Discussion on:

Which Spyware Removal tool do you use? Take the poll.

because it is hard to beat MalwareBytes for a good removal tool. Second on my list is Spybot. I personally wouldn't even bother with the others.

I agree - Malwarebytes is the only one for me.

how about a link to it so we can try it?

http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe




* Double-click mbam-setup.exe and follow the prompts to install the program.

* At the end, be sure a checkmark is placed next to Update Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware and Launch Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware, then click Finish.

* If an update is found, it will download and install the latest version.

* Once the program has loaded, select Perform Quick Scan, then click Scan.

* When the scan is complete, click OK, then Show Results to view the results.


* Be sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.

I'll let you know what I think of it.

malwarebytes.org

I seem to settle with AdAware or Spybot Search and Destroy, for anything McAfee can't beat.

I did try MalwareBytes a few days ago, my fathers laptop got WinWeb Security installed on it somehow (63 viruses!!! oh no, Autorun is a virus?) and MalwareBytes refused to find it (even though it was meant to be able to), I ended up going commando style deleting it

FORMAT C: /FS:NTFS

Only joking.

What is spyware? I hardly ever encounter it.

I have usually used Spybot. I think its pretty good but there are a few things it does not pick up occasionally. My alternative which I use mainly for full scans rather than the real-time protection is SuperAntiSpyware. Try it. I think you might be pleasantly surprised. I find it to be very comprehensive in its searches.

Malware bytes is great, but have been playing around with SuperAntiSpyware and have found it to be excellent at removing alot of nasty things....

best of the few availible free to less than w2k. Spybot doesn't find near as much.

is the tool I start with, then others if needed.

cause none run on linux.

LOVE bringing that up, don't you

that will be me soon...

Malware bytes, free from malwarebytes.org The paid version is only $25 for a lifetime. And it's one of the few that will remove mircro AV 2009 and also has been reported to remove various strains of Vundo that many AV vendors could not.

I just spent all day yesterday with a users laptop infected with Vundo. Our BitDefender Enterprise 3.0 Deep scan saw nothing. Kaspersky online scan - nothing. Trend Micro online scan - nothing. Spybot S&D found it and claimed to clean it but, it was back after reboot. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware cleaned it right up. Before that, I'd never heard of Vundo or Malwarebytes.

Just had to clean a machine with Vundo this morning and Malwarebytes fixed it in one pass.

A poll should be put in alphabetical order, instead of listing what you feel as your choice as first.

I have no dog in that hunt.

I put them in the order that I had on the sheet of paper I was using when researching some of the more popular ones.

But you're right, I should have put them in alphabetical order. Oh well, no one's perfect.

Edit:

By the way, I think people around here are too smart to be led to pick something just because it's at the top of a poll. In fact, as of now, the choice for other is the third most picked, even though it was at the bottom of the list of answers.

it is still done.

I guess I am just cynical these days, huh? So many polls are use/misused/led these days, it seems to be second nature to question them if they seem to be not following accepted standards.

Sorry to be adversial....

Much like Claree (Olympia Dukakis)said to Annelle (Daryl Hannah) in one of my favorite movies, Steel Magnolias..."Oh JD, ya gotta lighten up."

me lightening up!

I did the whole admit I was wrong thing... well, as much as I can....

Steel Magnolias... Will just have to take your word on that one! I would have my "guy card" revoked if I were to watch that....

So, I can assume that I shouldn't get you the DVD of "The Women" for Christmas?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430770/

Actually, I haven't seen that version, but the 1939 version is a classic.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032143/

.

By the way, I think people around here are too smart to be led to pick something just because it's at the top of a poll.

How's THIS for stupid. Here in RI, they wanted to be fair to the candidates by NOT listing them in alphabetical order. So, they put all the choices into a hat and pulled them bingo style. Note that I said "choices" and not "candidates". You wanna know what was pulled to top the list? "None of the above". Brilliant, eh? And they didn't even have the smarts to label it "none of those below". Yep, some of our leaders are about six cents short of a nickle.

.....in some elections. Not so much in the U.S., but it has happened.

Malwarebytes.

Great for a managed PC business environment, and really good at catching spyware. What it doesn't catch gets cleaned with Malwarebytes.

What do most readers think of it as compared to say Malwarebytes ? Thanks.

Does a good job of finding and removing issues, but it seemed to be a resource hog making the cure as bad as the ailment.

I install it, clean things up, and then remove it.

I agree Counterspy is a resource hog -- But wouldn't this apply to any product using real time monitoring ? Serious question ...

Symantec Endpoint Protection 11
FYI: Spybot gets PAID to ignore spyware by vendors. They are part of the problem.

I thought we killed everyone who knew that.
No, seriously, jaxplanet - that's a bold statement. As a frequent SpyBot user, I'd like to know the basis of it.

Considering spyware venders are getting thrown in jail/sued and plain old shut down, I find it hard to believe spybot development teams are paid to ignore vender specific spyware.

Perhaps some proof to verify your wild claims?





I've tried most the malware scanners listed, Spybot has always worked the best for me, while adaware was the worst of them all (it even missed InternetOptimizer, a Pre SP2 Malware that you get by visiting any website without SP2)

for removal- superantispyware, malwarebytes

You really can't use just one. Adaware picks up stuff that Spybot might miss. Malware Bytes picks up stuff that Adaware might miss etc... I use Spybot, Adaware, Malware Bytes in that order. Some may do it differently but usually Spybot takes care of a bulk of the problems and the other two usually clean up anything it may leave behind.

AVG, Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware, and Zonealarm on home computers.

For networks, I've been using AVG Network Edition for several years, and have had great luck with it. I especially like the easy management, with AD integration letting you quickly scan every machine in AD to determine their status and automatically install to multiple workstations. I've used other products with similar capabilities, but AVG's seems the easiest to manage.

The first time I installed it, that network had always used Norton. Overall network speed and performance immediately improved in a big way. And, the first AVG scan caught over thirty infections that had existed for months! I've never looked back.

I also like a couple of other nifty little security tools on individual home computers. Active Ports (free at devicelock.com) monitors all port activity and uses a simple interface that tells you what ports are open, what processes are using them, and what remote IP's are associated with them. When you highlight an item it gives you two buttons: one click queries an IP, the other closes a selected port.

SnoopFree (also free at snoopfree.com) alerts you whenever any process, good or bad, tries to hook your screen or keyboard. It's been surprising to see how many benign programs try to do both, yet run just fine without allowing them that capability.

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware

I use AVG 8.0 - EXCELLENT PRODUCT!

I have McAfee and Spybot which seems to do the job, the biggest mistake is downloading some of the free scans available.
I have had fro 2 to 1500 faults reported through these products and if I didn't know better I would have been scared to death of connecting to the Internet.