SuperAntiSpyware?

[sooflymami]

does it let u delete cookies and advertisements and stuff just like what Ad-Aware program does? I'm trying to think if I should get it in replace of Ad-Aware or not.

[PiCo]

SAS deletes only things that are dangerous and must be deleted. It is not a cookie catcher or a MRU list cleaner like Ad-aware.

In other words, SAS is a serious tool ;)

[AKAJohnDoe]

I installed SAS a couple of weeks ago and have run it a few times now. Still has not found anything. Nada. Zilch. That is probably less of a reflection on SAS than it is on the effectiveness of my firewall and computing habits.

[Perman]

Hi,

Ya, SAS is serious enough, not only deletes cookies, but also catches many other evils.

On my box, it catches nothing but tracking cookies, after I surf NET in normal mode. ---this means that my box is constantly clean, or should say the SBIE is working great to protect , whereas in Shadow mode, shadow apps just take care of it.

It is long overdue to make a wise switch, but not too late yet, welcome aboard onto SAS. ;)

[muf]

-{ Quote: "does it let u delete cookies and advertisements and stuff just like what Ad-Aware program does? I'm trying to think if I should get it in replace of Ad-Aware or not." }-

You need to try SuperAdBlocker. It's from the same company. It uses SuperAntispyware and eliminates adverts and popups. May be more like what you are looking for.

http://www.superadblocker.com/

muf

[ccsito]

The program provides a list of the scan results and allows you to choose whether you want to ignore the items or remove them.

[sooflymami]

-{ Quote: "SAS deletes only things that are dangerous and must be deleted. It is not a cookie catcher or a MRU list cleaner like Ad-aware.

In other words, SAS is a serious tool ;)" }-

I'm confused because some people tell me that SAS scans for cookies and advertisements and other people tells me that program doesn't do that. And is that program safe like it shouldn't crash my computer or anything?

[HURST]

It scans for cookies as far as i can remember (not a cookie in months, since I set up firefox to delete cookies when I close it), but i'm not 100% sure about this.

It is safe. But some malware can make it crash during a scan if you leave "terminate memory threads before quarantining" checked.

[ccsito]

I had an odd incident when I first used SAS on a computer. I had an infection and when I tried to scan it with SAS, the scan process froze and stopped on one file and did not go any further. My AVIRA program generated a popup about the infection at that point. It appeared to be some kind of deadlock between the AV and AS programs when I started the scan. The tech support at SAS told me to turn off the AV program before beginning the SAS scan.

[PiCo]

-{ Quote: "I'm confused because some people tell me that SAS scans for cookies and advertisements and other people tells me that program doesn't do that. And is that program safe like it shouldn't crash my computer or anything?" }-
Yes it does scan for all kinds of stuff, but it will only choose to remove the ones that really pose a threat.

It scans files, registry and memory, so it is better to scan in safe mode with all browsers off.
I haven't experienced any crashes yet, it runs very smoothly.

Actually SAS was able to detect and remove the trojan that would load the Win32.IRCbot virus on a system. Rest of the virus went away with CureIt. So it allready has helped me once :)

The people in SAS's forum are quite helpfull too.

[KDNeese]

-{ Quote: "I installed SAS a couple of weeks ago and have run it a few times now. Still has not found anything. Nada. Zilch. That is probably less of a reflection on SAS than it is on the effectiveness of my firewall and computing habits." }-

You're absolutely right. Turn this program loose on a computer infested with all kinds of crapware and you'd see what it can do. I clean badly infested computers on a regular basis, and you'd be amazed at what this program can do. I've seen it clean junk that some of the best other programs could not. The others could detect it but not clean it. SAS is one of the best apps for cleaning that I've ever seen, and I've used all of them at one time or another.

[sooflymami]

Is SAS easy to use just like Ad-Aware? And do u think it shouldn't detect any important files and it shouldn't delete those important files?

[AKAJohnDoe]

Why do you not just download it, install it, and try it?

[PiCo]

Yep give it a go and tell us if you liked it :)

[sooflymami]

ok and by the way does anybody use AIM messenger who could help me?

