Found a cool program on download.com

It appears that MS is going to continue sending signature updates to SunBelt for the CounterSpy program until July, 2007. Something about the remaining affiliation they had with Giant. So, if I translate this correctly, CounterSpy uses the exact same spyware definitions/signatures as the MS AnitSpy *plus* whatever SunBelt finds themselves and receives from the community, which is why I chose to go with CounterSpy. It's almost like buying into two anti spyware programs at once, and having the technology and security of two major companies behind it.





Here's the quote I am referring to copy and pasted directly from Sunbelt's website:





"Anti-spyware solutions require definition updates-signatures of known spyware and other unwanted software-that are necessary to keep the solutions up-to-date. Because of a legal agreement between Sunbelt Software and Giant that preceded the Microsoft acquisition, Microsoft will provide spyware signature updates to Sunbelt through July 2007."
 
what a good time for this post. I got a new laptop last month, Dell 700M and like all my computers I put Adware, Spybot, spywaresweeper and Avast on it right away.



I got a nasty Malware program yesterday, the Norton system that came with the dell wouldnt do a thing to get rid of it, great.



I searched and searched and found a highly recomended program here http://www.ewido.net/en/download/ I had never heard of it before so I asked our IT guy and he said its great.



Put it on and it removed the nasty Aurora and Nail proggie that none of the others found. Put it on my girl's computer tonight, a computer that gets adware scans very often and one that is protected by Spyware sweeper and MS spyware program. This new program found 261 problems and none were simple cookies.



I would highly recomend you give it a shot, its free of course
 
I use CCleaner alot also.



For me personally though, i format and re install windows 3-6 times a year.



I have my p2p on one partition, other bogus crap on another one, and my OS on C:, along with simple downloadable stuff.



Anything i DL from my p2p i burn and delete off my computer



Formatting and re installing windows only takes about 40 minutes, and its crisp and quick again, and plus, i can swap out MB's if i have something i am trying out :)



So, if you have alot of important stuff, keep it on another partition other than the OS, this way you wont be freaking out if you have to do something major.
 
I downloaded the Ewido program from the link provided, and ran a full scan. It found 179 total threats, but all but two of them were cookies. I did notice that it locks up if I remove the threats as it searches, and I had to restart my computer.



It seems like all of the really good ones are all so close to one another that it really doesn't matter which one you go with, whether it be SpyBot, SpySweeper, MS AntiSpy, CounterSpy, Ewido, etc. All very good programs.



Not that it matters, but here's my picks in order from most to least favorite:



CounterSpy (favorite)

SpySweeper

Ewido

MS AntiSpy (certainly the best FREE program I have found)

SpyBot (least favorite due to lockups)
 
It's always safe to have two or three anti-spyware apps, one finds things that the others don't. There's the hassle of having to update your virus and anti-spyware apps, but it's worth it imo.
 
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