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Malware, Spybot Search and Destroy?

uberman

uberman

Golden Member
Out of familiarity I downloaded a newer version of Spybot Search and Destroy from a CNET download site. I usually install Spybot and the free version of Ad-Aware. When I installed the new Spybot Search and Destroy it cautioned me about not removing the advertisements.

Is this still a good program? The machine I'm fixing is critical, meaning: the person has no restore disks, drivers, or XP disks. I can't experiment, I just want to do some updating. Thank you.
 
Spybot S&D has always had a blurb stating that removing advertisement-ware may break stuff, with a "yeah I know dude" checkbox so you don't see it again. Is that the one you meant?

In the bigger picture, also try the free version of SuperAntispyware, it's earned a great reputation and is far better than Ad-Aware.
 
Originally posted by: mechBgon
Spybot S&D has always had a blurb stating that removing advertisement-ware may break stuff, with a "yeah I know dude" checkbox so you don't see it again. Is that the one you meant?
In the bigger picture, also try the free version of SuperAntispyware, it's earned a great reputation and is far better than Ad-Aware.
Click to expand...

Yep, you betcha. I guess I just forgot about the advertisement warning. Thanks for the answer and the link.
 
I like spybot because of the other tools it has. But more recently malwarebytes and superantispyware seem to have good if not better scanners. I haven't used ad-aware in a few years now.
 
Originally posted by: BriGy86
I like spybot because of the other tools it has. But more recently malwarebytes and superantispyware seem to have good if not better scanners. I haven't used ad-aware in a few years now.
Click to expand...

Ditto. I like the blocking via hosts file Spybot has. It's scanner isn't the best, but it's still worth having for the passive protection.
 
Originally posted by: Chiefcrowe
you may also want to try Malwarebytes antimalware
Click to expand...

I like Malwarebytes a lot,I use it as backup to my main AV,its updated very often and does a good job.
 
Originally posted by: Mem
Originally posted by: Chiefcrowe
you may also want to try Malwarebytes antimalware
Click to expand...

I like Malwarebytes a lot,I use it as backup to my main AV,its updated very often and does a good job.
Click to expand...

I like it as well. It's kind of sad though that the original freeware apps like spybot and ad-aware haven't kept up on scanning capabilities like the newer programs out 🙁

another good one i make sure to install is spywareblaster. It doesn't have a scanning feature but does some prevention.
 
Originally posted by: mechBgon
Spybot S&D has always had a blurb stating that removing advertisement-ware may break stuff, with a "yeah I know dude" checkbox so you don't see it again. Is that the one you meant?

In the bigger picture, also try the free version of SuperAntispyware, it's earned a great reputation and is far better than Ad-Aware.
Click to expand...

Thank you. SuperAntispyware saved the day.
I ran SpyBot Search and Destroy and had over 100 incidents of Malware. I then installed Ad-Aware and for the first time had an error and it messed up XP by removing Windows startup files and it refused to install. I then had to restore and went back 3 weeks. That fixed the startup files. Now I installed SuperAntispyware and ran that getting rid of the problems. I then reinstalled SpyBot Search and Destroy and ran that. It came back "No Threats Found." I immunized and was done. Thanks again.
 
Don't forget System File Checker (sfc). I just used it a few days ago to repair a computer with an infected system file that would call or load some .dll whenever any executable was launched, but I couldn't determine which system file was the culprit. With the .dll file deleted, I would get a warning notice/box for every executable that tried to run, about 100 of them every login (file not found, please reinstall the program, blah blah).

BitDefender AV would detect the .dll file and quarantine it, but not the system file that was loading it. Spyware Blaster and AVG found nothing (not even the .dll file that BitDefender was finding).

So I ran SFC /scannow, supplied clean installation media and it fixed the problem.
 
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Ad-Aware doesn't do anything except delete cookies. I stopped using it in 2004/2005 and never looked back.
 
I use spybots&d. Adaware installation got screwed up somehow (might be a bad sign in itself, that). I never dare try any other anti-malware program because there seems to be such a huge number of fake anti-spyware apps out there. Pretending to be anti-spyware seems to be one of the favourite disguises of spyware.

Superantispyware is legit then? The name doesn't half sound like something a malware app would use though! Though then it would probably be superduperultraantispyware.
 
pmv said:
I use spybots&d. Adaware installation got screwed up somehow (might be a bad sign in itself, that). I never dare try any other anti-malware program because there seems to be such a huge number of fake anti-spyware apps out there. Pretending to be anti-spyware seems to be one of the favourite disguises of spyware.

Superantispyware is legit then? The name doesn't half sound like something a malware app would use though! Though then it would probably be superduperultraantispyware.
Click to expand...

This is a good program. It's been good for several weeks. Make sure to use the free link.

http://www.superantispyware.com/
 
Malwarebytes and Superantispyware are probably the most popular apps of this category nowadays. i believe that, together, these 2 scans make Spybot superfluous and obsolete.

there's once particular case, however, in which Spybot shines. that's when you want to perform a scan from inside a BartPE disc without booting the infected OS. in such case, Spybot (if installed in the BartPE disc) has the capability to scan all the Registry hashes found in the hard drive.... even those belonging to a secondary OS installed in drive d: (dual-boot systems).
 
I use a mix of Norton 360, SpywareBlaster, and MalwareBytes A.M, seems to do the job, all stay updated and my computer is still a computer!, without all the resource jacking going on. (BTW: Norton isn't as bad as folks say, avast! 4.8 hogged WAY more resources, as with Avira and other AV's I downloaded - plus Norton serves as the Firewall, AV, and Malware Agent all in 1)
 
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