Is Spyware Sweeper any good ?

[Darkon]

If you have any other recommendations please post them.

 

[Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.]

If you have any other recommendations please post them.

Only removes if you pay for the shareware version, so it has a reason to always find stuff.

You're better off with Spyware Search & Destroy and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. Both have free versions that actually remove stuff. You can find them by googling.

 

[Skrying]

Neither of those free programs are worth a damn anymore to be honest. The best you're going to get in the spyware department for free is by downloading Spyware Doctor through Google's pack of software. You can single it out (so that's the only program that is included) but the updater will still come with it, not really an issue as you can disable that. It scans and removes, but does not actively guard.

 

[willardjuice]

And why is Spybot "not worth a damn" anymore?

 

[Davros]

i recomend hijack this

 

[Skrying]

And why is Spybot "not worth a damn" anymore?

Because it hardly catches anything and gives tons of false alarms in my experience across many many computers. For instance, Spyware Doctor (the free version) has caught on a regular basis nearly three times the amount~ without even counting the tracker cookies every computer/browser will have built up. Ad-aware has even worse detection than Spybot. Neither are useful...

 

[willardjuice]

Because it hardly catches anything and gives tons of false alarms in my experience across many many computers. For instance, Spyware Doctor (the free version) has caught on a regular basis nearly three times the amount~ without even counting the tracker cookies every computer/browser will have built up. Ad-aware has even worse detection than Spybot. Neither are useful...

That's not exactly a scientific way of measuring things. I would rather see more official comparison besides "It's three times better!".

 

[Skrying]

That's not exactly a scientific way of measuring things. I would rather see more official comparison besides "It's three times better!".

Do you want me to record each different scan on a piece of paper also video tapped just so you can be damn sure its accurate? Maybe I should have made an even bigger disclaimer mark on the "three times" than a ~ (which btw I put because I knew your comment would follow and be just like you typed). The fact is that Spybot and Ad-Aware simply don't catch much of anything these days, they have fallen very far behind and are basically useless. Believe it or not, its the truth.

 

[willardjuice]

The fact is that Spybot and Ad-Aware simply don't catch much of anything these days

A fact which you have yet to formally prove.

 

[Rainbow Man]

Do you want me to record each different scan on a piece of paper also video tapped just so you can be damn sure its accurate?

I think what he was alluding to was that one person's experiences don't neccessarily have to reflect every person's experience.

Do you have some links or something to a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of these programs?
Peace.

 

[Skrying]

I think what he was alluding to was that one person's experiences don't neccessarily have to reflect every person's experience.

Do you have some links or something to a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of these programs?
Peace.

Damn, really wish I was the guy that the link pointed to so I could prove it. Then I could be the all holy person who wrote their experiences that someone else linked too but this now validates it all guy. The OP asked for recommendations, I gave mine and posted why in my experiences Spybot and Ad-Aware are useless, I'm not going to go dig up some link to someone else's experience to back up what I already know. The link run around game is simply pointless, its like the lost cause of providing your source except in this case the source is just as founded (or less so) than the person who said it. The only comprehensive study you're going to find the the subject matter is a review in a magazine or website, far from being anymore valid that someones experiences.

 

[chavvdarrr]

Any other way of getting Spyware doctor without google pack?
I'm behind proxy which needs authentication and google updater does not support proxy authentication ...

I downloaded the program from its home site - updated, scan ... WOWWWW 185 threats! Some of these with "High" ranking...
And guess what - ALL of these but 5(these from a pass viewer app I recently tested) were cookies! Impressive ?! High threat - a cookie from "search" sites - maybe bashing google alternatives ?!

Downloaded last beta of Spybot (1.5.xxxx) - updated, scanned - got ~ 20 cookies


Well, it seems I have to find more "infected" PC in order to make a judgement, but so far I'm not impressed with the number of falses, it seems like "look you are infected, buy me"

 

[Skrying]

Yet Spybot only found 20 cookies. A "search" site can me so many things it not funny, a search site for your personal information or a simple tracking cookie, etc. Fact is that your experience alone shows Spyware Doctor found way more than Spybot, Spybot didn't even find anything beyond 20 cookies. That's completely and utterly useless...

Also, did Spyware Doctor in that form not let you remove the "infections"?

 

[Davros]

chavvdarr what you need to do is write down some of these 185 threats find a fre program that is known to detect them if the free prog doesnt you know spyware doctor is lying to you to make you buy it

 

[chavvdarrr]

what threats?! These were ALL but 5 - COOKIES ! Of sites I visited because I wanted to.
Since when cookie is supposed "high threat" ? What about some real - Gator etc - are they "ultra high" ?
And I can't heal nothing with this version - I must buy it, not even "try before you buy"

 

[Darkon]

Actually Skyring is correct about Spybot and Adware, pc magazine did do a test a year ago or so and surprisingly both of this programmes did very poorly.