Dell Dimenstion 2400
256 RAM
Dial-up 56 K modem
I downloaded the trial version of SpySweeper to try it out. One, I wanted to see if it might find anything that my other security programs weren't and second, I wanted to compare it with Zone-Alarm's Anti-Spyware. I disabled the real-time protection of Zone-Alarm's Anti-Spyware while trying it out.
First, it didn't find anything even with the most comprehensive scan.
Second: I noticed that its real protection frequently will be searching or writing on my hard drive, the program doesn't say what it's doing, and consequently I hear sounds from my drive on a fairly frequent basis. Looking in Task Manager, I noticed that virtual/RAM memory was frequently around 356 while this was going on, not a good thing on my system. ZoneAlarm Anti-Virus, e-mail real-time protection, and the firewall, Ad-Watch, Spyware Guard, FireFox, and Thunderbird were the only other applications that were running.
Finally, I noticed when I rebooted as part of the installation process and each subsequent restart, SpySweeper was trying to change a registration value with my Intelligent Modem Event Monitor. I blocked each attempt. The monitor alerts me if I have my modem unplugged, if the phone line is busy etc. I NEED this service as my father frequently doesn't get the phone hung up properly and because I sometimes forget that I unplugged the modem, or rather the phone line into the surge protector. If I don't, the surge protector gets fried if there's an electrical storm surge. I went through 3 surge protectors in a month before I started the unplug method.
Questions: Why would SpySweeper want to change the alert system for my modem monitor? What is it doing in real-time protection that takes up so many resources and that sounds almost like it's grinding my hard drive?
I have subsequently uninstalled the program and deleted everything associated with it. With ZoneAlarm's real-time spyware protection in action, virtual memory/RAM usage is less by at least 100 and sometimes more, and I don't get that grinding sound from my drive.
Orange Blossom
