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| Microsoft Windows Defender (formerly MS AntiSpyware) 1.1.1347 Beta 2 |
| GUI:  Features: Ease of use: Value: |  | | Love it. Too bad that the free version is available only until December 31st. |
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| Microsoft Windows Defender (formerly MS AntiSpyware) 1.1.1347 Beta 2 |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | | 5 out of 5. Outstanding piece of software ! |
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| Microsoft Windows Defender (formerly Windows AntiSpyware) 1.1.1051 Beta 2 |
| GUI:  Features: Ease of use: Value: | | | Looks nice and simple. Uninstalls easy. I did have to look at the forum (and release notes) of Microsoft Windows Defender many times, because of problems of installation (error 1609) and updating not working after second install. The updates are not incremental and cannot be removed, so you loose a lot of space of your hard disc drive. |
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| Microsoft Windows Defender (formerly Windows AntiSpyware) 1.1.1051 Beta 2 |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | In terms of looks, feel and ease of use, Microsoft has a winner on its hands.
Its a very easy product to use...a lot easier than its predecessor, that being GIANT Antispyware. Everything is a lot clearer and easier to access.
More functionality has been given to the back/forward buttons, making it seem more like an explorer window as opposed to an antispyware product. Microsoft strived to make this seamless with windows vista and they did just that. Im sure more improvements are on the way.
The PROBLEM with the software, though, is that with each new major version Microsoft removes more features. It is quite upsettings.
First it was system innoculator and secure file shredder, now its all those cool tools like shell extension monitor, IE homepage settings, etc. When this product was GIANT Antispyware it had these two cool features which I really enjoyed when I used it long before it became Microsoft: secure file shredder, which would safely delete your files from your hard drive so they could never be recovered, and a tool called System Innoculator, which is like the program System Innoculator and the system innoculation function in Advanced Spyware Remover. Its a tool which patches IE and Windows in ways which will prevent certain malwares/adwares from exploiting your system, namely CoolWebSearch. When Microsoft bought it and made is MS Antispyware, they removed these two tools.
Now with Beta 2 of Microsoft Antispyware, or Windows Defender, they have removed a lot of helpful tools for the more...advanced computer users. It seems that Windows Defender was designed with the inexperienced user in mind...hence the simplistic name "Windows Defender".
That is why I gave Windows Defender a 4/5 on features. Its not that the program is lacking, it just has removed certain useful functions in favor of...well...no replacements :P...well they did build in this somewhat different process manager. But its pretty dumb if you ask me, considering that using Services.msc, MSConfig and Task Manager will provide the exact same information. It is really a sad state of afairs in my opinion.
Basically it seems that Microsoft just wants this product to be purely a scanning product...scanning files/registry/processes on the machine, and scanning stuff that wants to install itself on the machine. That obviously isn't bad, but it seems that today there should be more expected out of an Antispyware program, like control over things like IE homepages, shell extensions, IE BHO's, etc, all of which Windows Defender curiously left out :P.
I still highly recommend the software, but you will start having to look elsewhere if you find the need to manage things like IE BHO's and stuff like that.
I recommend Advanced Spyware Remover if you feel you need the control over such things like IE BHO's, IE homepages, shell extensions, etc.
For those of you who hate the new interface of Windows Defender and prefer the old Beta 1 interface, you may take a liking to the program Spyware Terminator, which mimics the Beta 1 interface while providing all the same tools that you can to enjoy in MS Antispyware Beta 1. |
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| Microsoft AntiSpyware 1.0.701 Beta |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | Just look see pages through this google result. Microsoft itself on its very own website writes and praises very ownself only two softwares.. yes ad-aware and spybot .....only these two no other.
For your ease i am sending you the selcted links and the two google search strings...
http://www.google.com.pk/search?hl=en&q=Ad+aware+spybot+site%3Awww.microsoft.com&meta=
http://www.google.com.pk/search?hl=en&q=what+is+spyware+spybot+site%3Awww.microsoft.com&meta=
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/cleansweep.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windows9x/antispy.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxpsp2/antispy.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/marketing/privacy_spam/5_tips_for_spurning_spyware_and_browser_hijackers.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/smallbusiness/resources/technology/security/6_steps_to_help_secure_your_brand_new_pc.mspx
Regards
Dedicated to Sunni Mujahideen of IRAQ
Muhammad Imran.
Islamabad, Pakistan |
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| Microsoft AntiSpyware 1.0.701 Beta |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | Dear Mr.Tokar.. whatever you have said is can be written be written for spybot S&D and perhaps it can be praised even more than this. But the thing i am going to mention about MS-Antispyware will make u throw it out of window and again fall back to Ad-Aware and SpyBot-S&D.
The thing is that MS-Antispyware blocks and aborts the installation of the software having adware module. While on other hand Ad-Aware and SpyBot-S&D both do a surgical-strike right on that module neutralising it and u have a software free from spyware etc and usauble not likeu are all out deprived from that software at all.....
I am perosnally an advocate of M$ but if we also discuss realstic things as well it will be benifit for users not companies.
Things lacking in Ad-Aware should i say every software of this class http://www.adwarereport.com/mt/archives/000004.html is ....
