Popular Reviews: Home Plasma TV Lawn Mowers Toyota Prius Leaf Blowers Treadmills Mutual Funds Refrigerators

Antispyware Software Reviews and Buying Guide: Just when security software makers were able to get a grip on the viruses and worms that were ruining computers, spyware developers started distributing their malicious software through downloads online. Spyware can really be separated into 2 categories - adware and spyware (malware). Adware is not terribly bad to have on your system although some companies go overboard with popup ads and make the experience intrusive. The definition of what spyware is has gone to court with judges and hearings with lawsuits against spyware software companies who claim they are legitimate adware providers and target ads to end users that accepted a license agreement to have the software installed on their computers. Deceptive practices are rampant on the Internet and many adware firms like Gator (now Claria), 180 Solutions (Zango), and WhenU are being pursued by lawyers. The biggest problem is that most computer users don't even know what these add-on software pieces will do to their computer and some take over your homepage or present you with pop ads when you are on certain websites. The other issue is that removing some of these adware programs from your computer is not always easy, nor successful. About 1 in 4 PC users has had an issue with spyware or adware on their systems and the total damage created from these programs is estimated to be slightly less than $2 billion. The most obvious place you will get a spyware program is when you download files from the Internet. The spyware is considered an add-on to the basic program and keeps it "free" of charge. Unfortunately, many people skip through the licensing screens while installing software they have downloaded online and don't realize all the software that has "piggybacked" onto their computers via the original piece of software. Once on your hard drive some of these malware programs are terribly intrusive and cause 100,000's each year to essentially throw away their computer since the hard drive is so infected. Removing spyware may sound like a great idea, but often the programs are deceptive enough and hide portions on your computer that still don't get deleted. Buying an antispyware software program is your best bet to stay protected from adware, malware, spyware, etc. When browsing the Internet with McAfee Sive Advisor, you will see that search results on sites like Google are listed with various levels of danger next to them. McAfee tries to stay up to date with what each site offers in terms of software or past problems. I find their service mostly helpful but also misleading in many situations. Some adware firms are trying to sue spyware companies like PC Tools or McAfee for saying their software is malicious in nature and deleting it from peoples computers. The courts will have to decide that issue and try to protect the consumer who wants to use the Internet for shopping and product research. The top makers of antispyware software are Trend Micro, Sunbelt Software CounterSpy 2, F-Secure, McAfee, BitDefender Check Point Zone Alarm, Webroot Spy Sweeper, PCTools Spyware Doctor, and Symantec. Lavasoft Ad Aware SE Plus was very popular but it has been discontinued and AdAware 2007 is being released as a free version. As a general rule of thumb that I have learned by browsing the web for over 12 years is that you should not TRUST a site you have zero history with. Do not download files from a new site you've never heard of or were refered to via an email. Email is a great way for spyware distributors to cheaply find new victims. You need to get a spyware removal program on your computer ASAP and do a thorough scan of your entire hard drive to find out what is currently there and then determine what needs to be erased or deleted entirely. Most of these antispyware programs keep a running database of troubled downloads that they regularly scan for on your system. Some experts even recommend having 2 antispyware programs on your computer running at various times to detect and delete anything that might get past the first one. It might seem like this is going overboard, but malicious spyware can cost you $100's in wasted time or ruined PC's and laptops. Which one is best? We found several reviews from reputable companies like Consumer Reports, PC World, PC Magazine, CNET And About.com. You can go to those sites or magazine for the full details of their surveys, but we have tried to some up the results below by picking the software titles that stood out in all reviews. The cost of these programs ranges from FREE to $70. You can buy them online at several etailers or do a search for each particular brand and purchase/download the software from their official site (safest way). As consumers that shop online, we can only hope that adware/spyware/malware makers are stopped in their tracks and keep the Internet a safe place to not only research things but make purchases. Best Antispyware Software: Webroot AntiVirus with AntiSpyware and Firewall ($36) is considered an excellent choice in your fight against spyware and adware that is either already installed in your computer or has the potential to be. Webroot software comes with virus protection and a firewall and essentially makes their Spy Sweeper software a thing of the past. You get total protection from harmful spyware programs and adware. Webroot is a reputable software company that has been around for years and remains a leader in the antispyware software field. You can find their entire selection online at Webroot.com. The one knock against this current piece of software from Webroot is that it doesn't detect malware as often as others like Trend Micro AntiSpyware ($30). The overall performance, though, of Webroot will impress even the most veteran Internet user and PC Mag currently rates this software as the best available. If you need a 2nd antispyware program to compliment Webroot consider the Sunbelt Software CounterSpy 2 ($20) which does an excellent job of finding and deleting malware that may be on your system and just hidden. Free Antispyware Software: Looking for a FREE antispyware program? There are several on the market and some have a 'catch' to the free part. One that rated fairly well and is free is Microsoft Windows Defender which guards your PC against spyware and pop causing programs. The software will monitor your system for any detection of spyware and alarm you when something has been found. Windows Defender is one of the easiest antispyware programs you will ever find to use and it does a good job of catching almost all spyware related intrusions on your computer. You can find it online at Windowsdefender.com and download it for free. Another option is the very popular Lava AdAware which is now free to those in North America and Western Europe if you accept TrialPay (a checkout system when shopping online). Word is not out yet on how successful this program is going to be for consumers. You can check out the details online at Lavasoftusa.com. Top Rated Antispyware Program: Who do you trust - Consumer Reports unbiased and incredible researched findings or those of PC Magazine who specialize in software related computer products? We couldn't turn a deaf ear to what CR has to say. It appears they found Trend Micro AntiSpyware (PC-cillin Internet Security Suite 2008) ($30) to be the best at detecting spyware which is what should be most important to end users. The program may not be quite as easy to use as Webroots Antispyware, but the features are many and the program does a great job of finding and detecting any spyware/malware/adware on your system and helping you delete those you want gone. The security software from Trend Micro will help protect your personal identity and home network from thieves or greedy adware companies. The program will update your system periodically with the latest findings of adware or spyware companies and make sure they are not hiding on your computer. The renewal fee is $30/year but worth the money if you are someone who likes to download files from the web and feel secure doing it. McAfee vs Norton: Although neither of these reputable brands ranked in the top 3 of surveys we found, they do an excellent job of keeping your informed of the latest spyware threats or adware companies online. I use McAfee Internet Security Suite 2008 and have always preferred it to that offered by Norton (Symantec). Norton may be a better selling software suite, but McAfee often rates higher for faster scan speeds and more detection of potential threats on your PC. Both software suites are priced at $70 which makes them expensive compared to other equivalent software programs. © 1999-2008 Funskins.com - Product Reviews