Anti-Spyware Programs
(* indicates current use by Star)
Data from About.com
summarized by Computer Power for MBUG JULY 6, 2007
| Anti-spyware Product/Price | System requirements | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Ad-Aware SE Personal 1.06r1 or 2007* free Lavasoft www.lavasoft.com |
Windows 98/98SE/Me/NT4/2000 Pro/XP Pentium 166 or higher, 24MB RAM, Internet Explorer 5.5 | Free download. No scheduled scanning or auto updates. No real-time protection, but commercial versions of Ad-Aware do offer this. Online knowledge base available. |
| Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4* free Safer Networking www.safer-networking.org |
Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP, Linux | Free download. Real-time scanning. No scheduled scanning or auto updates. Support is limited to a tutorial. |
| Spy Sweeper 5.2* (est. $20) Webroot Software www.webroot.com |
Windows 2000, XP, XP Home or XP Media Center Minimum 350MHz processor, 15MB hard drive space, 256MB RAM | Features include scheduled scanning and automatic updates. Real-time protection works with Internet Explorer, but not with alternative browsers. Toll-free phone support, online help and knowledge base. Price includes one year of updates. |
| Spyware Doctor 4.0 (est. $25) PC Tools www.pctools.com |
Windows 98/2000/Me/XP Pentium or equivalent, 64MB RAM (128MB recommended), 30MB free hard drive space, Internet Explorer 5.5 | Features include scheduled scanning and automatic updates. Real-time protection works with Internet Explorer, but not with alternative browsers. Built-in help application, email support and online FAQs. Price includes one year of updates. |
| Windows Defender free Microsoft www.windowsdefender.com |
Windows Server 2003/XP (validated legal copy) 233MHz Pentium (Pentium III recommended) or higher, 64MB RAM (128MB recommended), 20MB hard drive space, Internet Explorer 6.0 or later | Free download for Windows XP users. Real-time scanning. Auto updates, online knowledge base. Included in Windows Vista. |
| SpywareBlaster 3.5.1 free Javacool Software www.javacoolsoftware.com |
Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP | Free download. Requires manual updates, but will auto-update with a $10 annual fee. Uses a database of thousands of unsafe sites. Works automatically. No direct support. |