Hello,

Recently my IT guy came over to upgrade my RAM. He saw the following antispyware programs on my pc: Spybot, Ad-aware, Spyware Blaster, AVG Antispyware, Windows Defender, Super Antispyware (all free versions).

What he did was remove all the programs, then he installed SUPERAntispyware. Apprently, He said "This works alot better then Spybot & Ad-aware, and its very good". I said well OK...

However, I have been reading that You should have ONE Real time protection, and a few on demand scanners, "What one doesnt catch, the other will" kind of thing.

So then I talked to a person who is very experienced with computers, malware etc, and he was even the one to get the first home personal computer in the world. He told me to atleast get back Ad-aware 2007, Spybot and spywareblaster.

Well, I dont know what to do anymore really. I only have one antispyware: SUPERAntispyware pro. Well, What should I do? I appreciate all comments. If anyone does RESEARCH and knows stuff for a FACT why I should get some antispyware programs back, would be much appreciated, I dont really like "yes or no answers" or when people just make a comment with no research or facts.

Thanks guys...

Josh.

Using more than one anti-spyware program running in real-time mode simultaneously increases your protection coverage without causing the same kind of conflicts or affecting the stability of your system as what happens when using more than one anti-virus.

No single product is 100% foolproof and can detect and remove all threats at any given time. The security community is in a constant state of change as new malware infections appear. Each vendor has its own definition of what constitutes spyware and scanning your computer using different criteria will yield different results. The fact that each program has its own definition files means that some malware may be picked up by one that could be missed by another. Thus, a multi-layered defense using several products (including an effective firewall) to supplement your anti-virus provides the most complete protection.

However, you can over do it with resource heavy programs that will slow down you system performance. Sometimes you just have to experiment to get the right combo for your particular system as there is no universal solution that works for everyone. Those folks still on dial-up certainly don't want to add too many programs requiring daily updating or they will spend all their time just doing that.

See BC's List of Virus & Malware Resources and Freeware Replacements For Common Commercial Apps.

Edit: I forgot to mention. IMO SUPERAntispyware has shown to be more effective than both Ad-aware and Spybot so I often recommend it quite frequently. I would also advise you to continue using Spywareblaster and Defender.

Thanks for the fast reply!!! So I shouldnt get Spybot and Ad-aware back? Just get Defender and Spywareblaster? Because My IT guy said what you said, Superantispyware is more effective then spybot and ad-aware.

And why would my IT tech remove all and just install SUPERAntispyware? :-|

I see your a MVP Security ) cool!

Just because a lot of us believe SAS is more effective, does not mean Ad-aware and/or Spybot is not any good. Its going to be a matter of personal choice how much time you want to spend cross checking for malware with each tool. I still have both available as stand-alone scanners in case I need a backup, should something affect SAS's ability to perform a scan. I may not always run a scan with them, but I always keep their definitions updated.