MS AntiSpyware vs Ad-Aware vs SpyBot

[Ailric]

"Though still in beta, Microsoft AntiSpyware was able to detect more infected files than the current leading anti-spyware applications in the market today, Ad-Aware and SpyBot S&D."

http://www.flexbeta.net/main/articles.php?action=show&id=84

[bigbuck]

-{ Quote: ""Though still in beta, Microsoft AntiSpyware was able to detect more infected files than the current leading anti-spyware applications in the market today, Ad-Aware and SpyBot S&D."

http://www.flexbeta.net/main/articles.php?action=show&id=84" }-
It only found FP's for me.
Buck.

[Mele20]

That reviewer fails to note all the bad things about MS's antispyware. Plus, it only found one false positive on my box. This was after it crashed XP and I had to work hard to even get it to run.

That reviewer waxes poetic over the real time scanner. I tried to turn that off during installation but it was trying to run after installation. I would never want anything like that. I would only use it for periodic scans. As for it stopping home page hijacks...gee...I use Firefox. I don't need to worry about that. As for that spyware community MS wants you to join, I would never fall for that ploy either. MS is going to track users that way or something not very private will be done with that I am sure. Same as with AV and getting definitions so fast...for most people that is just so unnecessary. Once a week with McAfee and NAV is quite sufficient for the vast majority of users. If you need definitions every hour to protect you then you have some extremely bad habits and it appears MS intends to fan this paranoia to include spyware definitions every hour based on the community discovery.

Of course, MS will charge a lot for this and now has the perfect excuse to never fix all the security holes in IE and Windows because if they did then they will loose money on their antispyware product. We can kiss the dream of a secure OS and browser right down the drain now.

[bellgamin]

-{ Quote: "We can kiss the dream of a secure OS and browser right down the drain now." }-
I never had such a dream, even in my worst nightmares. 8)

[Ailric]

Only found one FP for me... the well know Squiresearch which is part of Spybots' immunizition. I simply set it to always ignore. It's that easy.

It's funny that Giant Antispyware only became EVIL after Microsoft purshased it in hopes of stemming the tide of spyware.

Many millions don't use Firefox, they use IE. Should they be forced to change? And if Microsoft purchased Firefox, would it become instant trash?

"MS is going to track users that way or something not very private will be done with that I am sure."

"Of course, MS will charge a lot for this and now has the perfect excuse to never fix all the security holes in IE and Windows because if they did then they will loose money on their antispyware product. We can kiss the dream of a secure OS and browser right down the drain now."

Please don't spread FUD, unless you work for Microsoft and know something we don't. This does everyone a disservice.

[Notok]

Agreed. As far as I can tell, all this stuff was a part of GIANT.

[Mele20]

No. 1. I hated Giant. All it did was repeatedly crash my computer and refused to stop running the real time monitor which I did not want. Plus, it found only a huge bunch of false positives.

No. 2 I was hoping Microsoft would improve the software but the only changes they made was to make it hook so deeply into the system that I had to spend four hours on the phone with Dell Small Business support on Friday. After I uninstalled it, I immediately had Process Guard freeze in the systray and then I got two error boxes about my installing a new hardware modem which could not be installed because the driver was not certified. I had not installed any hardware. All I did was uninstall MS's antispyware. That action, because of the hooks which remained deep in, wrecked my Conexant PCI modem and caused 70 instances of a second hardware modem to be entered into device manager.

Dell wizard on the modem CD ran and analyzed my system and said that I had "illegally" installed a second non Dell approved hardware modem and that I had to remove it before the wizard would go further. I had done nothing of the sort. The 56K modem had been working perfectly until I uninstalled the antispyware. After 4 hours with Dell troubleshooting and moving the modem to different slots, etc. the computer would not boot with the modem installed in any slot and Dell is sending me a new modem and flying a tech over from Honolulu to install it. Dell thinks this was all caused by the uninstallation of the MS software. They have already been seeing other disasters besides mine due to this poorly designed software.

