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Thread: Adware/spyware removal

  1. #1
    Senior Member ajbrun's Avatar
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    Unhappy Adware/spyware removal

    I'm looking for free programs that will get rid of all the bad stuff from the internet before it arrives on my PC. I have three programs now, but I'm not sure if they all run and get rid of stuff while I surf. I have:

    * Spybot - I'm OK with this .
    * Ad-aware - don't think it works while I surf, unless I pay aprox £20 .
    * CWShredder - Is this good, does it work while I surf? I just don't know .

    Any better suggestions that are free will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

  2. #2
    Will work for beer... nichomach's Avatar
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    You're right on Ad-Aware; the free version is a manual scan , the licensed version does the AdWatch stuff. So far as I'm aware, CWShredder is purely a utility to find and kill the CoolWebSearch trojan, so is kind of limited, but apparently does a better job of that than Ad-Aware or SpyBot (if it's still being updated).

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    Senior Member ajbrun's Avatar
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    But I'd like one that works while I surf.

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    Banned myth's Avatar
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    This one is NOT FREE! But it does it all, it monitors web sites and startups, and scans the memory! It does it all!!!!!


    http://www.webroot.com/wb/products/spysweeper/index.php

    You can try it for free! It will continue to work but you can only update it once!

  5. #5
    Senior Member ajbrun's Avatar
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    Well it's not much good if you can't update it.

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    Administrator Moby-Dick's Avatar
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    I found spysweeper to be a bit bloaty

    spybot is perfectly good , IF you run it in advanced mode and know what you are doing.
    I've looked at ad aware , but never needed it when clearing clients machines.

    I deal with spyware infested PC's on a day to daily basis and reckon on getting by with spybot and possibly cwshredder for that specific bit of malware.
    my Virtualisation Blog http://jfvi.co.uk Virtualisation Podcast http://vsoup.net

  7. #7
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    I use Pest Patrol on work PC's & Spybot for my own. Pest Patrol is good, but I find it to be a tad too paranoid. Spybot imo does the job well (& it's free).

    Always amazes me how some people get so cluttered with spyware/malware etc in the first place?
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  8. #8
    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    I have used Pest Patrol in the past (came bundled with AdSubtract Pro when I bought it) and it was pretty good, if a little paranoid, but the interface was horrendous.

    Here is the software I use and recommend, all free except for Zone Alarm Pro:
    http://www.adams-family.me.uk/index....&area=software

    In a nutshell, for prevention, detection, blocking and removal of malware, I use the following on Windows XP SP2:

    SpywareGuard - realtime scanning of downloads

    SpywareBlaster - one-off tweaks to harden IE and Firefox/Mozilla

    Spybot Search & Destroy - periodic system scan to find & purge malware

    HijackThis - periodic system scan to have a look for any "unusual" startup programs or extensions
    (Note, home page appears to be down currently, but a quick Google will show you can get this at MajorGeeks)

    StartupControlPanel - gives a complete at-a-glance overview of what is launching on your PC at bootup and login

    AVG 6 Free Edition - the ubiquitous AV

    Zone Alarm Pro - should the unthinkable happen and malware is installed and not detected, it is prevented from making a connection outbound without my knowledge and permission


    ("Hardware" firewalls do not offer any protection against malware unless they have built-in IDS/IPS functions, they are only really useful for protecting potentially vulnerable services from the outside world.)
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
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  9. #9
    Senior Member ajbrun's Avatar
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    Thanks for that Paul - I'll have a look at those bits of software in more detail.

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