A newer version of Advanced Spyware Remover is available.
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34 out of 46 people found this review helpful
5 stars
Version: Advanced Spyware Remover 1.80
"Better XP feel than Microsoft AntiSpyware, but no active scanners..."
Pros: There is a free version.
Comes with the abilities of all major security program: open connection viewer (TCPView), packet sniffer (any of your favorites like Ethereal, EtherSnoop or What Is Transferring?), BHO/ActiveX cleaner (hijackthis and MS), IE default pages settings (MS and SpySweeper), startup entry cleaner (hijackthis and MS), shell extension cleaner (hijackthis and MS), process manager (like Task Manager, however its much improved like SysInternals Process Explorer), comes with ability to uninstall software (like CCleaner has), and your default files, registry and process scanning during the scan.
Comes with some stuff that other antispyware programs don't, and would have to find them in specialized programs to do: system innoculation (this was a VERY important feature of the old GIANT Antispyware, before it became Microsoft, and Microsoft removed it. It protects your system against ActiveX exploits and other exploits, before they even happen). And protection against bad sites (this is exactly the same service that SpywareBlaster provides users).
The presentation of the scan progress is the absolute best-better than ALL other programs. Not only does it show a progress bar for the overall scan it shows a secondary process bar for the progress of the individual step during the scan.
XP look and feel nailed to a T!
Memory footprint is pretty small.
Updates are done within the program. Interestingly, the update tool is called "Live Update".
The absolute BEST part of this program is that it comes with a built in dictionary for processes. So you see in Task Manager that there is a process you don't know? Copy the name (with the .exe extension) and paste it into the dictionary in the program and it will tell you what it is. No more having to use Google to find out what it is!
Assuming you pay for this, completely removes the need for SpywareBlaster, HijackThis, TCPView, Process managers (like Task Manager), packet sniffers, or google for finding out what processes are.
Cons: Its not free. The free trial version (with no expiration) only lets you do spyware scans. You can't do the system innoculation with the trial. I didn't venture to fool around with my working computer settings to see if the other tools were accessible.
No active scanners, or at least no indiciation of any. If you want active scanners you are going to have to look at Microsoft AntiSpyware, McAfee Spyware, or SpySweeper.
File/Folder scanning option only lets you scan one drive at a time. So if you have more tha one hard drive (like myself) you will have to run more than one scan to scan each drive. You can't just choose My Computer to scan...it won't let you.
I really can't speak about the quality of the definitions, since I have only tried this program on computers which are like 99.9% clean.
- 3 replies to this review
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As CableguyTK said,it's the active monitor that prevents the key content of your computer from being modified.With this feature added,Advanced Spyware Remover will become the most powerful anti-spyware product on the market.Consider that spyware scan,removal,immunize,block,active defence within one product!That's wonderful!
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Do you use Microsoft Antispyware or SpySweeper at all?
If you used either program you would find active scanners in those programs.
It is just a tool that actively monitors everything it would normally scan such that when something is ADDED to those things, like a new toolbar is trying to be installed, or a new homepage is being set, or a new startup item is added...these programs will bring up an alert window asking for your authorization for installing these items to make sure they are safe. and were initiated by you the user.
Advanced Spyware Remover doesn't have this to my knowledge.
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'File/Folder scanning option only lets you scan one drive at a time.'
Yes,I hope that it will get improved in the next version.
Btw,what's the active scanner?
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