1. Feature to keep blocking the startup (msconfig) for "particular/user-defined" entries. Like yahoo messenger. They are such a ^%$&% that u have to go online/ signin to set preferences and make it shutup on startup. Similar feature is currently present in bot Ad-Aware and SpyBot-S&D to lock startup but that starts locking everything to change like Installing NVIDIA drivers require some entries to be loaded at startup. so this is to be done like firewall we could check the entries to be blocked continously
2. Windows XP system-restore.... Users should be educated to install Ad-Aware ina partition other thanbeing monitored by system-restore of win-xp else if things get bad nomatter how back u take win-xp with restore Ad-Aware will be blocking the restoring of desktop, applications etc. While keeping Ad-Aware installed in separate no monitores partition by system-restore will enable u to manually delete the Ad-Aware from program-files of that partition and hence u can block the envolvment of Ad-ware during restores whch r crashing and just not restoring things u want and u know why they arent.
Regards
Dedicated to Sunni Mujahideen of IRAQ
Muhammad Imran.
Islamabad, Pakistan
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| Microsoft AntiSpyware 1.0.615 Beta |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | Oh, forgot the rates, dont mid the ones below. :)
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| Microsoft AntiSpyware 1.0.615 Beta |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | I'm not really sure how good is it, id didnt detect anything during the month i've been using it, while Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D - did.
All MSAS did was annoy me with popups "this program wants to do somthing with this one" and so on... Useless. |
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| Microsoft AntiSpyware 1.0.509 Beta1 |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | Not particularly sure why softpedia lists an update on 4/5/05 of this.
I just checked this file against my lastest download of Microsoft Antispyware...downloaded over 2 months ago...
File hashes, MD5, SHA1 and CRC32, all match up to this "new" update... |
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| Windows AntiSpyware 1.0.509 |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | This is the #1 antispyware program on the market.
If you dont believe me just see the reviews...
PCWorld named CounterSpy 1.0.26 the #1 product in its tests. And for those of you who dont know, CounterSpy is the exact same product as Microsoft Antispyware (they leased the product code from GIANT when it was GIANT's product).
WindowsSecrets.com, run by the Windows XP Authority Paul Thurrott, found GIANT Antispyware to be the #1 product among all the ones they tested, most of them also tested by PCWorld. And as you know Microsoft bought GIANT's product.
Spyware Warrior, http://spywarewarrior.com/, reported that GIANT Antispyware detected the most spyware.
There is so much evidence out there that says this product is the best available its not funny.
So if you have a friend that is an Ad-Aware faithful and doesnt want to give Microsoft's product credit, then forget him. Microsoft's product not only detects more than Ad-Aware, it detects more than the most popular antispyware combination of Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy.
Now...all that aside.
The product offers a lot more than just the best scanner.
It offers the best real time protection among all available antispyware products as well.
It has an agent that watches your INTERNET EXPLORER default webpages (sorry firefox peoples...no protection for you).
It has an agent that watches your LSP layer...
...your BHO's
...what files are run
...security risks...
everything...
and when something that it thinks is bad or a risk tries to run, it will alert you with a small popup window in the bottom right of your screen...
Light blue indicates a mild risk, while red indicates heavy security risk.
The program also has this thing called SpyNet, which is revolutionary. Its like your virus agreemtn between antivirus companies, maintaining an up-to-date library of viruses. Except its for spyware/adware.
When you do anything and everything in the program, either removing spyware/adware or allowing something to run it is reported to SpyNet such that the program can learn what is good and what is not so it can report to other users the findings.
RealVNC is still seen as a high security risk, a red popup window...but i tell it to ignore it, so itll learn sooner or later.
The scanning process is the fastest and lightest on the resources as i have found fom my experiences. Ive used Ad-Aware, SpyBot, Spy Sweeper, Bazooka, and i used to use the GIANT product before it became Microsoft's.
The scan results are also very informative. It presents you with a colorful meter ranging from 1 block to 5 blocks (green mesh to red) to gage how bad it thinks the stuff is.
For example:
Tracking cookies usually receive 1 block.
Where as adware like Kazaa or Grokster receive 4 or 5 blocks.
Removal is the best as well.
The other popular programs just give you the choice of remove or not, with a checkbox.
Microsoft (and GIANT) give you this neat pulldown menu with many options...
Remove, Ignore, Quarantine, Always Ignore.
Very very nice and helpful.
Ive already set RealVNC to always ignore...so that was nice.
The best of all, the interface is the best...giving you a genuine XP look and feel.
The only thing that i find as a NEGATIVE about the program is that when it was purchased from GIANT they removed two neat features.
1) Secure file shredder...pretty clear as to what this is. Itll delete files in a secure way.
2) System Innoculation...this was a gem. THis is basically the same deal as SpywareBlaster. Itll scan your internet settings and such and suggest you fix security risks. And like SPywareBlaster, the majority of the fixes is appending "bad" sites to your blocked sites in your security settings. The other risks were things like "automatic updates are off", "your default page for XYZ isnt the Microsoft Windows Deafult"...it was really nice for helping out those people who otherwise would know nothing about fixing such things.
This product has a great future...HIGHLY recommended. |
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| Windows AntiSpyware 1.0.509 |
| | GUI: Features: Ease of use: Value: | | | OMG NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A+++++++++++++++++++++ ITS THE BEST COZ ITS FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND REMOVES ADWARE AND SPYWARE FREE!!!!!!!! AMAZING IT WORKS EXELLENT IT THE BEST ANTISPYWARE REMOVER EVER PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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