I had made a restore point just before installing and figured that would save me from any big problems. I did restore to that point and then later, at Dell's instructions, to a point a week earlier and both restores were successful. However the strange second hardware modem continued to be detected by Windows as being incorrectly installed.

3. What a silly question about Firefox. Of course, if MS purchased it, it would instantly become a liability to me. I would drop it immediately. I use it partly because it is NON Microsoft and the other reason is the text zoom feature and the TBE extensions feature. Microsoft would just ruin FF. In fact, they would ruin it as fast as they could so there would be less competition for IE.

4. Microsoft stated in the EULA as well as elsewhere that the beta will self destruct in 6 months or less and that this will then probably be marketed as paid software. There has been wild speculation on the price and I refrained from that but it is almost a certainty that Microsoft will offer this as a stand alone paid product to go with its stand alone paid antivirus which is expected to be marketed in the third quarter.

5. There have already been excellent articles on the Internet stating that Microsoft's intent here is to never do anything REAL about all the security holes in IE and the OS because that would now be cutting off an important revenue stream from the sale of the antispy software.

6. During installation, I instructed the software to not call home. What was the first thing it tried to do? Call home. Anyone who thinks that "neighborhood watch" is not going to used in ways that track users is very naive.

7. I was able to avoid authentication but I gather that when this becomes a paid product that authentication will be required with the user required to enter their XP key on a website! I would not purchase it for this reason alone.

8. Giant did NOT become evil only after Microsoft purchased it. Microsoft simply made horrible changes to an already problematic application. Hopefully, the changes will be rethought after MS gets lots of complaints from OEMs like Dell who are having to clean up MS's mess.

9. I never said anything about forcing people to use Firefox or Opera, etc. I believe Microsoft should fix IE and XP and Longhorn by doing things such as removing Active X from IE. I believe that simply sticking a PAID FOR BY THE USER band aid on the problem is a poor solution and benefits Microsoft's pocketbook primarily and the user is still a looser. All because Microsoft took the low road instead of the high road to solving this problem.

I won't be affected because I use Firefox but I do still have to install all the patches because MS won't make IE removable from the OS. All those who refuse to leave IE are real suckers and that is exactly what Microsoft thinks of them. If Microsoft cared a whit about this problem they would fix IE and the OS!! Or at least allow for uninstallation of IE with no ensuing problems to the OS. Not instead be hypocritical and charge for a band aid.

[burns]

Great post there, Mele.

I use Firefox and I have convinced many others to try it. Once they have they don't use IE anymore.

[bigc73542]

I have had Microsofts beta antispyware installed and uninstalled four times while I am trying it and have had not one problem with it at all. It actually seems to be a pretty decent program.

bigc

[rdsu]

Wait for the final release of Microsoft AntiSpyware, and use this 3 programs to protect you, with the active scan of Microsoft AntiSpyware enable...

[NOD32 user]

-{ Quote: "
....authentication will be required with the user required to enter their XP key on a website!...." }-
So far authentication has not required entering your key (or anything else)into a web page. It's an automatic once only unless you re-install procedure. I'm guessing it sends your product ID - I dont believe your product key can be directly extrapolated from it, but I think same key = same product ID - then sets a key or file or both much like activation does. I've thought of it as activation for corporate edition, but it might not be quite the same....

-{ Quote: "...Microsoft AntiSpyware was able to detect more infected files than the current leading anti-spyware applications..." }-

I've seen this more detections / why doesn it find x arguement plenty of times in the NOD32 forum. More detections doesn't necessarily mean better product. It might just mean a more bloated, less efficient product. I havent't tried M$ AS(beta) but have been using AdAware for a number of years - the plus version with the realtime scanner that monitors active processes and cookies. Since purchasing it I have to date had not a single spy-ware / mal-ware / whatever-ware infect my working system. If I did have it would show up in my internet gateway traffic logs. There really is heaps of stuff out there that isn't categorised as a virus but that you would not knowingly or willingly want on your computer.