I may have found a new fave AntiSpyware App!

[winexprt]

...and it's from....MICROSOFT! :eek: LOL

Seriously, I REALLY like it. Nice looking GUI, and it caught AND REMOVED stuff that AdAware (and Notron AntiVirus for that mattter) either: couldn't find, and/or found, and couldn't remove.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

[mike p]

I will have to download that. Tha

[mike p]

thanks!



I need to stop using decuma!!

[zackepceo]

What about.. spybot?

[winexprt]

What about.. spybot?

I kinda gave up on spybot a while ago. I still update it all the time, and it never seems to catch anywhere NEAR as much stuff as AdAware does.

[zackepceo]

The newish AdAware SE is much better than the old AdAware.

[winexprt]

I currently use AdAwareSE.

Sidenote: After running this new app...it went and deleted my eDonkey app. The whole freakin' app! Hmmm.

[CraigBMCM]

I wanted to install this, but I can't be bothered to look at my PC's XP license key. I'll wait till Saturday, when I trek back down to Southampton for another year of uni. Well, a few months until my next holiday. :D

[meir87]

If you hit continue you have the option not to validate.

[StoneRyno]

I currently use AdAwareSE.

Sidenote: After running this new app...it went and deleted my eDonkey app. The whole freakin' app! Hmmm.

Thats odd I am using eDonkey (an old version like 0.xx) it never has a problem with it. I hear there is a new one like eDonkey 2000 or something like that. Its not compatable with the private server I connect to though.

[StoneRyno]

One has to ask the question of how much will MS rip us off to use this application.

I use panda, adaware se, the latest spybot, and spywareblaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html)

I have not had a piece of spyware or virus on my system in over a year. I found out norton doesn't get all virii and discovered I had 18 virii with panda that norton didn't find. There are a few other pieces of software you can use to protect your system from certain types of invasive things but they don't remove things. Socketlock, shoot the messenger, and a few others I can't thing of off hand. i have the links at home for them somewhere.

[SamuraiCatJB]

...and it's from....MICROSOFT! :eek: LOL

Seriously, I REALLY like it. Nice looking GUI, and it caught AND REMOVED stuff that AdAware (and Notron AntiVirus for that mattter) either: couldn't find, and/or found, and couldn't remove.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

microsoft CAN make things good.... they just stop trying after they corner the market and shut out competition. :D So as soon as they kill the other spyware detectors, this will become just like any other MS product. :D

[winexprt]

One has to ask the question of how much will MS rip us off to use this application.

I use panda, adaware se, the latest spybot, and spywareblaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html)

I have not had a piece of spyware or virus on my system in over a year. I found out norton doesn't get all virii and discovered I had 18 virii with panda that norton didn't find. There are a few other pieces of software you can use to protect your system from certain types of invasive things but they don't remove things. Socketlock, shoot the messenger, and a few others I can't thing of off hand. i have the links at home for them somewhere.

I agree. I think that was the last of the Microsoft AntiSpyware app on my laptop. The whole business of removing an entire app kinda did it for me. totally turned me off to this program. it's off to 'Add or Remove programs' for me. LOL

BTW, the plural of virus is not virii. It's viruses. virii has a whole 'nother meaning in latin we won't get into here. lol ;) :p

[StoneRyno]

I agree. I think that was the last of the Microsoft AntiSpyware app on my laptop. The whole business of removing an entire app kinda did it for me. totally turned me off to this program. it's off to 'Add or Remove programs' for me. LOL

BTW, the plural of virus is not virii. It's viruses. virii has a whole 'nother meaning in latin we won't get into here. lol ;) :p

lol I didn't know that wasn't the plural any more. I hear it all the time in sciene talk. When did the change take place :)

WinPatrol (free) is another good software. It monitors for certain types of activity on your system like startup items being added, file type changes, scheduled tasks being added, IE helpers, and other stuff.

mrublaster will get rid of alot of the mru traking lists kept on your pc that can be retrieved via various things and used to compile personal info and habits and info about your pc etc.

BHOdemon is a great browser helper object monitoring utility. It will let you knowwhen newones are added, or when existing ones are removed.

contained here in this link http://grc.com/default.htm you will find a web based thing called shieldsup and is great for testing your firewall to see if your pc is vunerable in any ways.

