A2Free 4.0 Released 12/17/2008

http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

 

Does this still keep a process in resident memory even when not in use?

 

Yes the a2service.exe.

A2 v4.0 is very nice!!

 

I might be mistaken but that SYSTEM service is there to make it possible to use a2 under limited user account. That's why it needs to be running all the time.

Advanced users can of course change it to 'on demand' and by advanced I mean those of us who like to surf on the Edge, with full admin rights

 

If you're unhappy with the service being there, you can always bring up the task manager and just end the process.

Great program for free!

 

I just never understood how programs like SAS & MBAM can run without a memory resident program, but others like this and lavasoft need one.

 

There is a thread somewhere around here where the reason for the service is explained. I believe, at least part of the reason, is to prevent malware from being able to disable A2.
The service and FPs are the reasons I quit using and recommending it. To the average user the service means nothing. Most are not even aware of it. But FPs for a Novice user can cripple a machine if due diligence is not used for investigation prior to removal.
Clocks states a very good question. I am sure it is just a different method to reach the same end, just prefer SAS`s and MBAMS method.

 

That might be for the older version (which I also used), but the new version could very well be improved.

For example, ran the latest version, and I have a lot of portable programs and relatively unknown programs from portableapps and portablefreeware, and not one false positive reported.

And as you know, a-squared free can be used as a back-up AV as the Ikarus engine is part of it. So people can use it not just as an anti-spyware, but as a second on-demand AV scan.

 

MBAM for one has to be currently run under admin privileges in order for it to work.

Whereas this and Ad-Aware can AFAIK also be run by the regular user.

 

Looks like I may already have one or more false positives on one PC. One of them I do not care about since I have no need for those type of files any more (Korean Search Engine Related). I had A-Squared delete them.

The other is FastStone Capture 4.8 Setup exe. I uploaded it to VirusTotal. VirusTotal: Ikarus showed it to have a Trojan and Sunbelt showed it to be a corrupt archive. I have submitted the false positive to a-squared for analysis.

 

Where did you get faststone capture from, www.portablefreeware.com or another site?

Here is version 5.3, which is free.
http://www.portablefreeware.com/?q=faststone capture&m=Search