I'm getting fed up with scanning and removing spyware every week. I want to catch stuff early before it can do much, and before I have to figure out whats causing this and that problem.

I would prefer something free but I'm pretty desperate for anything, I would like something thats like an antivirus that will always be running and pick up any spyware as soon as I get it. I order a lot of stuff online with my credit card and it worries me sometimes since I haven't scanned in a few days. I have a pretty good machine with 4b of ram so I'm not worried much about system resources.

What do you recommend?


I posted this same thread on the horrible neowin forums. All I got was people telling me they recommend I try firefox. Here was my reply to them:




Someone recommended Webroot Spy Sweeper but it wont work on x64. I'm gonna give windows defender a try, I totally forgot about it.

Windows Defener, Spybot and Ad-Ware all have background services.

If you run NOD32, then have you upgraded to version 3.0 yet? Version 3.0 has improved spyware detection.

But I wonder how you keep getting spyware if you're not installing any of those stupid freebie programs and toolbars. You don't get spyware from just browsing the net - only some tracking cookies which are not a problem. However, you could get spyware if you're accepting AntiveX control installations, installing FireFox plugins, or running some executable files that you have downloaded.

You may have something still running on your system that keeps reloading the spyware. It might be a good idea to just reinstall Windows. And then as long as you are careful about what you run, spyware and viruses will not be an issue.

I don't think spybot does.

Any of the mentioned programs should be good, but the main point to stop it is the user. I run Windows Defender and it seems to do a good job. I use FireFox and I don't think I have received a piece of spyware in months.

I agree with Chug, it could be a plug-in or a specific site you are visiting.

I recommend Windows Defender or Ad-Aware.

No it def. does. It's turned off by default, you need to turn it on.

Actually it has 2, TeaTimer and SD helper (both are enabled by default in v1.5). SD Helper is a DNS based LSP and blocks domains with bad reputations. It's similar (in effect) to the HOST file block except that it doesn't cause lagging during lookups which a huge HOST file will.

TeaTimer is a registry watcher that will alert on any changes made to the registry in key areas...and it's a flaming pain in the ass...due to it's tendancy to alert on itself.

I've never run TT, but always run SD.

Windows Defender also seems to run just fine on Vista x64, but I don't know if its ever caught anything as it's rather quite.

Yeah, Vista's Windows Defender is really good about staying quiet and not bothering you. It does do realtime protection, but I'm not sure how well it works since I've never actually seen it catch anything.

But since I don't install spyware, I can't really test it.

This has got to be the most pathetic endorsement I've ever seen...

I use Ad-Aware's Ad-watch. It does very well for me in catching what comes into the PC. You can set it up to be automatic so it doesn't bug you or you can have it bug you every time. However I never get spyware on firefox, only when I go on IE do i ever get spyware.

Lol

Windows Defender does as good a job as anything. Just install Daemon Tools and forget to uncheck the spyware checkbox and you'll see it in action.

I recommend running more than one ASW app, one active and one to scan with manually. None of them catch everything (although Spysweeper is marginally better than others, if you want to pay for it), so to be safe run occasional manual scans beyond whatever solution you have as an active one.

Be aware also that AV software will catch most spyware nowadays, since a lot of it is classified as malware.

SD does add entries to your hosts file. Check it. It will say:

\\Spybot etc etc

WTF?!? Is that new in v1.5? I'd swear v1.4 used an LSP for that. Cripes, unless I'm thinking of something else.

SHIT! ...I need a Vacation.