I know many have used hijackthis to locate and remove unusual stuff that other things don't find. I however have never needed to use it and it is best to be an advanced knowledge user to use it from what I remember.

Anyone know of any other good free anti-spyware or related type apps?

[mr nutso]

Downloaded the MS beta and will give it a try.

Ran my latest version of Adaware with the latest update and found 66 items. I did not remove them, but downloaded and installed Adaware SE and found 82 total items, including one bady. Deleted them all of course.

What I find interesting is that in late November or early December we added some hardware and software to the network in response to spam and ad ware. Until that time (some 5 years) I infruently got ad ware on my machine and no spam. Since that time, I get a spam message a couple times a week, and just found 82 ad ware items. :rolleyes:

[mr nutso]

Tried MS. Found nothing new after running Adware SE, except for our network remote access controls.

Of course MS tried to take over my machine with scheduled checks and such, and icons in the system tray.

[ucfgrad93]

I use AdAware, Spybot, and Norton Antivirus on my computer. The combination does a fairly good job. The last problem I had on my home computer was that my homepage got hijacked.

[winexprt]

Of course MS tried to take over my machine with scheduled checks and such, and icons in the system tray.

PRECISELY why it no longer resides on this laptop owned by yours truly. ;)

MS STILL just doesn't get it.

[StoneRyno]

I use AdAware, Spybot, and Norton Antivirus on my computer. The combination does a fairly good job. The last problem I had on my home computer was that my homepage got hijacked.

WinPatrol guards against home page changes. I little window will popup telling you the change is happening do you want to allow it. I think Spybot has this too but I can't locate the info at the moment.

[hucsman]

Just installed and ran it. It also warned me about edonkey, but being MS, I already expected it to pull something like that :rolleyes:

[SamuraiCatJB]

Just installed and ran it. It also warned me about edonkey, but being MS, I already expected it to pull something like that :rolleyes:

it also warns you of VNC installed for remote control, if you use that instead of remote desktop. However, that was warning level instead of immeadiate concern so it defaulted to ignore.

[mr nutso]

Thats what it gave me.

[hucsman]

Man, I just wish I had the market power MS has...
1. Release OS full of holes.
2. Release mediocre patches to keep people quiet; complain about "them clever hackers".
3. Release antispy/antivirus for free during beta period;promote it and get people hooked.
4- Charge for something your OS should have built in later on.

[JackAxe]

And the best part, is that people continue to buy into it because they think that there are no alternatives. :rolleyes: *cOSXugh* :)

<]=)

[StoneRyno]

Thats why I promote opensource and free stuff. And research non-micrsoft titles and try to educate people to not buy into their monopoly. I tell people its ok to use their OS since you more or less don't have a choice unless you aren't a noob to pcs, but on everything else there are choices. Its nice they are offering software free to use during beta but as soon as its out of beta its pretty much a certainty it will cost you to buy and might not be reasonably priced.

:) ok I will try to stay off of ranting.

[SamuraiCatJB]

Thats why I promote opensource and free stuff.

:) ok I will try to stay off of ranting.

preaching to choir here... ;) I am the king of free. :)

[JackAxe]

Yep we're the choir. :)

OSX was an easy sale for my noob PC friends, it only took a few moments on my Powerbook for most of them to switch and spend their upgrade money on a Mac. My friends with more experience took a few years, but a few of them finally moved over last year. :) True hardware to software integration was just one of many thing that really helped to show them the inherent weakness of Windows.

<]=)

[jjsahagun]

Have any of you read the EULA?. It says that the program will stop working July, 05 and no new updtaes will be available.
Do they plan to launch the final application after this date?

[*YellowRose*]

...and it's from....MICROSOFT! :eek: LOL

Seriously, I REALLY like it. Nice looking GUI, and it caught AND REMOVED stuff that AdAware (and Notron AntiVirus for that mattter) either: couldn't find, and/or found, and couldn't remove.

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

HAHAHAHA! You know it's got to be getting bad when MS makes a program to 'fix' it . . . Thanks for the heads up!!

[StoneRyno]

Here's some food for thought. How many of the things does it detect that are false possitives? Take this for example:

PestPatrol I thought was a nice spyware remover until I had discovered in the neighborhood of some 2 dozen give or take false possitives. I communicated with the writers of the software and used just about every other means to verify that they were in fact spyware free. Some of the apps were opensource and/or free spyware removers like Bazooka. PestPatrol sent in reply to out requests to remove the false possitives a refusal to do so. This
tells me that they are selective trying to discredit or ruin those people.

