searching for spyware

**xoggoth** · 6 February 2005, 20:16

Why search here when there's Google? Quite a few free spyware removers around. Spybot, Adaware are both free, Webroot free but with update subscription. Both last two seem to find much more than Spybot.

**thunderlizard** · 6 February 2005, 20:42

spycatcher

Microsoft's free one seems to be flavour of the month. I've got it and it seems to do its thing quite inconspicuously, having initially turfed up about a dozen suspected e-snitching programs.

**stackpole** · 7 February 2005, 09:35

Re: Why search here when there's Google?

Quite sensibly, he'd sooner trust recommendations from here than unknown (to him) sources on the web where he probably got the parasites from in the first place.

**fiddleabout** · 7 February 2005, 09:38

Re: Why search here when there's Google?

> Quite sensibly, he'd sooner trust recommendations from here

.. as he's a newbie that makes sense

Lavasoft Adaware is free and not bad. I downloaded the free MS spyware detector and it whirred and clicked a while and came up with....

nothing

yep - nothing, nada, zilch

I fear I must be leading a sheltered life and missing out on all the good sites that will load me up with spyware

No idea what the product is you've found trying to connect. Google gives a url www.internet-optimizer.com/ but the webwasher software here doesn't like it...

Forbidden
You were denied access because:
Access denied by WebWasher DynaBLocator content category. The requested URL belongs to the following category: Computer Crime.

.. but it seems to be less than friendly according to www.doxdesk.com/parasite/InternetOptimizer.html which also seems to contain some removal instructions.

**wendigo100** · 10 February 2005, 09:35

Thanks

Thanks. I downloaded three:

1. the MS one (called Giant or something)
2. Ad-aware
3. Spybot.

I ran them in that order, and although MS found and removed a lot of stuff, Ad-aware still found some left over, and even after removing those Spybot then noticed a few more. I forgot to check whether they got rid of Internet Optimizer.

Next time I'll run them in different orders to see whether any are redundant, but I'm guessing they each have their specialities.

I cannot believe how much stuff had got into my machine in the few hours I'd had it (from new), even with firewalls.

**Freddy3000** · 10 February 2005, 11:51

Giant/MS

Just have to add a vote for the MS offering.

I actually subscribed to Giant before MS bought them out & it's been excellent. Conversely to yourself I found that it turned up quite a few baddies that Adaware (which I really liked) never found. Between the MS firewall, the MS anti-spyware and a free AV product like AntiVir Guard you can protect yourself for nowt these days.

F.

**fiddleabout** · 10 February 2005, 12:34

Re: Giant/MS

One thing I did notice with the MS one is that it has an autoupdate - frequently lets me know that it has received updated definitions.

**OrangeHopper** · 10 February 2005, 12:42

Re: Giant/MS

You poor, poor, poor, poor people!

**fiddleabout** · 10 February 2005, 14:15

Re: Giant/MS

Of course the other solution is to get castrated, dress in latex, and buy a Mac

searching for spyware