SpyBot versus Ad-Aware

[George L]

I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[René]

George L wrote:
> What happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops?

The Better is the archnemesis of the Good.

[anonymous]

I visit 100+ different sites weekly and delete cookies
and internet temp files daily. also run ad-aware and
spybot daily and have never seen one problem in either.
Hint: delete cookies before running ad/spy programs.

>-----Original Message-----
>I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on
31 Oct (yeah,
>Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about
SpyBot over
>Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T
find and I
>fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by
SpyBot. What
>happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George
>.
>

[Sharon F]

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 02:49:58 GMT, George L wrote:

> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

Most folks that I know use both since each will find troubles that the
other one doesn't.

--
Sharon F
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User

[Wesley VogelX]

George;
Which one did you run first?
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In ,
George L > hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[~ Free Spirit ~]

Please tell me how you got Spy-bot to work on W-XP Home. All it did on my
PC was briefly flash on the monitor. That was it! Spy-Bot is better than
Ad-Aware any day.

FS...........

"George L" > wrote in message
...
> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[Alan P. Biddle]

I find myself cleaning out spyware on many public access computers.
To do the job, I run both Ad-ware and Spybot. Often the total count
of items removed is 100-200. It does not matter which program I run
first. The other program always finds some the first missed. I
alternate, just to be certain.

Alan

[Papa]

They are both very good programs. I use Ad-Aware version 6.0, which has done
the job for me so far. Eventually I'll probably start using Spybot if I
encounter something Ad-Aware cannot handle, but so far it has not been
needed. Spybot, from what I have read, is the more powerful of the two.

"George L" > wrote in message
...
> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[Eli Aran]

ad aware goes over the files in the machine and compares it to the updated
list it has,
while spybot goes over the updated list and checks to see if any of them are
in the files in the machine.
1. the two methods of search are opposite.
2. the 2 programs get updates on different occasions.
3 I'm not sure that the update database is identical...
many users say the two progs complement each other and suggest you use both
together. it is true that they do not detect the same malware at the same
time of search. this does not imply that one is better than the other.
imagine an army base with 2 soldiers guarding it. one is standing in the
main gate while the other does the patrol around the gate. the next hour
they switch positions and take each the other soldier's previous guarding
task.
i can add that a program called spywareblaster is recommended to keep the
adware and spyware from entering the machine in the first place.
personally i use all three.
(i also have a popup window blocker and a cookie filter)
good luck,
Eli

"Sharon F" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 02:49:58 GMT, George L wrote:
>
> > I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> > Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> > Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> > fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> > happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George
>
> Most folks that I know use both since each will find troubles that the
> other one doesn't.
>
> --
> Sharon F
> MS MVP - Windows Shell/User


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.536 / Virus Database: 331 - Release Date: 03/11/2003

[Eli Aran]

if ad aware does not detect something, how will you know you need to check
again with spybot?
why not ALWAYS run the two progs?
it only takes about 1-2 minutes each.

"Papa" > wrote in message
...
> They are both very good programs. I use Ad-Aware version 6.0, which has
done
> the job for me so far. Eventually I'll probably start using Spybot if I
> encounter something Ad-Aware cannot handle, but so far it has not been
> needed. Spybot, from what I have read, is the more powerful of the two.
>
> "George L" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> > Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> > Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> > fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> > happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George
>
>


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.536 / Virus Database: 331 - Release Date: 03/11/2003

[Wesley VogelX]

I use both Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D. Plus SpywareBlaster. I never have any
problems.
I keep all three up to date. I also use DiskCleaner, EasyCleaner, Empty Temp
Folders, HijackThis and Clean Disk Security.
If I run every thing else first, Ad-Aware never finds anything.
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In ,
Papa > hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
> They are both very good programs. I use Ad-Aware version 6.0, which has done
> the job for me so far. Eventually I'll probably start using Spybot if I
> encounter something Ad-Aware cannot handle, but so far it has not been
> needed. Spybot, from what I have read, is the more powerful of the two.
>
> "George L" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
>> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
>> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
>> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
>> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[Wesley VogelX]

FAQ #023
{What can I do if Spybot-S&D already starts scanning, and exits immediately
afterwards?

This could happen if you enable all of the Program automation settings (to
auto-close the program after scan on program start will be removed in the next
bugfix).

And due to a bug not reproducable but happening, during some installs random
instead of the default settings are applied. In that case, all Automation
options could be enabled, forcing the program to scan and exit automatically
afterwards. As this will not even allow you to enter the program, you need to
reset the settings. There are two ways to do this:

1. You can delete the configuration file (which is named Configuration.ini).
Where it is located depends on your Windows version...
For Windows 95/98, the file is located in C:\Windows\Application Data\Spybot -
Search & Destroy\.
For Windows ME, the file is located in C:\Windows\All Users\Application
Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy\.
For Windows NT/2000/XP, you will find it in C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy\.
Either delete that file, or edit it (for example in notepad), and set all the
Automation values in it to zero.