[thanatos_theos]

cheater87 also uses SAS. Just install it and if you have any questions just post in this thread or create a new thread at the SAS Forum (http://forums.superantispyware.com/).

thanatos

[gud4u]

SAS is very good at what it does - but it's not good at all for detecting/removing adware tracking cookies.

I have licenses for both SASPro and SuperAdBlocker, but I run only SASPro in real-time protection mode.

My most effective tool I've found for blocking adware tracking cookies is Online Armor. OA will automatically detect the most obvious bad actors, such as doubleclick and harvest.adgardener variants, and prompt for blocking.

The OA 'My Web Sites' page displays all of the adware server sites and their status. Just right-click on the adware server sites and block them. At last count I have 28 adware server sites blocked. Just be certain that you're blocking only ad servers (Google when in doubt).

That still leaves annoying ads delivered by adobe flash player. These can be halted by disabling JavaScript in FireFox/Tools/Options/Content page.

I'm not aware of a better solution.

[AKAJohnDoe]

-{ Quote: "
That still leaves annoying ads delivered by adobe flash player. These can be halted by disabling JavaScript in FireFox/Tools/Options/Content page.

I'm not aware of a better solution." }-

The FlashBlock and/or NoScript add-ons to Firefox. Set Firefox to clear private data at exit. Add to that AdBlockPlus with the EasyListUSA subscription and you are home free.

[Philippe_FR22]

-{ Quote: "SAS is very good at what it does - but it's not good at all for detecting/removing adware tracking cookies.
(...)
" }-

Hello,
I tried SAS and finally decided to uninstall it, because it was not a value added application compared to spybot (for example)...

I will add to your comment : SAS is not good at all regarding uninstall wizard...
I installed on 2 pc at home (1 labtop and one PC), 1 labtop at work and 1 collegue of mine installed it on his PC... I can assure you that for all of the configurations mentions above (with XP pro), uninstallation is not working at all, using uninstall wizard !!! Try it, you will see... !!!

Good luck !

[Victek123]

-{ Quote: "Hello,
I tried SAS and finally decided to uninstall it, because it was not a value added application compared to spybot (for example)...

I will add to your comment : SAS is not good at all regarding uninstall wizard...
I installed on 2 pc at home (1 labtop and one PC), 1 labtop at work and 1 collegue of mine installed it on his PC... I can assure you that for all of the configurations mentions above (with XP pro), uninstallation is not working at all, using uninstall wizard !!! Try it, you will see... !!!

Good luck !" }-

I've never had a problem uninstalling SuperAntiSpyware, but in any case I highly recommend Revo Uninstaller. After an application's uninstall has completed Revo will search the hard drive and cleanup any bits and pieces that were missed.

[AKAJohnDoe]

-{ Quote: "Hello,
I tried SAS and finally decided to uninstall it, because it was not a value added application compared to spybot (for example)...

I will add to your comment : SAS is not good at all regarding uninstall wizard...
I installed on 2 pc at home (1 labtop and one PC), 1 labtop at work and 1 collegue of mine installed it on his PC... I can assure you that for all of the configurations mentions above (with XP pro), uninstallation is not working at all, using uninstall wizard !!! Try it, you will see... !!!

Good luck !" }-
I also uninstalled SAS recently, simply because it was never finding anything (not a problem with the program, there is nothing for it to find).

As for the uninstall, I give it a 77 on my 100 point scale. It uninstalls fairly well, but left quite a bit behind. Specifically:
A directory under program files
A directory under program data
A directory under the Apps directory under the user account directory
The Start Menu shortcuts
Three hidden device drivers
Unable to determine if there are additional modules left behind under the Windows directories as I neglected to take a "before" for comparison


It should be noted that in the subcategory of security/firewall/AV/AS/System Tools (i.e.: not applications), a 77 is pretty good. Comodo, for example gets a 21, Norton a 33, and so forth. All highly subjective, but it is my scale, so I can assign whatever numbers I see fit.

[SUPERAntiSpy]

We also have the SUPERAntiSpyware Uninstallation Assistant here:
http://www.superantispyware.com/downloads/SASUNINST.EXE

That will remove any traces left behind and do a complete uninstall - sometimes the Windows Installer does not fully remove items on the first pass so we created the uninstallation assistant - most companies create these types of apps for their products.

