Microsoft AntiSpyware Beta 1

What is the general opinion about this program?
I find that it takes forever to load and I suspect it may be causing my
computer to lockup after booting. This fault is intermittent.
How is it compared with, say, Zone Alarm Pro?
Thanks

 

It compares with Zone Alarm Pro the same way that pancakes compare with
pinto beans, they're two different things entirely. I've had pretty good
luck with MS Antispyware with nothing amazing nor anything horrendous to
report. I've installed it on maybe twenty different machines so far,
maybe thirty.

 

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 17:53:01 -0500, Rôgêr wrote:

OK that done, where do you think it can go ? Will it be able to take a
substantial piece of the market, like the Windows Firewall vs. say Zone
Alarm ?

 

It's actually pretty good, but so far I still feel the need to run other
antispyware programs to catch more stuff. It'd be great if there were
one program that does it all, not found that yet. I'm sure that there'll
be a fair number of people who buy it because MS is selling it, but
since it's not bundled (yet) with Windows it won't make that big of a
dent initially. It's free for now, but when it gets out of beta it will
be retail software. I deal with a lot of users and I've found the
success rate skyrockets when getting people to use and update antivirus
and antispyware when I can say "and there's no charge at all for it."

The antispyware I use regularly:

Adaware SE
Spybot S&D
MS Antispyware (beta)
Spy Sweeper (30 day trial)

Spybot lets you "immunize" the system for protection from future
problems. Spy Sweeper and MS Antispyware run all the time protecting
your computer so they're both reactive and proactive.

 

On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 19:41:00 -0500, Rôgêr wrote:

FWIW, SpySweeper IMHO has too large a footprint for "older" systems and
I'd welcome some sort of basic protection as MS seems to provide with
their Antispyware. Other than that, we're on the same wavelength.

 

| Rob K wrote:
| > On Fri, 11 Feb 2005 17:53:01 -0500, Rôgêr wrote:
| > <snip>
| >
| >>I've installed it on maybe twenty different machines so far,
| >>maybe thirty.
| >
| >
| > OK that done, where do you think it can go ? Will it be able to take a
| > substantial piece of the market, like the Windows Firewall vs. say Zone
| > Alarm ?
|
| It's actually pretty good, but so far I still feel the need to run other
| antispyware programs to catch more stuff. It'd be great if there were
| one program that does it all, not found that yet. I'm sure that there'll
| be a fair number of people who buy it because MS is selling it, but
| since it's not bundled (yet) with Windows it won't make that big of a
| dent initially. It's free for now, but when it gets out of beta it will
| be retail software. I deal with a lot of users and I've found the
| success rate skyrockets when getting people to use and update antivirus
| and antispyware when I can say "and there's no charge at all for it."
|
| <snip>

I also have been installing MS Antispyware on multiple computers. I do hope
MS has the brains to alert the beta users when the retail version is
available, and that the idiots ... errr ... my customers .... are smart
enough to subscribe and pay for it. Most of the idi..err..users I have to
deal with aren't smart enough to update their software (Spybot S&D, AdAware,
SpywareBlaster, etc.) and run it. I like the automated interface Giant
wrote, and MS stole...errr...bought. It's like auto-updating AV
software...the more automatic, the better.

 

I ran Windows Update and installed Malicious Software removal thingy, then
restarted my pc (it didn't tell me to restart, I just done it).
Anyway, no new icons are in my taskbar to show that it is running in
background and nothing new on my start menu. What should I be looking for to
run/configure the program?

 

I have found the reason why nothing happened.

 

Care to share? I would like to know why mine does not run.

 

The MS malicious spyware removal tool executes when downloaded and then
deletes itself from your system. It doesn't stick around. It's an entirely
different tool from the MS Anti-Spyware product.

 

http://www.microsoft.com/security/malwareremove/default.mspx

" The version of this tool delivered by Windows Update runs in the
background and then deletes itself. If you would like to run this tool
more than once a month, use the version on this Web page or install the
version that is available in the Download Center."

Regards,
Ian.

 

Another anti-spyware tool which incorporates the same Microsoft spyware
database: http://www.sunbelt-software.com/product.cfm?id=410 A 15-day
free trial is available.

If the Microsoft Antispyware is causing you troubles, a free alternative
is AdAware from Lavasoft: http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/

Regards,
Ian.

 

I've DL'ed it twice from Window Update. It shows up twice as a successful
install on my installation history but I've never been able to locate or use
the program even after a successful DL and install. I'm using XP with
Service Pack 1. MS$ recommends this install for SP1.

 

| | > What is the general opinion about this program?
| > I find that it takes forever to load and I suspect it may be causing my
| > computer to lockup after booting. This fault is intermittent.
| > How is it compared with, say, Zone Alarm Pro?
| > Thanks
|
| I've DL'ed it twice from Window Update. It shows up twice as a successful
| install on my installation history but I've never been able to locate or
use
| the program even after a successful DL and install. I'm using XP with
| Service Pack 1. MS$ recommends this install for SP1.
|

MS Antispyware Beta1 is *not* on Windows Update. What are you talking about?

 

You must be talking about Windows Update Malicious spyware remover. During
the update it checks to see if you have a genuine Windows XP installed. If
not then the update does not install.
Antispyware is a different thing altogether and is readily available as a
beta version. I would expect that we will have to pay for it sometime in the
near future.

 

No, you haven't.