Or maybe not so likely but I wouldn't put it past MS to create spyware or pay someone to so they can sell their remover to get rid of it?

[matrix42]

microsoft CAN make things good.... they just stop trying after they corner the market and shut out competition. :D So as soon as they kill the other spyware detectors, this will become just like any other MS product. :D

Actually they bought the software/company.

[SamuraiCatJB]

Actually they bought the software/company.

which is the other way MS makes things.... however, same rules apply. mass market push to destroy competition, then complete lack of support and upgrades until product drops in quality. :)

[JackAxe]

Yipee, go Microsoft. :D

I will probably never upgrade my Office, since each new release is just a more bloated update of the previous whith really nothing new or worth the price.

<]=)

[jhintonh]

Good Evening-

Tried it...hated it...removed it...all within 48 hours. I cannot stand system tray icons. The only ones I have are Hotsync (duh), AVG, Konfabulator, ePrompter and (damn it!) QuickTime. Anybody know how to get rid of the QuickTime icon?

BTW, AVG which is free Anti-Virus from Grisoft is very good. I have been using it for about six months. And they just recently updated it.

And before you ask, ePrompter is a neat little piece of software that simultaneously checks up to 16 email addresses at once. You can set its frequency (how often it checks) and even somewhat control the GUI (very limited). It puts a small color coded circle with a number in it in your system tray. The color corresponds to a partuclar email account and the number is the number of new emails on that account. Best of all...it is free.

-Jhintonh

[jhintonh]

Good Evening-

Oh and Spybot has the worst interface on the planet. Do not recommend this to your Grandma for her to install and run to get rid of malware. She will swear off of PCs for good.

-Jhintonh

[jhintonh]

Good Evening-

And Norton is disgustingly bloated with a voracious appetite for your system resources. And AVG is free. Plus, AVG costs nothing. And AVG does not charge you for their software. You get the point.

-Jhintonh

P.S. I have no affiliation with AVG or Grisoft other than I use their product.

[winexprt]

Good Evening-

Tried it...hated it...removed it...all within 48 hours. I cannot stand system tray icons. The only ones I have are Hotsync (duh), AVG, Konfabulator, ePrompter and (damn it!) QuickTime. Anybody know how to get rid of the QuickTime icon?


In QuickTime player: Edit -> Prefrences -> QuickTime Settings -> Browser Plug-in, then un-check Quicktime system try icon.

Took me AGES to figger out that one, since it's buried so deep. ;)

[winexprt]

Good Evening-

Oh and Spybot has the worst interface on the planet. Do not recommend this to your Grandma for her to install and run to get rid of malware. She will swear off of PCs for good.

-Jhintonh

Word up! :p

Couldn't agree more. It wins the "Most cluttered & needlessly complicated GUI on the PLANET" award hands down.

It even confused yours truly...Ol' wine, when he first used it. ;) And I ain't no Granny even! :P

[StoneRyno]

Yipee, go Microsoft. :D

I will probably never upgrade my Office, since each new release is just a more bloated update of the previous whith really nothing new or worth the price.

<]=)

I stopped using ms office all together and use openoffice on my pc and docstogo and mobisystems database pro on my palm for databases.

docstogo came with my palm and I will likely buy mobisystems app since it don't come for free :| but the free ones just don't do what I want.

Sybots GUI could use some improvement but you can't deny its usefulness as a remover. Along with adaware and spywareblaster I get 99% of the stuff and keep it off. on rare occation I will get some obscure thing and have to use a few misc things like hijackthis or other stuff i have mentioned.

AVG I agree it is nice that its free. And it is a decent virus protector. However there are some viruses at least back when I tried it out that it didn't recognise or managed to slip right by undetected. But since you say they updated it maybe they got all the extra stuff added now. I use panda platinum internet security 2005 its got a whole bunch of stuff in it. I changed over when I found more than 18 viruses on my pc that norton didn't recognize.

[Cheechwhiz]

Re: jhintonh
I found a little dealie called Startup Inspector that lets you edit the [duh] startup items. Cleans out those tray icons and lets you specify what actually starts up.
You can free up some resources with it. I dropped about 6-8 things that just didn't seem necessary.
Nice part is that it has a reference that tells you what that weird one you could never figure out called "fhyuignsdx.dwy" is and what installed it.

