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Ad-Aware's smooth blue interface, with easy-to-understand features and controls, performed admirably against the tough competition. This most popular download at Download.com didn't disappoint, leaving only one item on our hard drive after the first scan-and-purge, and only two items in the second run a week later. Our only criticism is you can't use the real-time ad blocking without registration--but the publisher has to make money somehow for this great product.
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During its first appearance in our obstacle course, eTrust PestPatrol Anti-Spyware fared well. It detected seven of our Evil Eight and let only one slip through the removal process. Also, real-time protection comes standard. One concern we had during testing was it detected some well-known spyware components none of the other programs picked up. This means either that PestPatrol can find things all the other programs can't or its detection system turns up some false positives. Either way, when the dust cleared, this program removed almost everything we threw at it.
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Webroot Spy Sweeper was a solid contender in the first spyware obstacle course, but it also had the longest scan time. This time around, the scan time came down significantly, putting it on the level of the other contestants--but oddly enough the removal process now took an extremely long time. Webroot Spy Sweeper easily detected all the Evil Eight, leaving only two in the first run and one in the second. Overall, Webroot once again made a strong showing, despite the new and oddly lengthy removal process.
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The rest
Microsoft's foray into the antispyware world, Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware, is based on technology it acquired when it bought the antispyware company Giant. A pleasant interface featuring real-time protection, threat-level graphics, and a link to the SpyNet antispyware community are great additions. However, the initial scan picked up only six of our Evil Eight, also mysteriously combining two threats under one name. During the removal process, we liked watching as the program removed each threat from our system, but Microsoft's app left three of our Evil Eight. We're willing to give it some points for its interface and cool features, and we give it some leeway because it's a beta. However, for our testing purposes, the program didn't perform up to snuff.
Spybot - Search & Destroy was the winner of the first Spyware Obstacle Course, but this time around it failed to catch and remove some of the more notorious spyware. The plain interface doesn't have the polish of some of our other contestants, which we could overlook in exchange for quality scan and removal. Unfortunately, Spybot didn't deliver. On the positive side, it offers just about the best real-time defense we've seen. From previous experience with this app, we had to wonder if maybe the definitions weren't fully up-to-date, giving us less than satisfactory results. For this test, however, we have to give Spybot a reluctant thumbs-down.
Spyware Doctor's simple interface makes it easy to get started immediately, and system scans are quick and painless. In the first run, Spyware Doctor detected six of our Evil Eight and on the second run detected seven. We like the way this program breaks down each kind of spyware as well as the severity level of each specific item. The removal process wasn't as successful as we would have liked, though, leaving some of the worst spyware components of our Evil Eight. We're not sure if the developer was behind on its definition database, but for this test we'll have to send Spyware Doctor back to med school.
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