CounterSpy or Spy Sweeper?

Hi,

I already have installed against spyware the Ad-Aware SE, Spybot-S&D, SpywareBlaster and HOSTS File Manager, but I'm trying the CounterSpy and Spy Sweeper because they have the best detection against spyware. MS AntiSpyware is also very good, but still have some bugs...

I like them and seems a very good programs, but I want to see your comments about CounterSpy and Spy Sweeper, and after choose one of them, and remove Ad-Aware SE...

Which is that you find that has the best functionalities and better
future?

Thanks for your comments

 

Re: CounterSpy or SpySweeper

Think twice, i have them both but i am not satisfied.

 

Re: CounterSpy or SpySweeper

Not satisfied? Why?

 

First off I personally would not remove Ad-Aware, why not just keep it around for on-demand scans, no harm it that right? I have trialed both CS and SS on an older machine and personally have mixed feelings on both. Before running either I ran Spybot and Ad-Aware, besides tracking cookies CS found one real spyware object, I believe it was some registry entries left behind by Spybot or Ad-Aware. SS then also found one thing (besides tracking cookies) that the others did not. Personally SS ran terrible on the machine I tested with, there was some conflict somewhere, and it would take forever to load up. CS was better and I preferred its interface, however it just seemed like an exact MS AS clone, I know they have different databases, but all the real time protection options were the same, I say why not just get MS AS for free? I personally would not purchase either of these products, but I feel for paid they are the best two out there. I would rather run Reg Defend and set it up to protect most of the areas that these AS apps do. I know that RD cannot protect everything that they can (such as the hosts file) but a lot of what these apps monitor in real time involves registry changes, and I feel that RD is a superior registry monitor.

 

"First off I personally would not remove Ad-Aware, why not just keep it around for on-demand scans, no harm it that right?"
"I say why not just get MS AS for free?"

Ditto. The new version of MS AS will be out soon and Adaware is always good to have around.

 

Download the 60 day trial of Deepfreeze, trial one & if you don't like it reboot
then try the next.

Yes they ask to reboot after install but just don't do it untill you check the program over.

controler

 

I have Windows ME. Counterspy would not run correctly. The scan kept freezing and the enable/disable of realtime protection would not correctly work. SpySweeper runs fine. The memory shield runs but is too resource intrusive so i only use SpySweeper as on-demand only. From what i have seen on the various forums i visit, there is nothing between them in detection rates. One or the other(or both) would be fine. It comes down to personal preference. Which one you like the most.

As to ditching Ad-aware. Why? It's a very good antispyware, it's free and you never know it may even find something one day that others have missed. I have Ad-Aware Plus, and have no plans to ditch it. I like the added benifit that i have another opinion on whether my pc is clean or not. In the current climate, it pays to have multiple antispyware application's. Spyware is rife at the moment.

muf

 

I'm thinking to remove Ad-Aware because this program will not add any kind of more protection than CounterSpy or Spy Sweeper, and Spybot...
It seems that Ad-Aware stoped in the time because the I didn't see any detection improvements on the test available on the web... It's a very good free program, but we have a much better alternatives out there...
And I also have ewido, a-squared and now NOD32 is improving his spyware detection, so...

 

Totally agree on this.

Have been using Ad-aware and Spybot S&D for years,
but Ad-aware has not improved the way Spybot S&D did.
The last 2 years, i haven't found a thing with Ad-aware that Spybot did not catch.
In the years before this was diff.
So i dropped Ad-aware.

Further more i am a licensed user of Spy Sweeper which i like very much,
it gives you protection, while the others are more 'look-if-your-system-is-already-infected' scanners.

I've been testing CounterSpy for a while, but it never found a thing Spy Sweeper didn't found.

So, it can be just as good, but i don't think it is better.
(did some serious tests.)

The only Anti-Spyware product that have amazed/impressed me lately,
is the Ewido 3.5 Beta, this really found spyware all the above missed.

But i have to look further into Counterspy, but i have too little time now.

 

I disagree about the comments regarding AdAware. It has improved imho. I mean they just came out with version 1.06.

