to my exact infection in10 days. No update? $#!7-can the product, and buy something that works. And then reverse charge your credit card.
Ok, that was kind of ranty, but it's still valid. Everything else is second rate. This is the Champ:
[url="http://www.superantispware.com"]www.superantispware.com[/url]
Try it yourselves, and you'll know just how far off the mark these guys really are when they recommend anything else. I've personally cleaned 300ish PCs professionally with this product, in the last 12 months. Of those, exactly 5 had failures that required reformat (O/S damaged beyond repair by infection), 12 had to wait 3-7 days for an update. The other 283(ish) scanned for a few hours, endured some hand-crafted spyware control by me, and went home clean.
-PillowPC -
good review and info but why was norton not included in the testing as it is in such widespread use and supposed to be a complete package. does norton need to suplemented by these programs too?
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No, the whole point is to rip Norton's (or McAfee) out by its roots and replace it, thus improving PC performance and protection. You will not find many fans of Norton's in this community.
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I worked for IBM for 33 years and the last 9 were with the change to internet and away from main frame stuff. Retired 1999.
I help people that get their first PC at 60,65,70,75 years of age and I clue you they do NOT want to spend money on an Anti virus program let alone a spyware program. So AVG or AVAST are the first line of defense and then Spybot AND Adaware are right in their ballpark. Symantec or McAfee completely chew up their PC and they say why is it so slow.
At least the free one do something. Maybe not a complete solution but certainly more than a program that they pay for and slows down their PC.
I read and use every issue. Thanks
Carver Smith -
Here there msrk,
Norton and McAfee "Suite" prodocts are so bloated and over-stated that very few independant computer professionals will (can?) recommend them. They are simply inferior products, especially when compared w/ much smaller, hungrier security software companies, and the combinations available.
Hrmmm...I do see some potential value in throwing together a real world anti-spyware demonstration of Norton/McAfee/Trend Suites, vs those combinations recommended by the techs with freedom to choose (AVG/Avast + SaS/Counterspy/etc [b]should be[/b] > Norton/McAfee/Trend in terms of both results and performance). I have not seen any such deep comparisons from what I would consider strong technical sources. Maybe I'll try that out w/ my next major infection on a client's PC, if time allows. The numbers would certainly be worth examining. -
Hi Carver,
Hey bud, while I agree that Spybot and Ad-Aware are both worthy products, they are generally considered pretty weak by comparison. Spybot's 'Immunize" function is still uniquely valueable on most any Windows PC, however.
For the free products, SuperAntiSpyware is the stronger choice, and it's impact on PC performance is still very minimal (I think 2600kb for the free active component? not bad...). Of course, the combination of all three of those anti-spyware products, run seperately of course, is the strongest choice of all.
PillowPC -
Hello, I have used NoAdware (noadware.net) and Trojan Remover (simplysup.com) for quit some time, along with Counter Spy and Trend Micro Internet Security. I have to say that NoAdware and Trojan Remover have caught more spy/adware/Trojans than anything else I have used. I would really love to see you guys at PCW test these programs along side the other programs.
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No-Adware, SpywareBot, and similar spinoff / stolen software code products, have no place along side legitimate products. You paid for software w/ stolen code, AND the original (plus free) products provide better protection.
To be 100% honest, I have never seen a positive review of any of those products, from any semi-reputable source. I've seen some dipstick affiliate webmasters trying to shove that junk down the consumer's throat, w/ patently false review statistics (based on revenue from the sale!), but no one (not one!) single person laying to lay their technical rep on the line would mention that crap.
No-Adware / SpywareBot / and similar junk 'anti-spyware' apps are so hideously bad at removing spyware that I'm having trouble believing LoyalDragon is a legitmate poster. 1st post? And about a nearly-criminal product? Anyone really doubt I'm speaking from the heart? ([url="http://www.spywarewarrior.com"]www.spywarewarrior.com[/url]) Read up on Rogue AntiSpyware Apps and the history of No-Adware, Trojan Remover, SpywareBot, Spy Assassin, Spy Ferret.
Just in case this was an actual innocent suggestion: These products aren't reviewed [b]because we, the technical community, already know they are knockoffs[/b] and unworthy of acknowledgement. They simply do not work as advertised.
