I wonder if I might have your advice. I`m running Avast! 4.8 and XP with Windows Defender with no problems and no conflicts. However, Win Def has caught nothing whatsoever in the two years it has been running on my system, though the manual scan of the free version of A-Squared has on two occasions stopped syware items.
Now there is an offer of A-Squared Anti-Malware free for a year from Gizmo Tech:
It`s a full version of the anti-spyware program with “Background Guard” which l think means real-time scanning and several other “Extras”. For comparison:
May I have your opinions on whether you think it would be a good idea or not to ditch Win Def and replace it with A-Squared Anti-Malware? Is it likely to conflict with Avast! anti-spyware functionality? Do I need it at all, now that Avast! has anti-spyware covered or is a second anti-spyware defence not overkill but rather a very useful addition?
Im a bit wary of Spyware Terminator, having seen it blacklisted on the Spyware Warrior site being connected with Crawler Inc. (or somesuch name) and on the occasion when I did try it, I made the mistake of installing the ClamAV that comes with it, which Avast! detected immediately and all hell was let loose, so Ive never been there again!
I`ve tried SUPERantispyware too but had a major problem with the DDA (direct disc access?) update, though I understand that has been fixed now, but too late for I had already uninstalled and gone over to A-Squared free.
As for Avast! anti-spyware, I wasn`t too sure as to whether it could be comprehensive enough (guesswork really, on my part, I mean), to stand alone as a complete antispyware defence, though I have never doubted its anti-virus capabilities.
On-demand scans with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, SUPERAntiSpyware, Spyware Terminator, AVG Anti-Spyware & Windows Defender find nothing on my computer, so avast! must be a great antispyware.
No problems here with a-squared and avast
there are false positives with ALL programs
better a couple of false positives than some look alike missed
deal with them
Thanks for that. I was pretty sure Win Def comes close to the bottom of the heap as far as anti-spyware is concerned but its the only real-time anti-spyware scanner I have so I have hung on to it in the (forlorn?) hope they might improve it a bit, but its been a long wait.
When I saw the full version of the free A-Squared program free for a year, I thought it would be good to give it a try, but since Avast! now has anti-spyware, it seemed perhaps an unnecessary use of resouces and a source of potential conflicts that I tend to flee from and instal something else rather than go looking for workarounds.
In part also, it has something to do with the fact that non-expert users had got used to the idea that we couldnt have antispyware AND anti-virus in the same program, but now were being told: “Well, actually you can and here it is …” I may be a bit slow on the uptake but I would have thought that is exactly the opposite of what we were told before!
Never mind. Thank you for the link. Ill have a look at the A-Squared forum and see whats what a bit later on and, no doubt, return here to do a little more whining!
Sure do a thorough investigation and let us know
There are anti spyware and there are antispyware
On an old w95 machine I still have Pest Patrol free
There used to be two versions
one would not remove anything without pay but the real time part worked and update works and they had and have a good database of malware (scanner leaves lots to be desired and false positives were common)
At that time Webrot would remove but you only got one free update
so if ever anything was ever found you could download spysweeper to have a go at it
Webrot-- must be freudian-- times have changed
Later GIANT Antispyware came out free- updated- removed- what was not to like?
AS you know Giant lives on as Microsoft Antispyware, Windows Defender and Counterspy
EWIDO was also an excellent tool stand alone free version is long gone now part of AVG 8
Webroot and ZOne Alarm started bundeling adware toolbars with their products
so constant vigilance and current info is essential
you can ALWAYS uses products like A-Squared as a back-up or on-demand scanner
My win defender came preinstalled and I disabled it and now use spyware terminator and avast with no problems at all. system run smoothly and I use XoftSpySE and a on demand backup.
Yes, all programs do occasionally have false positives, but A-Squared & Ad-Aware SE have much more then average, in fact they only found fp’s on my computers.
I don’t wish for A-Squared to go out of business, reporting fp’s is a way for A-2 to improve. They need to get a handle on their fp’s!!! We report avast! fp’s here & the ALWIL team quickly fixes them.
EWIDO was also an excellent tool stand alone free version is long gone now part of AVG 8
AVG AS (formally Ewido) is still available from filehippo. I have a clickable link to it in reply #3. I still get updates for it, just updated the defs today. Sometimes I have to make several tries to get it to update. ;)
Windows Defender’s detection rate is lacking, but WD can remove & clean up some real bad nasties from our computers.
Good to know about updates still working for AVG AS- EWIDO
I have the same thoughts about Windows Defender-
When it has a tool for an infection it works well- not kept as up to date as the Sunbelt version- which has diverged from Windows Defender/ Giant (or vice versa)
A-Squared and Avast are working nicely here, no problems. A2 is no big False Positive machine but indeed FP’s are always there also in Avast and any other security program. But as also is suggested Avast had malware protection, so you could take the A2 free edition and use it on-demand.
A-Squared
It’s only useless unless it finds something
then it is pretty good about removing it
OP
A-Squared free and real time protection
real time protection from someone is a great idea
I have never used A-Squared
keep us posted
now if you are trying to clean a highly infected system you will find A-squared works well
Thank you all for your comments, points of view, information, and suggestions.
I`ve still not decided what to do about this yet. It goes without saying, of course, that whatever else happens Avast! stays. It has saved my bacon too many times to ever consider replacing it. (Thank you ALWIL).
I have the A-Squared free version which I can continue to update and use as an on-demand scanner. I think it`s pretty good (despite the occasional false positive), even though it lacks a lot of the functions of A-Squared Anti-Malware in the real-time scanning department.
I forgot to mention I have SpywareBlaster too, which uses very little in the way of system resources and hopefully, will prevent any unauthorised registry changes.
This leaves the generally unloved Windows Defender which updates and scans quite happily, conflicting with nothing but then finding nothing either. Perhaps there has been nothing for it to find and the full version of A-Squared wouldn`t have found anything either, while using a lot more system resources to come up with the same result.
In any case the offer of a years free use of A-Squared Anti-Malware doesnt expire until the end of this month, so I theres time yet to pfaff about and shilly shally before making a decision. ("I used to be indecisive but now Im not so sure.")
XoftSpy by ParetoLogic is fairly powerful, easy-to-use software, but its poor detection abilities coupled with an unflattering number of false positives lowered its overall ranking.
a-squared is good for a final clean up on an infected system or if you think trojans are involved
it is not a general purpose anti-spyware or anti adware product
using it as such could let many things pass
how the real time portion of A-squared works on general issues is something we should pursue in the a-squared forum to get a larger cross-section of users
The best way to check if an anti-spyware program was all it claimed to be or just another outfit ruthlessly determined to make money was the Spyware Warrior site:
The problem is, of course, that it has not been updated since May 2007, but why this should be since there would seem to be as many rogue anti-spyware programs as ever, I don`t know.
The latest one causing trouble by inviting the user to run a free scan, claiming hundreds of spywares which you will have to pay to remove, then refusing to be uninstalled is “XP Antispyware 2008”.
It`s so easy to be tricked or perhaps scared into thinking these damn things are genuine.
