Summary: Windows Defender is a free, easy to use anti-spyware package that does a good job of protecting you, and includes several advanced tools as well.
There are several reputable anti-spyware programs available these days. Unfortunately, none of them catch every single piece of adware or spyware. But if you're an average user, or like me, you choose to run only one package, then I recommend Microsoft Windows Defender as the one to run.
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I recommend Microsoft Windows Defender for a couple of reasons:
- Even though it's technically still in Beta, the consensus seems to be that it catches the most spyware in comparison to other packages. Not all, but more.
- It's the easiest to use, and defaults to a safe configuration that, in other packages, you'd have to take extra steps to attain.
- It's free.
As I said, program installation is easy and clean, and that the default settings mean that the average user rarely needs to visit the program again. In fact, after installing, the most common interaction you'll have with it is dismissing the dialog that shows you the results of the most recent scan, and the occasional alert that it will give you when some other application attempts to make a change to a sensitive area. For example after installing the program, I later made a change to a start-up program. Microsoft Defender presented me with a dialog describing what was happening, and giving me the option to allow, or prevent, the change.
While the spyware scan, real-time, automated or on-demand, is the primary feature of note for an anti-spyware scanner, Microsoft Windows Defender does include some additional, interesting "Advanced Tools":
- System Explorers that let you examine, and manage, startup programs, ActiveX controls, Internet Explorer Browser Helper Objects (BHOs), IE settings and toolbars, as well as certain Networking and Windows Shell extensions.
- Browser Restore is a feature that lets you selectively, or all at once, restore Internet Explorer to its default configuration - quite handy if your browser has been hijacked by malware.
- Tracks Eraser does what it sounds like: it erases your tracks from a machine in a number of places that you perhaps wouldn't think of. Internet Explorer's History is an obvious example, but also included are things like the list of files and folders you've opened recently in Microsoft Common Dialogs, the Google toolbar history, recent files in Office, Adobe Acrobat, and much, much more. It's a surprisingly long list.
As an effective overall package, Microsoft Windows Defender is, in my opinion, the way to go.
If you're interested in alternatives, or perhaps a second level of anti-spyware program to catch things that the Microsoft product might have missed, I'd point you at these packages:
- Before running Microsoft Defender, I ran Spybot Search & Destroy which is freeware that does a great job of ferreting out and removing spyware. Spybot is totally free, and includes optional real time protection as well.
- Lavasoft's Ad-Aware version 6 is also very popular and another pseudo standard you'll see recommended frequently.
- Spy Sweeper from Webroot, appears to be a very complete and professional package.
- X-RayPc is also a newer tool that I've used that also found traces of spyware that the others did not.
If you do choose to install more than one anti-spyware package, be sure to enable real-time protection on only one. Much like antivirus programs, two antispyware programs trying to, essentially, do the same thing at the same time can occasionally cause conflicts.
I'll also point out HijackThis. It's a commonly used reporting tool when working with someone remotely who's experiencing problems. It's really aimed at the computer geeks, and will list a fair amount of technical information, but it's free, a quick download, and again, another pseudo-standard tool you'll see mentioned a lot.
And finally, an additional approach is outlined by Michael Horowitz in his very detailed page on removing spyware.
Related:
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Ask Leo! - Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware?
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Ask Leo! - Is Microsoft's new Anti-Spyware program any good?
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Ask Leo! - How do I delete cookies? And just what are cookies, anyway?
Article C2380 - July 3, 2005
Thank you for this article. Clarified what and how spyware works.
Posted by: Robert at July 4, 2006 7:37 AMI have just purchased spysweeper version 5.2 with anti virus....some reviews state that Presently, Webroot includes only the On Demand Sophos virus inspection engine to check for and remove file infections. Missing is the Realtime Sophos virus engine that looks for active infections from e-mail, IM, and other vectors. Webroot says that functionality will come later, but it's a tad misleading to suggest that Spy Sweeper 5.2 with Antivirus is a complete antivirus solution. My question is if I use a free version of avg will that possibly conflict?
Posted by: Joe Damerino at November 11, 2006 6:31 PMI have some qeustions and concearns regarding cell phone spy ware. would the person that installs this on your cell phone physically have phone in his or her possetion for this to be installed.
Posted by: Kurtis at July 20, 2008 12:20 PMI have been using windows defender since it came out, it has never found a single problem. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I also like the updated spybot but find the tea timer annoying so I disabled it using msconfig. The newer version of the paid AVG also does a good job with spyware.
Posted by: Philip at October 15, 2008 2:27 AMThis is the second application I've used tonight after my comp' being totally messed up...1st task manager locked....2nd redirecting my explorer to misc sites. Fingers crossed I'll be sorted after a very frustrating day!!
Posted by: Nicola at January 13, 2010 2:18 PM