[jhintonh]

In QuickTime player: Edit -> Prefrences -> QuickTime Settings -> Browser Plug-in, then un-check Quicktime system try icon.

Took me AGES to figger out that one, since it's buried so deep. ;)

Good Morning-

Excellent! Bye-bye stupid blue Q! I appreciate the tip BFAM (Bro From Another Mutha).

-Jhintonh

[jhintonh]

Re: jhintonh
I found a little dealie called Startup Inspector that lets you edit the [duh] startup items. Cleans out those tray icons and lets you specify what actually starts up.
You can free up some resources with it. I dropped about 6-8 things that just didn't seem necessary.
Nice part is that it has a reference that tells you what that weird one you could never figure out called "fhyuignsdx.dwy" is and what installed it.

Good Morning-

Interesting...I will investigate. Thank you.

-Jhintonh

[StoneRyno]

Re: jhintonh
I found a little dealie called Startup Inspector that lets you edit the [duh] startup items. Cleans out those tray icons and lets you specify what actually starts up.
You can free up some resources with it. I dropped about 6-8 things that just didn't seem necessary.
Nice part is that it has a reference that tells you what that weird one you could never figure out called "fhyuignsdx.dwy" is and what installed it.

Got a link to that app I'd like to check it out.

[zackepceo]

Try Run> MSCONFIG and then the Startup tab.

[StoneRyno]

Try Run> MSCONFIG and then the Startup tab.

This was not included as part of win2k. Besides I'm more interested for curiousity sake. I want to see how well the designed the app. I gather info on all there different kind of tools and use the ones that are well designed and also put them on customers pcs if they are good enough for their use. If the apps are good enough it helps me trouble shoot with customers over the phone :)

[Sid]

And the best part, is that people continue to buy into it because they think that there are no alternatives. :rolleyes: *cOSXugh* :)

<]=)

I posted this before, but it's still good:
Why does Windows still suck? (http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/)

Here's an excerpt:
Here, then, is my big obvious question: Why the hell do people put up with this? Why is there not some massive revolt, some huge insurrection against Microsoft? Why is there not a huge contingent of furious users stomping up to Seattle with torches and scythes and crowbars, demanding the Windows Frankenstein monster be sacrificed at the altar of decent functionality and an elegant user interface?

There is nothing else like this phenomenon in the entire consumer culture. If anything else performed as horribly as Windows, and on such a global scale, consumers would scream bloody murder and demand their money back and there would be some sort of investigation, class-action litigation, a demand for Bill Gates' cute little geeky head on a platter.

[SamuraiCatJB]

I posted this before, but it's still good:
Why does Windows still suck? (http://sfgate.com/columnists/morford/)

Here's an excerpt:
Here, then, is my big obvious question: Why the hell do people put up with this? Why is there not some massive revolt, some huge insurrection against Microsoft? Why is there not a huge contingent of furious users stomping up to Seattle with torches and scythes and crowbars, demanding the Windows Frankenstein monster be sacrificed at the altar of decent functionality and an elegant user interface?

There is nothing else like this phenomenon in the entire consumer culture. If anything else performed as horribly as Windows, and on such a global scale, consumers would scream bloody murder and demand their money back and there would be some sort of investigation, class-action litigation, a demand for Bill Gates' cute little geeky head on a platter.


we live in the age of "Chuck" syndrome. :) no, not Chucky... but Night Shift's Henry Winkler as "Chuck" the guy who puts up with everything. We have been taught that if we complain, we get it worse... Microsoft counter-sues everyone who sues, claiming that if you have a suit against them it is bad publicity, so litterally saying to complain in public is a crime against their image. They are the goliath, and there is no david. Even in the US Government and state suits, eventually they either backed down or settled because it is too expensive to hold out against MS who delays, draws out court costs and makes the suit petitioners pay out the nose their dearest blood. Microsoft does not take prisoners.

So eventually people give up, if the US government looses against MS, their states do, various companies do, and even the ones who win, still go under because they are crushed by the MS machine, they win the battle, and loose the war in the same breath. And this has not gone un-noticed. Thus there is a lack of hope, without hope, there is no desire for better, thus everyone "settles". There are alternatives, but a state of hopelessness tends to narrow your focus even more, creating a one-track path: I have no choice, I must go this way, though it is miserable, it is my only chance... etc.

