MS AntiSpyware vs Ad-Aware vs SpyBot

[Mastertech]

I have the fully updated versions of Adaware SE and Spybot (I search for updates several times a week), and MS Antispyware still found several things. I also have Spyware Blaster. The problem is that I mostly use IE, not Firefox.

You were using Spybot v1.4B2 fully updated? And the things it found, did it include P2P programs, remote connect software and "Searchsquire"? Did you bother to check the other things it found and if they were left over registry entries or actual infections?

[yisman]

Whoops. Looks like I used v1.4B1.

My mistake.

Where can I upgrade to 1.4B2? I went to download.com and it has 1.3!

[Mastertech]

In Spybot got to advanced mode, settings, settings, under "Web Update", check "Display available Beta versions", the update should be visible now when you check for updates.

[Yochanan]

Why use a spyware sweeper program like Spybot or MS Antispyware when you can use SpywareBlaser. It prevents spyware from being installed in the first place. When I try other programs to scan my computer for spyware the results are always zero. But maybe it is also because I use Firefox.

585256800[/snapback]

Firefox, SpywareBlaster and Spybot are an exellent combination. I haven't been infected since I started using all three together. I even paid for the auto-update feature in SpywareBlaster. It's pretty convenient, but I did it more to support the program.

[figgy]

Spybot thinks cookies are spyware?!!

[L3thal Veteran]

Spybot thinks cookies are spyware?!!

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Some cookies are indeed spying cookies, therefore considered spyware ;)

[Slimy]

any1 know when the next spybot is coming out?

[Mastertech]

any1 know when the next spybot is coming out?

http://forums.net-integration.net/index.ph...=0entry120646

I guess when it is done? ;) It usually takes them a while to roll out a new version. For now the BETA works pretty well.

[Copernic Reporter]

We try to compare MS AntiSpyware with Ad-aware , Spybot etc ... but why someone don't try to run a test between MS AntiSpyware vs Giant Antispyware , to see what is changed on the new MS tool ( if something changed beside the name :rofl: ) .

[Mastertech]

MS AntiSpyware vs Giant Antispyware

They are practically identical, except the M$ version does not search for cookies and some of the advanced tools have been removed.

[wicked33]

ive tried them all..

Best ones i have come across are spyware doctor and spysweeper..

=p

[Mastertech]

Spyware Doctor's detection rate is much lower then Ad-aware or Spybot. Spysweeper is better but not better then Ad-aware and Spybot and you have to pay for it.

[cork1958]

Yeah good read.

What's funny is the people I forced to use firefox don't ever get spyware anymore. What a tool huh. The others use IE and still get dozens of spyware that they love to remove with GIANT or whichever. That suits me fine :D

585256738[/snapback]

Same here only with Opera, Haven't had squat for spyware in ages! :p

I have tried the majority of these tools and as quite a few people have already said, no one single program detects everything. So, no matter how good this one is, I'd still keep Adaware and Spybot, along with Spywareblaster.

[yisman]

ive tried them all..

Best ones i have come across are spyware doctor and spysweeper..

=p

585278954[/snapback]

I use everything:

Spy Sweeper, Spyware Doctor, Ad-aware, Microsoft/Giant, and Spybot (and Spyware Blaster, of course, but that's not a scan tool).

Spyware Doctor doesn't catch anything except this one cookie that initializes on startup (from Weatherbug). It runs a scan every time I boot up the comp, and it catches the same one thing until last time (I think it's because one of the other programs actually removed it :rofl: ). I also use the OnGuard protection, but I'm not sure how much it helps.

[thunderrooster]

Pestpatrol finds more than any of them. http://research.pestpatrol.com/Stats/Default.asp

[yisman]

Top pest today is Viewpoint toolbar. Sweet!

[Mastertech]

Pestpatrol finds more than any of them.

Pestpatrol finds less then Ad-aware and Spybot plus it produces alot of false positives. The only ones worth using are:

Ad-aware

Spybot

MS Antispyware

Spy Sweeper (not free)

[Slimy]

^ to add to the list, hijackthis, winpatrol, spywareblaster

all in my sig

[thunderrooster]

Pestpatol detects more than spybot or adware. All the paid ones has false positives cuase thier database is so large. I did a test a few days ago with ms antispyware,pestpatrol and spy sweeper and pestpatrol fount the most on my computer.

[Mastertech]

That doesn't even make any sense you did a test with Microsoft Antispyware, PestPatrol and Spyware Sweeper then claim that PestPatrol detects more then Ad-aware and Spybot? :rolleyes:

Also the actual number of Spyware infections a program detects can be misleading since some group them together while others count every single file and registry key. Spybot groups all the files and registry keys for one infection, so its detection rate looks lower then it is.

False Positives are pretty serious since they can do things like remove protection, such as Microsoft AntiSpyware does with Spybot's immunize feature and the "Searchsquire" Immunization. PestPatrol is notorious for not thoroughly testing their detection routines and producing false positives. Spyware Sweeper is the only legitimate pay to play spyware remover that does a decent job and does not produce false positives.

[Slimy]

^ spysweeper has many false positives, although none that i saw were very serious

spybot seems to be slipping behind all the big companies but i hope pepimk will get bak on track with 1.4

[nicedreams]

People have to understand that MS doesn't make all of their software from scratch. Just like their scan disk and defrag used to be from Symantec and now the defrager in XP is just Disk Keeper Lite 7 and most of the other programs aren't made from MS either.

I just wish that some of the products they do make they would do a better job at it. I heard that MS is going to use Pain.net from that one guy in Longhorn, which I think is a tight program. They should make their little utils more powerful, but of course they won't do that, because they want you to BUY BUY BUY a more advanced memory hog that takes forever to load when you just want to do something special.

[groberts]

I'm not sure why they are even doing a Beta, I mean the program has been in existance for a while, so what are they testing? A fully tested program? That makes a lot of sense. I used Giant before MS bought them, and I notice no differences between MS Antispyware and Giant, except the name. Anyway, if you haven't already, go ahead and download it and "test" it out. I love it.

[thunderrooster]

Mastertech, I thinks it well known that all the paid ones detect more than spybot and adaware. Don?t get me wrong I am not trashing spybot and adaware, I have said this in other post, spybot and adaware is must have then if you choose buy one. As far as the false positives like I said all the paid ones do. With a database that big you can?t help it. And yes at one time pestpatrol did have a problem with them, but if you look at most of the programs none of them tells you there will be false positives or have a way to report them. Pestpatrol has always told you there will be false positives and give you a way to report them. I think they had that problem cause of not having enough people checking, but since ca has bought them out they do have enough staff now. They do update more often now and since version 5 I haven?t had hardly any false positives. Actually I don?t remember any.

I agree with groberts. Although they did strip windows 9x support and put their name all over it. And didn?t they take out the cookie part to, probably to cover themselves lol. Them passport cookies are considered tracking cookies.

[IAIHMB]

I believe that Microsoft's Antispyware 1.0 Beta is better than Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.05 and Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.3. Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition 1.05 can't handle the complexity of today's spyware, it only seems to pick up a tracking cookie here and there. Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.3 misses quite a bit of spyware, doesn't give detailed information on the entries that it picks up, which means you could delete something that you wouldn't want to. Microsoft Antispyware 1.0 Beta has picked up everything Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner 1.12, and has given me detailed information on everything that it picks up.

Fun Fact: Bazooka Adware and Spyware Scanner 1.12 is what CNet uses to test how well other antispyware programs pick up spyware. :p