Out of every combination and single spyware removals what do you say is the very best to have.
Also what is the must have out of all of them.

Thanks for your answers

This all comes down to opinon really, everyone feels different, i think Spysweeper (webroot) is the best with Ad-aware as a backup....IMHO

--lee

I think Ad-aware SE and Spybot S&D work well together.

Good luck!

webroot spysweeper +
adaware +
spybot s&d +
gaint antispyware (not microsoft antispy which is still under beta release)

Proven to be the best, as seen here:

CWShredder 2.12
Spyware Blaster 3.2
Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.05
Spybot S&D 1.3.1TX
CCleaner 1.16.084
Hijack This

I use Ad-Aware Se, Spybot S&D, and SpywareBlaster.

Before I install any new unknown software that may or could contain spyware I make a backup using WinRescue, and System Restore. I also trace/track each installation with InCtrl5, therefore if something is installed that is spyware, etc., I can easily, and perhaps completely get rid of it using my WinRescue and System Restore backups.

top choices:
Zerospyware 2005, Spysweeper, MS/Sunbelt Giant
Why - the highest ratings for spyware removal in random spyware tests (around 80% or higher)

The winner:
Zerospyware 2005

here is why:
In addition to having very high find and removal capabiliites
vastly Superior user interface (you have to see it to believe it) very easy to use
Full intrusion detection and protection mechanisms to block home page and registry changes, even gaurds against LSP changes.
Vulnerability scanning
Best real time alerts
24/7 - live remote restore assistance - yep you heard right 24/7 access to a live support tech to answer and remediate any spyware issues you have.
Definition updates every 2-3 days

Built in Hijcak this type diagnostics (also tied to the remote restore) live techs can pull a full diagnostic from you and review it with you in case you have problems. This is a much safer approach than hijack this.

Automated discovery of unclassified applications - this is by far the coolest feature for me. This app has a a large whitelist of applications and provides full details on any process you have running (sort of like wintasks). All running process are clasified as trusted, spyware, or unknown. Each one is clickable to provide full details on what the process does and why its there. This means that you can be 100% sure that you don't have spyware on your system with just one application.

Note on the freeware apps: I love free stuff as much as the next guy. Problem is these apps are no good. Spybot has a removal rating of about 30-40% adaware about 50%. Also adaware has a number of known MAJOR false positives than can ruin your system. Do not trust this app. Adaware has detected several other anti-sypware applications as spyware. Integrity is a big issue in this area. False positives are bad bad bad.

The best stuff is free.

Not just that, you need more than just one to get everything from your system.

From what I've seen, the top three are Ad-Aware SE 1.05, Spybot S&D1.3.1TX and MS AntiSpyware (will be better after they are out of beta).

I prefer working with something like Hijackthis or LSPfix though, i just feel better knowing the malware is killed before i start scanning.

--lee

I've seen a lot of people share this sentiment but I can't figure out why. I've been a software developer for 15 years and I don't see the relationship between free and quality. Isn't the best stuff simply what works the best? It's pretty amazing what a company with dozens or hundreds of highly paid and motivated programmers can come up with when focused on solving a problem.

Maintaining a proper spyware database is expensive. It requires a large team of people to gather, test, and update the database. Obviously somoene needs to pay for that. In Lavasoft's case they make money from the upsell to plus. Perhaps not enough money as they have suffered from a number of serious false positives lately including identifying Spybot S&D as 180 solutions. They also have a number of other known false positives that they have not addressed for many months. Their support is ofcourse non-existant.

I don't have a grudge against Adaware, and in fact I think its not a bad program especially considering that its free. But I wouldn't recommend it over one of the paid programs. Spysweeper is better, MSAS is better, Zerospyare is better. Note MSAS is free as well. Adaware does do much better than spybot S&D when it comes to scanning and removal. But neither do as well as most of the apps I listed above.

In my view the price of the software and the quality of the service provided should be seperately evaluated, especially when it comes to security and especially when the price we are talking about is $29.95. Why not spend the money, if the company is able to use it to provide a better maintained spyware database, and strong customer support to answer questions and help solve spyware problems?

-W

how long have you been playing since your a advanced member

Bot?