[Thankful]

SuperAntispyware 4.1 Pre-Release is now available:
http://www.superantispyware.com/prerelease.html

[Philippe_FR22]

-{ Quote: "I've never had a problem uninstalling SuperAntiSpyware, but in any case I highly recommend Revo Uninstaller. After an application's uninstall has completed Revo will search the hard drive and cleanup any bits and pieces that were missed." }-

Well,
Something I forgot to say : I'm speaking about french OS Windows XP pro... All of my PC are french OK... Maybe it is the problem ?
Regards

[AKAJohnDoe]

-{ Quote: "We also have the SUPERAntiSpyware Uninstallation Assistant here:
http://www.superantispyware.com/downloads/SASUNINST.EXE

That will remove any traces left behind and do a complete uninstall - sometimes the Windows Installer does not fully remove items on the first pass so we created the uninstallation assistant - most companies create these types of apps for their products." }-
I did not know about this. It would most likely bump up that arbitrary score I assign! After all, the 33 I gave Norton is after using their special uninstall!

[lucas1985]

-{ Quote: "After all, the 33 I gave Norton is after using their special uninstall!" }-
LOL ;D ;D

[19monty64]

-{ Quote: "We also have the SUPERAntiSpyware Uninstallation Assistant here:
http://www.superantispyware.com/downloads/SASUNINST.EXE

That will remove any traces left behind and do a complete uninstall - sometimes the Windows Installer does not fully remove items on the first pass so we created the uninstallation assistant - most companies create these types of apps for their products." }-
Was trying out new set-up and when removing the old, was very impressed to see uninstallers for all traces of all of the "old". When an un-installation goes so smooth, it makes future re-installation so-o-o-o-o-o much more probable....

[Tarq57]

sooflymami,
you sound a little unsure as to what you want in an AS program. Probably because of the complexity of what is available, and what represents a serious threat or not.
I see from your other posts you've had some problems with AdAware, and slow shutdowns. And that you don't like unexpected stuff like advertising appearing out of nowhere. (Who does?)
So, with apologies in advance in case any of these assumptions are wide of the mark, I'll try and give you a bit of an overview.

Firstly, SAS is an excellent malware scanner and remover. You can download and install it without fear. Create a restore point first, just in case, but it won't be needed.
AdAware went from having a fairly respectable, if somewhat dated application with their "SE" version to, IMO, bloated glitzy eye-candy rubbish with their 2007 offering. I've tried it out three times. Each time it was responsible for application errors, usually on shutdown or start up. I couldn't contact Lavasoft nor register for help on the forum.
You will probably do yourself a big favour by uninstalling it.
Other good malware scanners, (free, standalone) include MalwareBytes Antimalware, Asquared.)

Tracking cookies are a nuisance. They aren't about to bork your computer. They are easily removed and require no special tools. The most likely result of leaving them is that you may be served advertisements/special offers relating to your perceived web habits.
Some tracking cookies are useful. They also store your preferences when visiting sites you are a member of.
I use a cookie manager for this. Ccleaner has an easy to use one. You simply move the cookies you want to keep into one area, all others will be deleted. The application will also (depending on settings selected) clean up all sorts of junk (temporary files, browser cache etc) and free a bit of disk space. It's like the built in disk cleanup, but with many more options.
To prevent some of the known tracking cookies (and some other bad stuff) from loading via the browser, SpywareBlaster, by Javacool, is recommended. Intuitive to use, just enable the protection and close it. Open and update it about once a week.

To the serious antimalware programs. Has your Avast auto-updated to version 4.8 yet? This also includes an integrated antispyware capability. I've never had any significant application issues with Avast. I think it's one of the more friendly, problem free ones out there, with a good tolerance for other security programs.
Superantispyware will be very unlikely to delete anything your computer actually needs. If it finds anything truly nasty like a trojan, it's very likely to be able to remove it, from what I've read.
Any scanner program can occasionally produce false positives, where a non-harmful file is incorrectly thought to belong to a family of malware. For this reason, it's worth investigating anything found (Google search, or ask at the appropriate forum), and never delete anything outright, if there is a choice to quarantine it. (Avast= send to chest.)
Hope this helps a bit.

[cheater87]

She updated Avast to 4.8. :)