2. You can download a small tool that will do those changes for you
http://spybot.eon.net.au/files/resetsettings.zip }

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In ,
~ Free Spirit ~ > hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
> Please tell me how you got Spy-bot to work on W-XP Home. All it did on my
> PC was briefly flash on the monitor. That was it! Spy-Bot is better than
> Ad-Aware any day.
>
> FS...........
>
> "George L" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
>> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
>> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
>> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
>> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

[mamabear]

>-----Original Message-----
>ad aware goes over the files in the machine and compares
it to the updated
>list it has,
>while spybot goes over the updated list and checks to see
if any of them are
>in the files in the machine.
>1. the two methods of search are opposite.
>2. the 2 programs get updates on different occasions.
>3 I'm not sure that the update database is identical...
>many users say the two progs complement each other and
suggest you use both
>together. it is true that they do not detect the same
malware at the same
>time of search. this does not imply that one is better
than the other.
>imagine an army base with 2 soldiers guarding it. one is
standing in the
>main gate while the other does the patrol around the
gate. the next hour
>they switch positions and take each the other soldier's
previous guarding
>task.
>i can add that a program called spywareblaster is
recommended to keep the
>adware and spyware from entering the machine in the first
place.
>personally i use all three.
>(i also have a popup window blocker and a cookie filter)
>good luck,
>Eli
>
>"Sharon F" > wrote in message
...
>> On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 02:49:58 GMT, George L wrote:
>>
>> > I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up
on 31 Oct (yeah,
>> > Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread
about SpyBot over
>> > Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware
DIDN'T find and I
>> > fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by
SpyBot. What
>> > happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --
George
>>
>> Most folks that I know use both since each will find
troubles that the
>> other one doesn't.
>>
>> --
>> Sharon F
>> MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
>
>
>---
>Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>Version: 6.0.536 / Virus Database: 331 - Release Date:
03/11/2003
>
>
>.
>Here's an explanation from a LavaXpert:

"Both applications have the same objective in mind, but
they approach the problem in two very different ways. One
could argue that, in fact, SpyBot doesn't "find" anything
since it hasn't any scanning logic. SB looks to see if the
key "xyz" exists ... if yes, it puts it into
the "detected" list. Ad-Aware builds dynamic (black)lists
of keys to catch, also their references, and scans the
references files, etc. So, the two applications aren't
really comparable IMO, hence the reason you see many
people here suggest you run both.

SB searches for files that it knows to be spyware. If the
spyware file isn't in the database, it will just slip
right on through.

Ad-Aware works in a manner similar to an anti-virus
program. Each piece of spyware is written with
certain "characteristics". Ad-Aware (when configured for a
thorough custom scan) looks for these characteristics in
every file within your computer, as well as the registry.
This is a very thorough and complete way to look for
spyware.

You can see why it is imperative that you always search
for updates before you use either program, and also reboot
in-between using them."

Ad-aware does not detect things such as MRU's because they
are of no threat to one's system on their own and have no
capabilities of doing anything malicious or sending info
etc. Many people like the convenience of having them on
their computer and there are programs that will remove
them easily if desired
(http://www.wilderssecurity.net/mrublaster.html).

[Ian Smythe]

George L wrote:
> I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George

It is not what has happened to AdAware again it is between the
computer and the seat. In the past 10 days there has been two reference
updates to AdAware. You just don't install a program and forget about
it. AdAware is updated from time to time. You are just not up to date!:-(

[Papa]

Because, as I said, I've had no problems yet - and until I do I'd rather not
add another program.

"Eli Aran" > wrote in message
...
> if ad aware does not detect something, how will you know you need to check
> again with spybot?
> why not ALWAYS run the two progs?
> it only takes about 1-2 minutes each.
>
> "Papa" > wrote in message
> ...
> > They are both very good programs. I use Ad-Aware version 6.0, which has
> done
> > the job for me so far. Eventually I'll probably start using Spybot if I
> > encounter something Ad-Aware cannot handle, but so far it has not been
> > needed. Spybot, from what I have read, is the more powerful of the two.
> >
> > "George L" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I have hade a helluva time with something I picked up on 31 Oct (yeah,
> > > Halloween)...I tried everything and read a thread about SpyBot over
> > > Ad-Aware....well SpyBot found 21 things Ad-Aware DIDN'T find and I
> > > fixed the problems by dumping the problems found by SpyBot. What
> > > happened to Ad-Aware?...they used to be tops? --George
> >
> >
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.536 / Virus Database: 331 - Release Date: 03/11/2003
>
>

[~ Free Spirit ~]

"Wesley VogelX" > wrote in message
news:45eqb.86390$ao4.263515@attbi_s51...
> FAQ #023
> {What can I do if Spybot-S&D already starts scanning, and exits
immediately
> afterwards?
==================
OK I'll try downloading it again and deleting this file. I don't know how
to use notepad to change files. I didn't know notepad was connected in any
way to the file system.

FS......

[~ Free Spirit ~]

"Eli Aran" > wrote in message
...
> if ad aware does not detect something, how will you know you need to check
> again with spybot?
> why not ALWAYS run the two progs?
> it only takes about 1-2 minutes each.
==========================
You don't know. We have both on all our PCs with W98SE. We'd run Ad-Aware
first, then Spybot = there was always something one would miss and the other
caught. Spybot always found some that AA missed.

FS........

[Wesley VogelX]

FS;
NotePad is a Text Editor. You can edit all kinds of stuff, Boot.ini for
example, with it.
--
Hope this helps. Let us know.
Wes

In ,
~ Free Spirit ~ > hunted and pecked at the keyboard:
> "Wesley VogelX" > wrote in message
> news:45eqb.86390$ao4.263515@attbi_s51...
>> FAQ #023
>> {What can I do if Spybot-S&D already starts scanning, and exits immediately
>> afterwards?
> ==================
> OK I'll try downloading it again and deleting this file. I don't know how
> to use notepad to change files. I didn't know notepad was connected in any
> way to the file system.
>
> FS......