[StoneRyno]

Only one thing will change the hold MS has on the OS market and on the suits against them. And that is the goverment disolving MS and or opening the complete source code to the public and there for resulting in other OSes based on that code. What doesn't help the issue is the continued 3rd party software support. If more and more companies would multiplatform their software you would get a lot larger area of people changing to linux (I think would be the most likely alternative). Of course there is macs too but people that already own pcs aren't likely to buy a mac unless their pc is too old. I am still considering putting linux on my new pc despite some of the software I want to use is windows only. i have petitioned those companies to make linux versions of their software and a couple of them have replied back to me. One of them said they are developing a linux version. The other said they will never have anything to with linux. I of course replied back to that company informing them that I feel their desision is extremely bad and that they would be losing out on a market of people that could get larger over the next couple years. If we see what I know many of us hope for a more equally shared market between MS and primarily linux but not excluding the other OSes then a companies refusal to deal with non-windows OSes could end up being that companies downfall.

[SamuraiCatJB]

Only one thing will change the hold MS has on the OS market and on the suits against them. And that is the goverment disolving MS and or opening the complete source code to the public and there for resulting in other OSes based on that code.

Not going to happen.... what you don't know is what happened with the last threat to disolve MS.... the government was going through with the anti-trust lawsuit that would result in only one decision, disolve MS into parts.

Gates said, fine... I give in... But instead of separating, I will disolve the corporation, keep the assets and retire the entire corporation.... The government having manditory MS use licenses had no choice but to back off. Anti-trust lawsuits were dropped, and judges requested by the government to rule that no harm was done.

end of story. :)

[hucsman]

I don't agree either, at least on the "mac" side. There were many reasons in the past why I didn't want to go that way: incompatibility, price, and financial dependance. But right now, after the vicious attack of viruses/spyware to the win platform, that most of the pro apps are multiplatform, apple's strategy of making macs affordable, the victory of consoles in the gaming world, and simply that I'm moving out of my parent's house in the near future; I see macs as an alternative. I won't be switching fast, simply because my notebook is barely one year old, but my next computer is most likely going to be a mac, regardless of what happens with MS; I'm just fed up.

[Sid]

Not going to happen.... what you don't know is what happened with the last threat to disolve MS.... the government was going through with the anti-trust lawsuit that would result in only one decision, disolve MS into parts.

Gates said, fine... I give in... But instead of separating, I will disolve the corporation, keep the assets and retire the entire corporation.... The government having manditory MS use licenses had no choice but to back off. Anti-trust lawsuits were dropped, and judges requested by the government to rule that no harm was done.

end of story. :)

Well if the corporation that provides the software and holds the license(s) is disolved, then so should the obligation on the part of the govt. , or any MS licensee.
Also, the govt. should have threatened to go after Gates' assets then, a company that is in the position that MS is in has an obligation to not just close down and orphan a HUGE customer base.

[SamuraiCatJB]

Well if the corporation that provides the software and holds the license(s) is disolved, then so should the obligation on the part of the govt. , or any MS licensee.
Also, the govt. should have threatened to go after Gates' assets then, a company that is in the position that MS is in has an obligation to not just close down and orphan a HUGE customer base.

you don't understand, the government is the one with the demands that MS is the software of choice, you have to prove why you buy a competitor's software if you buy non-MS. Not sure the deal or why, but isn't the loss of obligation, it is the loss of support on 99% of the software base of every federal and state institution. that is a severe and powerful threat.

[Sid]

you don't understand, the government is the one with the demands that MS is the software of choice, you have to prove why you buy a competitor's software if you buy non-MS. Not sure the deal or why, but isn't the loss of obligation, it is the loss of support on 99% of the software base of every federal and state institution. that is a severe and powerful threat.
Thanks for the clarification. I guess what some of you were saying in the now defunct Politics forum about how the government is f****d up was true. :D

[SamuraiCatJB]

Thanks for the clarification. I guess what some of you were saying in the now defunct Politics forum about how the government is f****d up was true. :D

nope, just software is like a drug... your "pusher" gives you deep discounts until you are completely dependant on it, then you are truly messed up.

That's why I avoid MS and alcohol. :D :p