Spyware Doctor 3.1 Not Good at all

Hi, i use spywareblaser and do scans once a month with Adaware and once every two to three months with spybot. When ever i scan i find usually one or two cookies or DSO exploits in spybot and that is all.

I thought i would give the new version of spyware doctor a go (v3.1) so i installed the trial and done a full system scan, it found 211 pieces of spyware and quite a few high risk ones at that. I was flabbergasted. But on closer inspection it has seemed to find 200+ false positives. 30-35 were all from flashget. 10 from limewire. and some from other programs i have installed.

So i am curious what is the experts opion on this result like i say both adaware and spybot find nothing but spyware doctor found 211 pieces of spyware. Sounds like a below standards program to me.

 

Wow 200 dont know about that, but who knows. This is what I think, all the programs like that pestpatrol,spy sweeper, ms antispyware etc.. are gonna produce false postives cuase of their broad range of detections. They all do it. I have seen all them products I mentioned get trashed and rewarded on this forum and other forums. Eventually any antispyware or av product will give you a false positive. If you dont want hardly any or a product that only has some once in awhile stick with spybot and adaware. If you want a product that detects more types of stuff get one of the paid antispyware programs. Which ms antispyware is gonna be free. And just put up with the false positives and keep the company informed about the false positives and hopefully they will remove them.

 

Hey Anthony,

In all fairness to PC Tools(makers of Spyware Doctor)....where did you download the install program from....and with the propram GUI open....what is showing in the Status and Summary area in respects to the date for the....Reference file last updated ?

 

I downloaded the program from the spyware doctor site, installed the program and as soon as install was complete it said it will do an initial full system scan. I did not update any reference files or anything as like i said it came up as soon as installation was complete.

I have uninstalled the program now after that result

 

Wise decision IMHO....due to the Spybot News I just now read....and for this reason....I take back what I said earlier....In all fairness to PC Tools....and will now do some further checking\asking around

Read latest News---> Spyware Doctor cheats People ?

 

I have a licensed install of Spyware Doctor 3.1. It was an average app until about a month ago. It's improved a lot since first install. It's on-access scan is thorough and fast. It's real-time scan is better than SpywareGuard - SpywareDoctor finds things that SpywareGuard has missed. Over the last month, neither Spybot nor AdAware scans find infections that SpywareDoctor have missed. Update frequency is approximately daily - sometimes they skip a day.

If you trialled SpywareDoctor two or three months ago, you'll find it much-improved now. They're serious about evolving a nice security app.

However - after a one-week trial, I just purchased Spy Sweeper. It has some nice features that are not included in SpywareDoctor:
- The 'shields' protection concept is very nicely done.
- The ad-blocking is excellent (I got rid of PopUpStopper - don't need it).

Spy Sweeper may be guilty of inflating the number of 'threats' in their database - since they count cookies as threat items.

I think both are well-written and worth the license fee.

 

I'm not surprised it found problems with Limewire, it is a P2P music sharing prog that comes bundled up with Adware/Spyware. Have a look here:- http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx?id=453074266

And Flashget has it's problems too:- http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/pest/pest.aspx?id=453077947

Have a look at this thread:- http://www.ntcompatible.com/thread30645-1.html

It is odd that AdAware SE did not spot the same problems though (if indeed you have them), did you try a full system scan with it? How about D/L MS-AS for another opinion on the matter? http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...a2-6a57-4c57-a8bd-dbf62eda9671&displaylang=en

 

After looking at the link you gave im still not sure if flashget is dangerous or not (I would have preferred to have this in the flashget topic i made but it was closed but anyway) as the link said the problem was a BHO (browser helper object) now when tonight i have downloaded a trial of Getright (a program that does not have any spyware apparently) microsofts antispyware real time scanner popped up asking me if i want to allow interenet access to a BHO browser helper object and this was with getright.

So i am confused, so is flashget dangerous having this and therefore is getright also dangerous?

Thanks

 

It seems to be one of these things that some consider a danger and others do not. Probably it is better to look at it as a 'risk' rather than actually 'bad'. Whether you want to take that risk will depend upon how useful the program is to you personally.

On one of those links I gave it was suggested that the free version of Flashget comes bundled with adware, while the paid for version does not. I do not know the truth of that but it is certainly something to consider. I would tend to be guided by what your AS progs say, if MS-AS finds it as a 'problem' then, personally, I would rather not have it on my machine - you may feel differently.

 

There is nothing wrong with GetRight, it is completely clean and spyware-free. As for Spyware Doctor, it gets very high ratings at CNET and elsewhere. Its detection rate is comparable to the former GIANT A.S on which MSAS is based. So I would have toi say Spyware Doctor is a first-rate A.S. scanner. Now, as with all scanners {AV, AT, AS} -- you have to show some intelligence in interpreting the results and you have to customize the scanner to meet your needs. If Spyware Doctor flags something you want to keep {something you deem not be too risky}, then just put that in the Ignore List. The same would apply, if we were talking about MSAS {GIANT} or Spy Sweeper or any of the other scanners: Use intelligence to interpret the results, and customize the scanner to fit your needs. HTH

 

Hi all.

Should you have further problems with Spyware Doctor, you can always contact our technical support who will assist you shortly.
http://www.pctools.com/support/submit.php?ref=1-17-9&subject=Product Support&guide=site

Regards,

PC Tools

 

re:no good

i cant gate license name anda de license code

 

Re: no good

Would you mind explaining that Please. Are you wanting a license code ?