AdAware has caught things on my pc that Spybot and CounterSpy have not. (Just ask Bubba, he can tell you.).

But in the essence of staying on topic here, my vote goes to Counterspy. It lighter on resources and catches just as many nasties as Spy Sweeper does.

I would take Controler up on his advice and trial Deep Freeze. Check em both out, then make your decision.

Regards,

Jag

 

I agree with this.

Keep Ad-Aware as a free on-demand malware scanner, and go with Microsoft Anti-Spyware (as opposed to the pay model of CounterSpy) as another free real-time anti-spyware app.

 

I voted Spy Sweeper because I really like the new version.
It scans everything in about 3 minutes where previously it took
35 minutes and more.
It's really improving a lot. As for the resources I don't have a
problem with that.

Everytime when I submitted a ticket for support it was answered
almost immediately or the next day.
Even if I asked a silly question.
That's great support. IMHO

 

eldar check your sweep options, smth u forgot to tick.

 

Still 13 minutes, so that's a lot less then before.
Thanks for letting me know.

Edit: Actually it's 8 minutes 51 seconds (version 4.0.3 build 363)

 

To All,

I forgot to mention, I do not use CS as realtime protection, its just for on demand scanning.

I have BOClean, RegDefend, NOD32, and Kerio 2.1.5 for realtime protection.

HTH,

Jag

 

Talking more about them:

CounterSpy is very easy to use like MS AntiSpyware, but have some items better organized. The scanner is very fast and gives us all the info that we need to decide. The resources aren't so bad, less than 20MB and CPU isn't so relevant. When we decide to close the CounterSpy all the processes are killed, but with Spy Sweeper this doesn't happen, always left the WRSSSDK.exe file. Spy Sweeper is also easy to use and also give us useful info, very fast scanner, but if we have the shield's enable it takes a lot of time to open. The memory usage are about 35MB... I can conclude that Spy Sweeper have more work to do related with its resources and stability...

About Ad-Aware I only see improvements in speed! And about detection!? A company that also have pay versions should make more things to their programs to justify that the costumers stay with the programs...

 

I made a test to choose between them:

1. installed the "BearShare 5.1.0 beta 11" that contain WhenU.SaveNow, and only CounterSpy detect this and also give me the option to remove the BearShare.

2. installed the "Grokster 2.6.5" that contains 2 files with Spyware.Altnet.
CounterSpy detects 2 files and give the option to remove the Grokster.
SpySweeper and Spybot detects only 1 file.
ewido, a2 and avast! detects 2 files.
NOD32 and Ad-Aware none.

CounterSpy detect the file with the smart scan and SpySweeper only with the scan all the partition.

I already submit the files to Eset to analysis.

I think that I will choose CounterSpy.

Thanks for your comments

 

Glad you tested out what you did and made your decision.

 

Ah, finally someone who actually does their own tests before posting about what program is better. That's the way I do it too. If you haven't done at least a few tests yourself on a program how good can your opinion really be?

 

I had a feeling that you were leaning this way, VC. I'm sure you just wanted others feedback on it, to see what the overall concesus was. I've never used CounterSpy, so I can't comment....but these forums are one of the more positive towards the product (even though their forum presense is at CC). Good luck with it (just be sure to let us know if/when you encounter FPs).

 

I agree with you, and always try to test the programs first, because sometimes some programs works better on our system and not on anothers...

 

Of course that I want all the possible feedback, but I've my own way that how some kind of programs should be and work...
I have the conscience that a simple test like I did isn't sufficient to see which program is better, but can help us to see some things...
And on post #17, I have said some things that is important to me to choose a program...
Like I already said to you, we are always learn with all yours comments...

 

What good is an anti anything if it hasn't updated in 11 days..Especially a paid one.....CS was last updated on June 4th?

 

ooops , i am glad that i did not order a license yet.

I had the same thing with A2 (squared) it looks as if it never gets an update.
It is difficult to see if it had an update (which i think is wrong) when you hit the update button.

But a Anti Malware prog that has no updates in 11 days is not a very
good thing!

Aren't there connection problems with your firewall ?