D. Spencer Hines wrote:
Do you honestly expect folks to install at least FIVE different
Anti-Spyware programs, keep them updated, monitor them and
constantly tweak each one as required?
snipped my blurb that was quoted

If they came here *with* spyware - yes.

Why? Multiple answers:
- They are unlikely to suddenly change their surfing habits - they will get
re-infested.
- To properly cleanup the mess they have - they will need more than one,
likely more than two - and possibly more than three.
- Immunization. Since I know they are unlikely to change their habits -
two of the first five (remember - I suggest the *first* five - not
roll-your-own) do nothing more than install registry values that will
basically keep you from visiting some of the worst pages out there.
- Subsets and Supersets. If there was one that caught and eliminated
everything - my list would grow shorter. There isn't. I have had luck with
those first three getting most things - and what those won't get, number 6
and 7 usually flushed out. I don't suggest (off the cuff) they install and
use #6 or #7 (CWShredder and HijackThis) because those take a little
knowledge - well - at least HijackThis does. I may rethink and say "At
least the first 6" from now on. *grin* Or I might remove "Bazooka"
altogether. Usually - if it finds something - it was before AdAware and
Spybot ran - and then it could be ran again after those two ran and find
nothing.

Do I expect them to keep them updated? No - not really. They will likely go
back to their bad habits and then - when things start slowing down again -
review the same document and rescan. Or maybe they will learn something and
stop doing something that caused the problem in the first place.

Do I expect them to monitor the applications? Definitely not. Nothing to
monitor. These run only when told to run - not all the time. What would
they be monitoring?

Tweak them as required? Yes. Because if they get into trouble again, it is
their own fault. They have the tools installed - they likely gained some
knowledge just by using them the first time and being amazed at what was
found (you know - I have actually serviced a machine where Spybot found 9019
entries - none of them cookies?!) and possibly - because they saw all
that - pay better attention the second time around.

It won't happen to everyone. There is always that one child that touches
the hot stove - jerks away crying and come hell or high-water - will be
touching that stove again tomorrow - just to see if it is okay this time.

If they cannot be helped - then so be it. I contributed my part.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html