 

Flashget used to have adware that would be disabled as soon as it was registered. The last version I tried simply had a nag screen (a la Winzip).

GetRight adds a BHO (Browser Helper Object) in order to facilitate downloads. Never had any Spy/Adware as long as I have known.

I don't mean to push a product but Free Download Manager is free and clean. A good alternative.

 

Bubba, of course you have your opinion and the right to print them but I hope you feel the same about other vendors that do this same thing. Please see post 42 here https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=66706&highlight=spyware doctor false positives .

I know this thread is old but just doing some research and came across some of these old threads. You as a mod are representing this forum which many people value the advice of, and are it seems knocking a known good product even rated trustworthy by Eric Howes just because you feel it's marketed badly. As you can see by the link and post number I indicated above other vendors have the same type marketing. A product should get respect on the merits of the effictiveness of the product doing what it says it will do in my opinion not on how they market it.

No disrespect intended.

Thanks,

Chris

 

I saw your response in post # 42 Chris and I can not disagree with what you are attempting to show. However....you have linked to a thread that started over a year ago that at that time was news to be shared. As for the point you are attempting to make concerning Mod comments and individuals valuing advice....let's get real

As I said....that thread was started over a year ago and I am sure if you dig further in your pursuit you'll find many other past threads and or posts by individuals that could be just as unflattering to SD as the News link I posted. The bottom line IMHO is that that was then and this is now. Many positive changes have been made not only in the quality of SD but also in the marketing of SD....from a year ago. So I do not agree one bit with your attempt at characterization assasination considering you are using posts made over a year ago.

I ask if you are wanting to continue with this witch hunt that you at least be somewhat fair with how you attempt to address it. Bringing back links\threads and individuals comments that were made over a year ago is not only dis-respectful IMHO but also shows just how low one can stoop in their attempt to bring favortism to a program they support.

All the above response applies to this also. One year ago SD was not on that list if my memory serves me correctly and while I agree it is on the list today and rightly so....I still stand by what I said. Your attempt at holding hostage posts that were made one year ago tells me you'll go to any extreme to place a spin on a topic.

As for...."No disrespect intended"....that will not hunt as far as I am concerned and do not appreciate the way you are attempting to spin your little tale not only in this thread but the other year old thread.

Regards,
Bubba

 

I am real Bubba. I do think users in this forum and most other forums security or otherwise value moderators opinions more than they would that of another member.

The info that I posted about the same marketing used by webroot is also news to be shared correct?

Unflattering is fine if it is because they are not satisfied with the product but because they are not happy with the marketing...This seems a little different. I mean a chevy fan doesn't sell his car because he sees what he thinks is bad marketing..

Positive changes in the product yes. Positive changes in marketing I can't really say for sure because I don't keep track of it. I do know however if you do a google search for spybot SD does still have the same sponsored link at the top of the search results just like they did when you started this thread https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=66706.

Not sure why you are acting like I trashed your good name. I just stated a fact that your a mod and many people value your advice. Characterization assasination? I think not.

It is not a witch hunt. In another thread https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=122803 post number 11 you can see a user was talking about other members reporting high numbers of false positives. So naturally i did a search for Spyware Doctor within Wilders and hence I started reading.
Please don't think I just decided to start showing how much I like the product by trying to post anywhere I could. I'd probably be doing it for another vendor as well but this is not the case? To say I'm stooping low just by expressing my opinion of members looking up to you?

I'm not really sure why the extreme words like characterization assasination and hostage need to be used? I mean this seems like alot of drama when all that would have been really needed to say in a reply post was something to the effect of that was a year ago and things have improved since then or whatever. But your taking this as a personal attack. I assure you that this is not the case. Please tell me the spin I put on the topic. You told the poster it was a wise decision to uninstall a program because of its marketing. No spin.

I don't have many posts here compared to some but I think I have enough to where you can see that I am very helpful or try to be when I can and I ask when I need help. I alert the mods to off topic/TOS violations when I see them and I think I am fairly courteous to all. Maybe having made 1-2 bad posts out of my 400 and something posts. Again there is no disrespect intended. I really hope you believe this as I have no harsh feeling against you or any other mod for that matter. Just researching, found some posts, read them, replied with my thoughts. If it did offend you I am man enough to apologize as I have done to others before. So I am sorry if what I said offended you and I hope that we can maintain a good relationship. I hope my apology will be accepted.

Thanks,

Chris

 

To put my comment about..."Mod comments and individuals valuing advice....let's get real"....into context. What I meant by that Chris was that you come along with a thread that was posted one year ago and even tho that may have been my opinion then you use that as if it should be used by individuals now to formulate an opinion about SD today....one year later

Sure.....but in the context you posted that....I stand by what I posted in response.

That is very true Chris but when one picks out a thread that is over a year old chances are real good that many things have changed not only in the program itself but in how users view the program.

While you did strike a nerve by using a year old thread in your attempt to make some kind of point....I can assure you this in no way has altered my opinion of how you as a member has posted in the past. This IMHO was simply a wrong approach you chose to take in this one instance.

Regards,
Bubba

 

Sounds good to me Bubba!
Thanks,

Chris