greenknight Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 Since there seems to be a growing body of opinion that Windows Defender is not much good, are there better freeware alternatives? The only other free progs I'm aware of that offer realtime spyware protection are Spyware Terminator and Arovax Shield. Spyware Terminator has a very questionable pedigree which makes me hesitate to trust it, plus I've seen some reviews that were not good at all. Arovax Shield Beta had some problems that made me reluctant to try it, especially since there were reports of damage to the Registry when it was uninstalled. Is this fixed in the release version? Are there any others I don't know about, and are they safe? Is this type of protection even needed? I'd like to hear your thoughts on the subject. <edit> I originally typed "Spyware Exterminator". Very bad, rogue program, not what I meant at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I don't use any type of Spyware Shield, in fact I don't even use anti-virus, I've never had A problem with spyware or viruses either (I still do the occasional scan to check it), you just need to lock down your system properly :happybday: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capman Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I don't know if there was any damage to the registry when I uninstalled Arovax, but I know it was a PITA. It wanted to connect to the Arovax website, obviously to report back that someone was uninstalling one of their products. When it was blocked from doing so everything just froze. A forced restart was the only thing that would get my computer going again. Then I noticed that it was still listed in add/remove, so I tried running the uninstaller again, but it wouldn't, so I removed the add/remove entry using CCleaner. It will be quite some time before I try it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldmannen Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I don't like software with real-time protection, because they sit in the background and consume resources and slow down the system. I think I recall that Spyware Terminator has previously been on the rouge anti-spyware list. I wouldn't use something that been on the rouge anti-spyware list. Once bad, always bad. If they been bad before, it shows how much they care about other peoples security. I don't take my security lightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minu Posted January 4, 2007 Share Posted January 4, 2007 I think I recall that Spyware Terminator has previously been on the rouge anti-spyware list. I wouldn't use something that been on the rouge anti-spyware list. Once bad, always bad. If they been bad before, it shows how much they care about other peoples security. I don't take my security lightly. Very, very 'Closed Minded'. Spyware Terminator is a fine freebie and if you read what was said on Spyware Warrior, you will see there is nothing wrong with it. I guess once someone makes a mistake in life, in your book, there is no second chance at redemption. Once bad, always bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted January 4, 2007 Administrator Share Posted January 4, 2007 I don't know if there was any damage to the registry when I uninstalled Arovax, but I know it was a PITA. It wanted to connect to the Arovax website, obviously to report back that someone was uninstalling one of their products. When it was blocked from doing so everything just froze. A forced restart was the only thing that would get my computer going again. Then I noticed that it was still listed in add/remove, so I tried running the uninstaller again, but it wouldn't, so I removed the add/remove entry using CCleaner. It will be quite some time before I try it again. Yeah, they do like Google (when you uninstall Google Toolbar) and have you fill out a small form asking why you uninstalled and your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldmannen Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Very, very 'Closed Minded'. Well, I wouldn't let an ex-pedophile babysit my kids either. Nor would I hire an ex-embezzlement convict to handle the economy of my company, or employ a former bank-robber at the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minu Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Very, very 'Closed Minded'. Well, I wouldn't let an ex-pedophile babysit my kids either. Nor would I hire an ex-embezzlement convict to handle the economy of my company, or employ a former bank-robber at the bank. lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldmannen Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 You get the point. :happybday: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenknight Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Well, that started a lively discussion... Haven't gotten much spyware since we started using Firefox, so maybe it's not needed. There are 3 other users of this computer, though, you can see why I'm paranoid. Even though the others are reasonably cautious... I don't know if the person that thought Arovax Shield damaged their Registry really knew what they were talking about. All I know is, they did a System Restore to get their computer working again because they thought the Registry was damaged. Maybe all they needed was CCleaner. Stuff like that does make you leery, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minu Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 You get the point. No i don't. What do those extreme situations have to do with Spyware Terminator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eldmannen Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 You get the point. No i don't. What do those extreme situations have to do with Spyware Terminator I wouldn't use software to protect me from spyware when the creator of that software has been in the spyware business. I wont let the security of my system rely on software coming from someone who doesn't respect other peoples security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Tarun Posted January 5, 2007 Administrator Share Posted January 5, 2007 Spyware Warrior - About Spyware Terminator Note on SpywareTerminator: We originally listed Spyware Terminator on this page out of concerns that