What's the best spy/adware removal tool

[stevenrw]

Hello, its me again.
HID is giving me earache now about web pages loading very slowly although our d/l speed is not too bad (we are on IDNet ADSL2+) so no traffic control.
She uses W7 lappy wirelessly via a Billion 7800N ADSL router. Signal strength is 3 or 4 bars, conn speed is the full 300.
As a first step to sorting this out, I wanted to run an ad ware/spyware scan. I used to use Spybot and Lavasoft Adaware but that was back in the day.
What is the current favorite free prog?
For normal protection I use Eset Smart Security 4, plus the firewall that is built in with the router.

[Rik]

Malwarebytes would be one choice, Super Anti-Spyware would be my choice.






Edit. That'll teach me to type with one finger while answering the phone. 

[DorsetBoy]

Having been an Eset user for many years I gave up Eset Smart 4 on Win7 as it caused dreadful lag problems when browsing.

I moved to Avast 5 which cured the issue nicely, Malwarebytes (free) I have as a standby and Windows Defender (built in to Win7) runs full time.

[Fox]

MalwareBytes or Super Antispyware would be a good choice, I have used both and they seem to do what it says on the tin. I currently use MalwareBytes as I prefer the interface.

[Simon]

I would agree with SAS and MB. 

[stevenrw]

I'm interested in DorsetBoys comments about Eset.
Has anybody else had similar experiences perhaps?

[Niall]

Yep, my system ran so sluggishly under W7 with NOD32 I had to uninstall it and use Avast instead. It worked perfectly under Vista, and was really good too

[D-Dan]

Malwarebytes AND SuperAntiSpyware. They have different detection methods, with  MBAM having superiority in finding and removing trojans, and SAS doing better against other threats. (Based on my own testing for TechSupportAlert).

Steve

[stevenrw]

Dorsetboy and Niall - thanks for the assistance. Did you go for the free Avast or the full Monty and which one - the Pro Antivius or the Internet security suite?

[D-Dan]

The free version of avast uses the same engine and virus database as the paid for version, so for home use, go for that. (The paid for version has some additional features that, for a home user, you are unlikely to ever need).

I would also recommend grabbing MBAM and SAS too. You can use them alongside Avast without any problems, and they serve a different purpose (Avast is anti-virus, whilst MBAM and SAS are anti-malware). There is some blurring of the lines, but no single solution will give you as comprehensive protection as the three together (and since they are all free, there's no cost to you).

Steve

[Niall]

Yeah I use the free version. I'll probably buy it at some point, but I thought I'd wait until I upgrade my PC next year to do that. I also use super antispyware, spybot, spyware blaster and CCleaner to remove programs, clear caches, etc.

I keep forgetting about MBM, I'll go get that now

Oh, spybot and spyware blaster don't seem to work anymore if you set firefox up so nothing is stored at all, as there's nothing for it to clean or block. I don't use IE so I don't know if it works with that. I suppose the same would apply to that too if it allows the same set up.

[Simon]

Do the free versions of SAS and MBAM run in 'real time' alongside Avast, or are they just on demand scanners until paid for?

[D-Dan]

They are on demand in the free versions, but as long as you remember to do a scan each week that's no hardship. The scans don't take too long.

Should you wish to purchase, I have a registered version of SAS running quite happilly with Avast.

Steve

[Simon]

Thanks, Steve. 

[tehidyman]

Having followed this thread I'm considering free Avast 5, SAS and MBAM to replace free AVG 10. AVG claims to scan incoming e-mails which seems like a good idea. Do any of these three cover this aspect or do I need something else?

[Rik]

Avast appears to scan email.

[Gary]

In theory if your email contains a nasty an AV should stop it once its opened, if you get a lot of mail or big attachments sometime some AV's email scanning techniques can cause issues, but most are fine. I always think its better to be scan incoming emails if possible.

[DorsetBoy]

Avast has excellent email filtering systems 

[stevenrw]

Last question from me (I think)
What about the firewall? Do you leave it to the firewall in the router?

[Rik]

I do, others don't.

[D-Dan]

You can get away with leaving a firewall to the router, though a better answer would be to highlight the main differences between the H/W firewall and a S/W firewall.

A hardware firewall will perform one function, and one function only, which is to prevent the flow of unapproved traffic between the net and your computer. They are usually very good at this, and can be configured to open ports to allow other connections as required. It will not, however, prevent unauthorised software installations, or the flow of traffic from your PC to the net. In this respect, for example, should you pick up a keylogger that your AV or other protection misses, then the logger will do it's job.

With a software firewall it is likely that you would have to approve the communication, thus adding a further layer of defence to your arsenal.

Personally, I use both a software firewall and a hardware firewall, though this is a relatively recent thing and I was quite happy with just the hardware firewall for several years. I simply became more paranoid as I got older.

Steve

[Simon]

I've always used both, mainly because I couldn't grasp what the difference is! 

[stevenrw]

You know what my next question is going to be now don't you....
S/W firewall recommendations anybody?
Used to be Zone Alarm back in the day, but I don't know what is the current favourite.

[DorsetBoy]

You know what my next question is going to be now don't you....
S/W firewall recommendations anybody?
Used to be Zone Alarm back in the day, but I don't know what is the current favourite.

The Win7 firewall is fine, if you really want the extra control then the Avast suite was on a 50% discount when upgrading from the free version, covers 3 machines at a silly (low) price.

[D-Dan]

I use Commodo firewall (free)

Steve