Even though I use Lavasoft Ad-Aware, do you also recommend using SUPERAntiSpyware free version?

Thank you for your time!

Yes.

I havent used Aadware in a very...long time. Is it still reliable ?

Yes, I recommend SUPERAntiSpyware free version and also Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.

You can find it here.

Excellent recommendations IMHO.
Best to have them on your PC even if you forget to keep updated ? Shame on you if don't have them and keep them updated ! Why ! Because -if when you get infected you can run them and in most cases find and remove the infection or at least restore your PC to the point that you can still use the Internet to get help.

VERY IMPORTANT REASON TO HAVE IT !!! NOW !!!

Malwarebytes Quick Scan is unbelievably fast. It got even faster recently.( 6 - 8 mins. average Quick scan time)
I "must" have it and use it frequently due to some other users bad "surfing" habits on this PC.
It has found two Trojans (and removed them with my approval) that were most likely "allowed in" by the other users.
davey

Sportsfan, I use Ad-Aware 2008 and, yes, it is still reliable.

Like allot of bloated services that run in the background I found Ad-Aware 2008's wasn't being reported correctly for its current RAM usage. Task Manager stated it was using 798 k (just under 1 MB), when in fact it was using 104 MB. I wonder why so many modern antispyware/antimalware services use so much RAM.

I guess it uses .sys files, so it won't show in Task Manager.

They are bloated with so many unnecessary features and stuff.

Indeed! I had tried out Ad-Aware 2008, and as soon as it got to my HOSTS file with over 33,000 blocked sites it went into some drunk turtle slow motion speed so I ended up having to rename my HOSTS file so it wouldn't scan it. Spybot-S&D has the same issue with a very large HOSTS file, but at least HOSTS file scanning can be disabled in it which is something I didn't notice in the new Ad-Aware.

I don't recommend everyone disable HOSTS file scanning, but in my case it's a totally unnecessary waste of time.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is free to? i thought it was only shareware for 30-days?

I imagine the paid version comes with a 30 day free trial. There also is a totally free version of MBAM. Of course, less bells and whistles. But it's the one everyone raves about.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is free without the protection module. If you want the protection module (real time monitoring), you pay a one time fee to activate it.

Be aware that the real time monitor uses quite a bit of system resources so if you have a fast system then it won't be a problem.

I am not knocking MBAM as it is an excellent real time monitor and it is constantly improving with performance improvements being a major focus.

The thing you get with the purchased version is auto updates.

I agree with Andavari's comments about disabling the HOSTS file when running Spybot S&D if you have a large file as it seems to take about two seconds to scan each entry and if you have over 60,000 entries like I do then it would take all day to do a scan.

If you use a HOSTS file monitor like WinPatrol or Windows Defender then you will know when something is trying to modify it so it should remain safe from infection.

What HOSTS file do you use, Andavari?

MBAM and SAS are the main AS apps I use in cleaning up other machines.

MVPS.org, and Spybot-S&D's via Spybot-S&D's Immunization feature.

Just read the info on the MVPS link you provided. Does installing, updating and maintaining a host file become a little complicated? It didn't really sound all that simple and straight forward. Just curious .

If you use the MVPS.org hosts file it includes a batch file installer named mvps.bat, therefore you only double-click that to install it.

You must read the MVPS.org information in readme.txt when running on Windows 2000, XP, and Vista systems when using a very large Hosts file as it can cause slow downs, you'll need to follow the instructions about the Windows service named DNS Client, because if you don't you'll have slow down issues!

There's also free Hosts tools like HostsMan that will download and install different Hosts files for you too. I don't remember if it can disable or set to manual that service DNS Client or not because it has been a long time since I used it.

HostsMan will disable the DNS Client service if it detects that it is running plus it will merge the HOSTS files that you select for downloading and delete duplicate entries.

HOSTS files I use:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
http://hosts-file.net/?s=Download

I don't use Spybot S&D HOSTS file as I'm not sure of how accurate the entries are and how often they are validated for removal of dead entries.

I use its HostsServer proxy to speed up browsing but I don't use its Auto update function as I prefer to manually update myself when I see that a new release is announced.

In simple terms, is a HOST file basically a block list of restricted sites?

It's more than that, although it's rather popular for blocking advertising and malware sites. You'll still need to use things like Firefox's Adblock Plus, and even IE7Pro in Internet Explorer to block more specific things.

in my understanding HOST Files block the sites through some/most Ads. Ad Blockers remove the Ad from the site.