Slow SpyBot fix

[Noreen]

If you have the latest SpyBot 1.5 and it's very slow to open, there's an official fix here in their forum (the second link in the second post is the zipped download). Follow the instructions given (in a later post) and restart your computer afterwards. I've just installed it and it works thank goodness as I was getting fed up with SpyBot.  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=18309

[Rik]

Thanks for that, Noreen.

[Gary]

I have to say I gave up on spybot along time ago, it really does not seem to cut the mustard any more sadly with malware, times have moved on and they just don't have the time or finance to keep up with the ever increasing swarm of nasties, Spybot also gets very poor results in almost all tests these days. Its sad as they were along with the now awful adaware 2007 the best free malware detectors of their day.

[Gary]

Noreen, you will find NOD does a pretty good job of covering you for spyware anyway, a lot of people seem to say that superantispyware is the best of the free spyware applications now http://www.superantispyware.com/
I have not used it myself but its mentioned often on wilders and castlecops and the kaspersky forums as worth having.

[Simon]

I've used SuperAntiSpyware, and although it's never found anything, because I have F-Secure, it's good to have as a backup stand alone scanner.

[Gary]

I've used SuperAntiSpyware, and although it's never found anything, because I have F-Secure, it's good to have as a backup stand alone scanner.

Agreed Simon, I just wish its didn't seem like a child had drawn the desktop icon and named the program 

[Noreen]

I have free SpyBot, Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster installed on my laptop and I run weekly scans with the first two, SpywareBlaster runs permanently in the background. They very seldom find anything, probably because I never knowingly go to "dodgy" sites and I use a program to remove cookies (except ones that I specify) whenever I run it.

[Rik]

I can't remember, Noreen. Do you run Firefox? If so, take a look at the CookieCuller add on. It allows cookies to be marked for saving, then cleans everything else out. Recommended.

[Noreen]

No I use IE6, Rik.

[Rik]

Forget that idea, then.

Window washer from Webroot does a similar job, though I'd expect there are cheaper packages out there for the purpose.

[MoHux]

I can't remember, Noreen. Do you run Firefox? If so, take a look at the CookieCuller add on. It allows cookies to be marked for saving, then cleans everything else out. Recommended.

I have used this program to do the same job  CookieWall for years in IE.  Still works in Vista (IE7). 

[Simon]

I have free SpyBot, Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster installed on my laptop and I run weekly scans with the first two, SpywareBlaster runs permanently in the background. They very seldom find anything, probably because I never knowingly go to "dodgy" sites and I use a program to remove cookies (except ones that I specify) whenever I run it.

That's exactly the set up I used for years, Noreen, and it always kept me in good stead.  The only reason I had to get rid of Ad Aware, is that F-Secure uses the same engine (so, in effect, I still have it anyway), plus Kaspersky's anti-spyware module, so it offers 'double' protection.  I still have SpywareBlaster installed on my main PC, but I think it's limited in it's abilities nowadays.

Agreed Simon, I just wish its didn't seem like a child had drawn the desktop icon and named the program 

Yes, it is a bit of an ugly icon, but, of course, you can always hide it.  The website could do with a makeover too, as it doesn't look all that professional, but the actual product is one of the best at it's job, and as it's free, who can complain?

[Noreen]

Well, I'm quite happy with the set up and as I said I have a program for removing cookies.