Crawler, the company behind the product, had established connections with IBIS, a well known adware distributor responsible for such adware programs as Wintools, Websearch, & Huntbar. Although we found no problems in our initial testing with Spyware Terminator, and while the vendor itself announced that it was exiting the adware business (1), we decided out of caution to impose a three month probation period before we would consider re-testing and, if warranted, de-listing the the product from the Rogue/Suspect list. During that three month probation period we monitored the behavior of IBIS and Crawler. At the end of the three month probation period we re-tested Spyware Terminator, again finding no problems serious enough to justify listing the program on this page. As the vendor involved has not been involved in the distribution of adware for many months, and as the program itself exhibits no problems serious enough to warrant mention on this page, we have decided to de-list Spyware Terminator from the Rogue/Suspect list and can no longer regard the program to be "rogue/suspect." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minu Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 And here is a quote from Eric L. Howes who is part of 'Spyware Warrior' to clear up some of the misconceptions. Hi All: Since the note at spyware Warrior regarding spyware terminator has become a subject of discussion, let me say a few things about that note. First, it's important to read the note carefully and not read into it more than is there. For instance, we never claimed that spyware terminator was malware itself (in fact, we also said quite clearly that it wasn't) or that spyware terminator was involved in the distribution of malware. We said the the company behind spyware terminator had at one time distributed adware, and we initially listed the product on the Rogue/Suspect list because of that connection, until we could get a better sense for the company's course of behavior following its decision to exit the adware business. Second, it's important to recognize that the Rogue/Suspect list includes a wide variety of products. On the low end, we list products that are bad at what they purport to do -- detect and remove spyware and adware. On the high end we have products that install malware themselves, that hijack users' PCs, or that use fraudulent tactics to push their products on unsuspecting consumers. My point is, don't assume that because a product is listed on the Rogue/Suspect list that the product or company behind the product is guilty of the worst behavior imaginable. Take the time to read our notes regarding the product. Third, when we de-list a product, as we did with spyware terminator, we do so with the confidence and expectation that the vendors have rectified the problems identified with the product or the practices associated with the product. In this case, the problem was our uncertainty over the vendor's own trustworthiness, given its historical connection to adware distribution. We de-listed the product because the vendor had satisified our concerns. And, I can report, the vendor continues to satisfy our concerns. We document the product de-listings that we perform, because we think readers of the page deserve to know what happened with a particular paroduct that they know was once listed. As I've told several vendors at this point, "We don't do memory holes at spyware Warrior." But it's important that those de-listing notes not be taken for more than they are. They certainly shouldn't be regarded as a kind of "scarlet letter" that forever marks a product -- that's certainly not how we created the de-listing notes. To those who are debating whether or not to give spyware terminator a trial, my advice would be to do so. We don't recommend the product at spyware Warrior, but that's no reason for readers here not to try the product, if they are so inclined. spyware terminator is not malicious in any way and poses no danger to your system. If you encounter what you suspect to be a false positive in its scan results, tehn you should handle it the way you would false positives with any other product: report it/them to the vendor so that they can be corrected. My apologies for the lengthy interjection here, but I wanted to make sure that folks were clear on just what the Rogue/Suspect list is and how it functions. Best, Eric L. Howes -- Microsoft MVP Sunbelt Software Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenknight Posted January 6, 2007 Author Share Posted January 6, 2007 So SW no longer considers it suspect. Which doesn't answer the question, "is it any good?". Interestingly, I just saw a new post on MajorGeeks from a (now former) Spyware Terminator user - after updating that program, none of his other anti-malware apps would run. Uninstalling Spyware Terminator fixed the problem. I don't think I'm going to give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minu Posted January 7, 2007 Share Posted January 7, 2007 So SW no longer considers it suspect. Which doesn't answer the question, "is it any good?". Interestingly, I just saw a new post on MajorGeeks from a (now former) Spyware Terminator user - after updating that program, none of his other anti-malware apps would run. Uninstalling Spyware Terminator fixed the problem. I don't think I'm going to give it a try. All i can say is 'Software Conflicts' are commonplace among security products. After installing 'Panda Antivirus', my machine completely locked up and had to boot to safemode to uninstall. I accepted it as that and did not view 'Panda' as a 'Bad' product. Many users find 'Spyware Terminator' a better alternative to Windows Defender as these are the only 2 'Freebies' that of Realtime Protection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenknight Posted January 8, 2007 Author Share Posted January 8, 2007 I reread that post, it was just AVG Antivirus, SpywareBlaster and RemoveIT that he found disabled; he didn't try others, just removed Spyware Terminator. The first two of those I use. Seems like a rather wide range of conflicts to me. With what I've read about Panda, I wouldn't have it either. Many problems, not that effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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