Possibly, but ill wait and see if sense comes of his post.

--lee

None of his posts make sense

Microsoft Antispy
+
Ad-ware
+
Spybot V1.3 Or V1.4 Beta...

I use Ad-Aware SE Professional and Webroot Spy Sweeper as a backup. I use Webroot Spysweeper's shields and Ad-Aware's scanning system. I've noticed that Ad-aware SE Professional actually detects more than the personal one does and it is not just the ad-watch that makes it better.

Ad-Aware takes up more RAM than Spy Sweeper does but Spy Sweeper takes longer to scan. I would also recommend Spybot Search and Destroy. Spybot S&D does not slow down my computer unlike all other anti-spyware apps. It scans very quickly and deeply. Both Ad-Aware and Spy Sweeper find more spyware than Spybot though.

However, I DO NOT RECCOMEND eTrust PestPatrol. A friend of mine has used it and it apparently deletes the whole folder in which the spyware is located. Because of this, my friend's computer had the WINDOWS folder deleted from his hard drive and his computer was no longer functional.

how many people have tried trend micro's housecall? it has the ability to scan your computer on-line through your web browser, its free and updated regularly.

the beta version also scans for spyware as well as viruses.

but the downside is that as its not installed on your system and not running all the time you dont get 24/7 protection, but its still usefull.

http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ <-- try it and let me know!

I Try That...It Is Not Bad...But To Scan For Spyware It Is Recommend To Use Anti-Spy Programme...

I don't really like any web-based scans.... it's not that fast and can be unsettling sometimes -- once I got an e-mail from Panda (another web-scan) and the subject was "YOUR COMPUTER IS NOT PROTECTED! BEWARE!" ... slightly ... scary, coming from a anti-virus site

NOD32 2.5 (still in beta) was awarded the Checkmark of certification for spyware detection. I have it but, I havent really had spyware to try it on

i found a very nice shareware...

Spyware Eliminator 4.0

so i will recommend both Webroot Spysweeper and Spyware Eliminator...

I dislike Spybot S&D it caused my computer to lag and seemed to mess with things to much.It also messed with my friends computer, (deleting win32 .dlls or somthing like that)

I wasn't that keen on it anyway.I just use Ad-Aware, and I don't get spyware that much anyway, so no worries.

Am i the only one who gets anoyyed by Skeeters "fake quotes" :-/.

You really need to run more than just one. Spybot was possibly deleting FAKE Win *.DLL files that are malware in disguise. I use Ad-Aware, Spybot 1.4 RC2 and MSAS with no problems.


You're not the only one. I don't even read them cause I see them as possibly quoting someone else.

Spybot S&D 1.4 has new icons, but that's about it. It still works and it works well. I'm liking MSAS best. Creepy. o.o

My fav. is Spybot S&D 1.4 (they improved many things...), number two is MS Anti Spyware, very nice...

Original words my man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SpywareBlaster and the SpywareBlaster Guard I added to my arsenal and seems to integrate with my Anyi-Viruses Programs.

PS> Not a Quote..LOL..........

I use Webroot Spy Sweeper 4.03 I got from http://www.deprice.com/webrootspysweeper.htm and I am very happy with it. If you are going to get it, go to Froogle first and look for a discount

One will never be enough. ALWAYS use Ad-Aware and Spybot. If your OS is XP, 2000 or Server 2003 then use Microsoft Anti-Spyware as well.

Any clue where I can get a copy of InCtrl5(or similar app) I cant find it anywhere.

Google is your friend:
http://www.google.com/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=InCtrl5

No google is my best and I already tried that but all the links point to pcmag from which I cant download it .

http://www.pcmag.com/premium_offer/0%2C244..._page=&discuss=

You didn't look hard enough. I found it through Google.

http://lansys.ch/arch/bin/win32/InCtrl5/

Thanks Tarun

Anyone know if there is a way of removing files and registry keys a app modified using InCtrl5? Or do I have to browse for the keys and files and remove them manualy

UndoREG works with InCtl.
http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/undoreg.html

That is an excellent list, i use all of it save the spyware blaster. If you follow Taruns list, you cant go wrong.

)corjello(

Wow that's old. I'm glad I constantly update that package.