SpywareGuard provides active protection much like an anti-virus's auto-protect program running in the background. Before any Exe or CAB file is executed it scans forknown spyware and will prevent any infected file form executing. So unlike Ad-Aware & SpyBot which only scan and catches spyware if you run them, SpywareGuard give full-time active protection. http://www.wilderssecurity.com/spywareguard.html
SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from installing on your PC http://www.wilderssecurity.net/spywareblaster.html
(I tried to combine a few of the posts in the other thread to provide prospective users som of the information in one post.)
Given that 99 out of 100 machines I see have parasites and that 1 out of 3 simply straighten up and fly straight when we eject the parasites, it would be nice if a single tool could incorporate all the following scans, tools and findings. Until then, here's a list of what I'm finding useful.
1. Adaware http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/
2. Spybot http://spybot.eon.net.au/index.php?lang=en&page=download
3. Housecall http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp
4. CWshredder http://www.spychecker.com/program/cwshredder.html
5. Stinger http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
I would have included HijackThis, but that tool is truly something I can't hand out since many people don't or won't read the instructions. The above tools have been proving themselves very safe to use to eject what they find.
Another tool you suspect some startup program or want to curb a startup program is at http://www.webattack.com/get/starter.html
FREE Anti Virus Programs
AVG 6: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_dwnl_free.php
AntiVir: http://www.free-av.com/index.html
AVAST: http://www.avast.com/i_idt_153.html
Free on-line scans:
http://housecall.antivirus.com/
http://www.pandasoftware.es/activescan/activescan-com.asp
http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/AV.asp
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan/Msie/index.php
http://www.ravantivirus.com/scan/
Anti Trojan software
http://www.computercops.biz/modules.php?name=Trojan_TCP_Scanhttp://tds.diamondcs.com.au/ (30 day free trial available\shareware)http://www.moosoft.com/ ( 30 day free trial available\shareware)http://www.agnitum.com/products/tauscan/ (free trial version\shareware)BO-Clean http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry10?xid=28041&PN=1&SP=10023&V1=303179&DSP=&CUR=840&PGRP=0&CACHE_ID=0 (you have to buy)http://www.anti-trojan.net/en/download.aspx ( 14 day free trial\shareware)http://www.misec.net/trojanhunter.jsp (free for 30 days\shareware)
What are PARASITES ? ......Explained...
?Parasite? is a shorthand term for ?unsolicited commercial software? ? that is, a program that gets installed on your computer which you never asked for, and which does something you probably don?t want it to, for someone else?s profit. The parasite problem has grown enormously recently, and many millions of computers are affected. Unsolicited commercial software can typically: more: http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/

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