Is it possible that if I upgrade my Ad-Aware 2008 Free to Ad-Aware AE (Anniversary Edition) Free - witch has Live (resident) protection, that this protection would in any way interfere with my Avast 4.8 Home (Free) edition’s resident protections? Please, tell me. 
I doubt it would interfere with avast, but my concern is its effectiveness as I feel there are better choices.
- SUPERantispyware On-Demand only in free version.
- MalwareBytes Anti-Malware, On-Demand only in free version http://download.bleepingcomputer.com/malwarebytes/mbam-setup.exe, right click on the link and select Save As or Save File (As depending on your browser), save it to a location where you can find it easily later.
- Or Spyware Terminator Resident scanner (if you use this don’t install the toolbar or crawler or the anti-virus module).
Or a-Squared free.
I suggest trying them in order as the order that represents the better detection and clean-up.
Some elements of the programs might not work if you have an older OS like win9x or winME, this is namely the resident protection in SpywareTerminator.
Well, I am used to Ad-Aware for years, and I’d like to keep using it. I just hope that it’s Live resident protection won’t interfere with Avast! in any way. Avast is awesome, by the way.
Well…try it, and then you can report the results to other avast users 
Hm, now I’m thinking about installing an other Anti-Spyware program.
Which one do you suggest, which one is the best of the free ones? What do you use?
(I have Avast 4.8 Home on Windows XP SP2.)
Thank you!
We (or rather I already have ;D), you just need to check my signature to see the two I’m using to accompany avast.
Hi…
If you’re looking for another program that offers realtime scanning for free, the choice is very limited…
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/defender/default.mspx (Windows Vista already comes with this.)
http://www.spywareterminator.com/
Windows Defender is more user friendly but less configurable while Spyware Terminator has more options but requires a bit more know how, in my opinion. Almost all of the other programs require you to pay in order to enable this feature. 
Hope this helps.
May God Bless you!
Like DavidR, I’m using SuperAntiSpyware Pro and MalwareBytes AntiMalware
Thank you all for replies! But why do you use 2 anti-spyware programs?
I’m thinking of replacing Lavasoft Ad-Aware with SUPERAntiSpyware (Free edition) or SpyBot Search & Destroy (which even has the resident protection and is freeware). Which of those two you think is better? And which is better to have it with Avast? I don’t want it to interfere with Avast.
If the two anti-spyware applications are on-demand or only one is resident then there is no conflict and they then compliment each other, we see in these forums that one detects things that the other doesn’t and that is why.
No contest SAS is the better, just because something has resident protection doesn’t mean it has better detections and that really is the key here. In my list if I were to put S&D in it would be at no 4.
Item 3 in my list Spyware Terminator has resident protection, just make sure you also take the advice that I gave with it.
Hello again!
I’m also thinking about having Avira’s Antivir (Free edition) AND Alwil’s Avast (Free edition) both on my machine, but with only one remote protection on (I would turn off the other one, so they would not interfere). Do you think this is a good idea? Or it’s a stupid one?
Additionally I’m planning to install some anti-spyware products (free editions): Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware, SpyBot’s Search & Destroy, MalwareBytes’ Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware, as you recommended.
Do you think that SpyBot’s Or Ad-Aware’s resident protection could interfere one with another or even with Avast’s resident protections?
(I have Windows XP SP2 on a Pentium 3GHz with 1GB RAM.)
I apologise for asking/nagging, but I want to learn as much as possible before installing. Thank you for your answers and your patience.
Only one anti-virus should be installed… That obvious choice between the two you mention is Avast! There’s always going to be some conflict even if one is ‘turned off’…
Hi ProgrammerGuy,
There can be several non-resident av solutions and one resident av product on the same machine (the signatures should be not open to each other though - Panda and avast do not agree in that respect),
I for one combine avast non-resident with ClamWin and DrWebCureIT.
Two resident av products together on one machine is problematic, because they will react somewhat similar as two dogs that have to guard one property and will start fighting among each other (bad for security of the property). The two will start to find each others signatures etc. so ‘ergo conclusio’ less security in stead of added security,
polonus
Thanks ‘polonus’; I have now been enlightened though that’s contrary to what I read on another forum for another AV(G) which I shan’t mention…
The personel at Avira said that it’s not recommended to have two Anti-Virus programs, even if one’s resident protection is “off”. So I uninstalled Ad-Aware and am now using this combination:
Avast Home (Free) Edition, SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition and CCleaner.
I only don’t understand why SUPERAntiSpyware.exe runs in the background all the time, if it’s not using resident protection. Weird.
The problem resolves round the fact that resident Anti-virus scanners install low level device drivers, these are what hook/intercept your call to execute a program, etc. so that your AV can first scan it.
Now disabling a resident AV just disables its services, etc. but it doesn’t stop these low level device drivers from being loaded and it is these which can conflict as driver a battles with driver b for control over an intercept. This can on occasion cause a conflict, just how serious this conflict might be is the variable, worst case it could lock the system.
So this is why we don’t recommend having two resident AVs installed even if one is disabled.
I see… Interesting!
But SUPERAntiSpyware’s background running process won’t interfere with Avast’s protection & processes, right?
They are different types of function anti-spyware V anti-virus, although the edges between both are blurred and there may be some overlap, we don’t tend to see a problem between resident anti-spyware and resident anti-spyware.
Superantispyware free isn’t resident in the same way even with a running process to enable you to do an on-demand scan (right click) on a specific file, it hasn’t got low level drivers loaded to hook files so it might scan a file before opening like a resident AV. Even with the Pro version of SAS (which I have) doesn’t seem to have any issues in combination with avast, nor for the most part any other resident anti-spyware that we might suggest in the forums.
The same is true of not having two resident anti-spyware applications as they too might conflict between each other.
So… Should I install Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and SpyBot’s S&D to accompany Avast and SAS? Or are Avast & SAS enough?
I would say take a look at my signature below my posts (SAS and MBAM).