PillowPC -
Hi Pillow. Okay, let's try to squash this situation before it even gets started. There is no need to attack the legitimacy of LoyalDragon or the validity of his or her post. Regardless of how we feel about a particular application, there is always going to be someone who has the opposite view. Just because this is LoyalDragon's first post doesn't lessen the fact that LoyalDragon is only expressing his or her own opinion.
Personally, I know nothing about software code or anything like that. What I do know is that I do not use any of the applications LoyalDragon mentioned but that does not mean I am 100% right and he or she is 100% wrong.
That being said, thank you for adding the last paragraph referring to if this was an innocent post. That is much appreciated. I will bank this was just that, an innocent post from someone who feels those applications do what he or she needs. -
Forgive me if I offended anyone with my post. I had no idea that the software I mentioned was "Rogue" software. All I know is that when I run other apps such as Counter Spy, Web Root, and other "legit" apps, many times they report that system is clean. Then I run No-Adware and it will find something. Again, forgive me for being naive in thinking that if you paid for it, it must be legit. It's obvious that since I subscribe to PCW, it is so that I can LEARN about computers and software, and with the patience of the PC community, from you guys as well. Well since I learned something new today...the day is not wasted. Thanks for letting me know.
Loyaldragon -
In that event, I am indeed sorry I spoke so coarsely of your intentions.
PillowPC -
To LoyalDragon: I just have to know--male or female? Anyway, I commend you on your desire to learn! No apology is necessary whatsoever--in my humble opinion. In my quest for knowledge I have always subscribed to WindowsSecrets.com, a publication by Brian Livingston and Fred Langa. A plethora of information written so the average user can understand. Many times Fred Langa has warned that "some" Spyware/Adware/Malware/Scumware/Idiotware etc., etc., etc. will intentionally install potentionally harmful code on your system--then miraculously discover it when you do your first scan!. Of course your other programs did not find this code--it was just intentionally installed to make you think that "their" program was soooo much better than the others. Some programs, such as registry cleaners, will find "errors" that are not really errors at all---just very low-level inconsistencies designed by programs to be there when they need them. That's why I use JV16 for all my registry functions. You are going about this the correct way, in my opinion. The people who contribute on this forum--and others, are more than willing to help and share their knowledge. Please don't be offended when you may get comments not favorable to a post you submit. 99% of the folks here are very understanding and willing to help. How else do we learn? Please keep the questions comming, and then you will be able to assist someone else one day.
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Next Spyware stories, how about staying with the most used OS, XP. Don't jump full tilt to VISTA, nobody else has.
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100 million installations is no one?
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Let's be a bit more statistical about the number of Vista installs (from PCmag Oct07).
Approx 96% of all Personal Computers run Windows.
Of those that run Windows, 70% run XP
15% run 2Kpro
11.75% run some other Windows O/S (3.1/NT/ME/95/98)
3.25% run Vista.(roughly the same percentage as Mac O/S + Linux on PC-style computers).
And let's get that 100,000,000 number straight, once and for all: MS has printed or sold to [b]distribution[/b] 100,000,000 copies of Vista. The number actual installs is no where near that number.
At least Vista is tougher to infect than XP :) -
Those numbers are from a non-scientific survey done on the PC World website at least four months ago. I has been quoted before, but it is from peope who happened to notice the survey when they logged onto the website, and part of the error in the numbers is evident from the high number of ancient Win3.1 users and considering that retail sales of Vista machines has far outstripped those of the Mac's, yet they have somehow have the same 3% usage rates (BTW the actual Mac market percentage is closer to 6%).
If you are talking about the 2007 sales, Vista will far outstrip any other OS, and it is inconcievable that a large number of people would buy an OS and then use something else, which caused the initial questioning of the 3% number. As for the installed base, XP has been on the active market for 6 years and it will have been actively marketed for 7 before original sales cease. Win2k was on the market for only about 3 years at most, and Win98 was only marketed for 2 years before being replaced by ME.
We are now starting to get comments from people with Vista machines wondering what all the negativity is about because they are not seeing the problems with programs that the early adopters did.
But, this is off topic anyway, this discussion is supposed to be about anti-spyware programs, and all of the current ones run on both. -
Spybot recently came out with 1.5.1. How about PCM testing against that?
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You missed at least two popular antispyware programs: Sunbelt's CounterSpy and TrendMicro's Antispyware. A-squared should have been included in the tests as well.
How about doing a "year-end" face-off with these three programs included?
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