BleepingComputer.com: Spybot search and destroy

I recently cleaned up a friends computer with the help of Gringo-pr.... thanks much Gringo! but he recommended 3 programs to use afterwards two of which I have been using for a few years..( spywareblaster and mbam ) the other is winpatrol. My question is do I need to remove spybot search and destroy first and is there any problems or tricks to removing that tool. This is on my own computers as those are the three I had been using ( in addition to av) for many years. The other question is winpatrol gonna slow me down, and do I need to instruct it on what to allow? Not questioning Gringos suggestion to use it, just wanting to be familiar with it before putting it on any of my systems. I use F-prot AV and I like it very much even though it doesn't rank as high as it once did... it's never let me down. How well does Winpatrol play with other programs... av,firewall, online games etc... just would like a bit more knowledge before I jump right in. Thank you all for your time and opinions.

I would remove Spywareblaster, WinPatrol, and Spybot and instead use Super Anti-Spyware along side malwarebytes, and if you are happy with F-Prot then keep using it.

REALLY? I use to use super anti-spyware along with spywareblaster and spybot search and destroy but it started missing so much and then I removed it for malwarebytes... It also started giving me issues with other programs I believe... that was years ago, have they improved it much?


-- edit ---

Thanks for the opinions... Much appreciated! Looks like differing opionions on the different programs so maybe I'll way and keep an eye on this topic for awhile.... Please if you have an opinion please post, I'd like to hear them.... I use to be active on another site like this years ago... so all my knowledge/opionions are based on a time long gone...

This post has been edited by mcc-tech: 28 January 2012 - 04:03 PM

Super Anti-Spyware is a far superior product compared to Spyware Blaster.

Oh ok, thanks.... like I said I have not used it for a long period of time.... first I used adaware then replaced that with superanti-spyware and then replaced that with malwarebytes at least 2-3 years ago because of missed nasties and/or compatibility issues....These days I just dabble a bit with computers so am not on top of the latest developments. Thanks again for the info!

In my opinion I would keep WinPatrol. But thats a personal choice.

Personally, I would also keep SpywareBlaster which prevents stuff from coming on board in the first place by settings it creates. It is not a scanner by any means, nor does it run in the background.

I personally have WinPatrol Plus, SpywareBlaster, and MBAM. I do have SuperAntiSpyware, but I use it on demand only on occasion as I find it uses a lot of system resources. I have only 256 MB RAM on my machine.

Spybot is a program I used to have but discontinued using for reasons similar to those for discontinuing AdAware. As for removing Spybot, the only tricky part is being sure that you have disabled TeaTimer first. Once you have done so, my experience is that it is a piece of cake to remove.

I have not experienced problems with WinPatrol. There's not a whole lot of decision making to make with it. You do sometimes get an alert about a setting change. It is best to research it before saying allow or disallow. I find in my case, such alerts come when I'm installing or updating software or the OS, and whenever Flash runs because it wants to run an update on boot. Note that I do not do online gaming, and I have a different AV and likely firewall than you do.

Orange Blossom

I would keep WinPatrol and SpywareBlaster. Neither of them will slow the system down.


WinPatrol is a startup manager which works much better than MSConfig? plus offers a lot more features. The tool alerts you to changes in programs that run at startup, monitors toolbars, registry modifications, changes to file extensions and changes to the HOSTS file. If you highlight an entry, you can click on the Info button to gather additional information. If you are using the Pro version, you click on PLUSInfo... which will take you to its website to see what they have to say about it. You can also do this by highlighting an entry, right-clicking on it and select PLUSInfo from the context menu.


SpywareBlaster, is a program that restricts the actions of potentially dangerous sites by adding a list of sites and domains associated with known spyware, advertisers and marketers to the browser's "Restricted Sites Zone". SpywareBlaster also prevents the installation of ActiveX-based malware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software amd blocks tracking cookies. It can be used with Internet Explorer and any browsers that use the Internet Explorer engine such as AOL web browser, Avant Browser, Slim Browser and Maxthon (formerly MyIE2) and provides protection for Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Seamonkey, and Flock. SpywareBlaster is not intrusive as it does not run in the background. It only requires installation and then enabling of all protection. After that you only have to check periodically for database updates using the built-in "Check for Updates" feature and then enable all protection again. For more information, see SpywareBlaster System Requirements & Supported Browsers.

If you are not sure how to use SpywareBlaster, please refer to the How to use SpywareBlaster to protect your computer tutorial. In addition to explaining how to use the tool, the tutorial covers other built-in tools and features to include:



I recommend taking advantage of the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (Pro) Protection Module in the full version which uses advanced heuristic scanning technology to monitor your system and provide real-time protection to prevent the installation of most new malware. This technology runs at startup where it monitors every process and helps stop malicious processes before they can infect your computer. Keep in mind that this feature does not guarantee something will not slip through as no product can detect and prevent every type of malware. The database that defines the heuristics is updated as often as there is something to add to it. Also keep in mind that Malwarebytes does not act as a real-time protection scanner for every file like an anti-virus program so it is intended to be a supplement, not a substitute.

IP Protection (malicious website blocking) is part of the Protection Module and works after it is enabled. When attempting to go to a potential malicious website, Malwarebytes will block the attempt and provide an alert. IP Protection is also designed to block incoming connections it determines to be malicious. More information about IP Protection can be found in the Malwarebytes Anti-Malware IP Protection FAQs.

Those who purchase the full version receive a license key via email to activate the protection module. The license includes a lifetime of free upgrades and support. For corporate and business customers, annual licenses are required. After activation, Malwarebytes can be set to update itself and schedule scans automatically on a daily basis. The Protection Module is not intrusive as it utilizes few system resources and should not conflict with other scanners or anti-virus programs. If any conflicts between Malwarebytes and another security program are reported, suggested solutions are usually provided in the Common Issues, Questions, and their Solutions, FAQs thread.


FYI: mvps.org is no longer recommending Spybot S&D or Ad-Aware due to poor testing results. See here - (scroll down and read under Freeware Antispyware Products). Further, most people don't understand how to use Spybot's TeaTimer and that feature can cause more problems than it's worth. TeaTimer monitors changes to certain critical keys in Windows registry but does not indicate if the change is normal or a modification made by a malware infection. The user must have an understanding of the registry and how TeaTimer works in order to make informed decisions to allow or deny the detected changes. If you don't have understanding how a particular security tool works, then you probably should not be using it. Additionally, TeaTimer may conflict with other security tools which do a much better job of protecting your computer and in some cases it will even prevent disinfection of malware by those tools.

thanks all...

orange blossom : I have used spybot for years.... But it has also been years since I used the teatimer part... for many of the same reasons you mention not to mention, it asking if it should allow a change and then still not allowing a change. I have had a few issues with spybot recently but nothing to do with blocking removing or even letting stuff in BUT I have been using MBAM along with it for a few years now. Thanks again for your opinions.


quietman: thanks for the explanations, some of it was stuff I didn't know or reinforced my confidence ... particularly winpatrol... but the rest would certainly be good info for others, including some of my friends... thanks again.


--edit---
is this site that busy or is there other reasons I can't always log in?

This post has been edited by mcc-tech: 01 February 2012 - 10:31 PM

You're welcome on behalf of the Bleeping Computer community.