Spysweeper

I am not familiar with traces but too many cookies is not good for a child or a computer. Many cookies track you as you surf the web and many of them "know" who you are. I make sure to delete all my cookies about once a month.

besides, cookies are fattening

Cookies are primarily a privacy issue because they can contain any information you've provided to a website. Things like your e-mail address and password, your home address, your IP address, your phone number - anything you might have entered on a form can be set within the cookie. Also, simply visiting a site can provide a lot of information about your computer that can also be used within the cookie [Check out http://gemal.dk/browserspy/ ]. Cookies are useful for tracking you both within a site and across the internet. There are companies that specialize in compiling this information for marketing purposes.

As to the "traces", the help file indicates "Traces are places where Spy Sweeper finds spyware fingerprints. Spy Sweeper looks for all known traces of each spyware. " and "Fingerprints are the unique patterns of files, cookies, and registry entries that spyware installs." Personally, on my system the traces were pretty much registry entries related to the cookies and inactive remnants like the Alexa toolbar and Smart Tags in MS Office.

So... will removing cookies improve your performance? Anything that clears cache clutter will help.

"Cookies" may be benign, useful, or harmful. Essentially, they are tags attached to your browser which allow websites to identify your machine for any of a number of purposes. Some indeed may compromise security or privacy, some are required to permit funtioning of features on their related websites (such as your login to this site, or retaining user-set preferences for a particular website, such as Google, for example). Your browser already has considerable cookie control built in; consult its helpfile. Typically, cookie permissions can be set by going to your browser's tool bar, selecting "Tools", then "Internet Options", then opening the "Privacy" tab. Again, consult your browser's documentation, typically available under the "Help" button of the browser toolbar.

"Traces" is an ambiguous, essentially meaningless designation. It is normal to retain, or "Cache" a buncha stuff as you surf around on the 'net or even as you navigate within your own machine. Again, your browser already has considerable cache control built in; consult its documentation.

The top-rated Spyware/Adware protection and removal utilities are PepiMK Software's Spybot Search & Destroy and LavaSoft Software's AdAware, both free. Spybot's protection can be augmented by also using the likewise free JavaCool Software's Spyware Blaster, an independent application actually recommended by Spybot.

Spybot S&D additionally has a buncha very handy, and powerful built-in utilities, including a Startup Manager, which will control which applications are allowed to start with Windows. It also offers real-time blocking and registry monitoring, as well as process control. My recomendation, and that of most folks who get into this sort of thing, is to Use Spybot (and SpywareBlaster) along with AdAware, as the they compliment one another, one finding things the other does not and vice versa. Spybot has both proactive protection, blocking installation and/or functioning of yuckware, and after-the-fact cleanup/removal functionality; AdAware's free version doesn't actually block anything, but is quite good at ferreting out and removing stuff that shouldn't be there. AdAware has a pay-for companion program, called AdWatch, which does provide real-time blocking among other functions, but AdAware Free works just fine without it. I do use AdWatch, but Spybot's blocking is nearly as efficient at blocking all by itself. As with any application, it is very important to keep them updated (AdAware updates typically come out a few times a week, sometimes even a couple in one day, Spybot and SpywareBlaster less frequently, but still quite regularly), and to configure them for maximum protection and functionality, per the detailed and simple-to-understand instructions provided by their documentation. Read the instructions.

Its interesting to note the almost universally top-rated anti-spyware/anti-adware utilities are not only free, but do not advertise. You won't find much good said about Spysweeper in any of the privacy/security forums or UseNet Newsgroups, or by objective reviewers. For example:



Finally, Spybot, SpywareBlaster, and AdAware all are supported and cross-supported, essentially free and 24/7/365, via a number of well-established and highly respected web forums which are frequented not only by users with various levels of experience and expertise, but by the actual developers and staffers of the programs, who very much want to be sure their stuff works as it should.

My take: you can't do better than "Free and it works"

...From that same article by PC Magazine, here's their scorecard for spyware removal applications (the article is from April 2003).



Patently false!

Educate me.

Items in cache may and do include cookies which enable website function, webpages stored so that when revistited only the changed portion, if any, is downloaded, URLs of websites vistited in the past ... your "Browsing History", documents, images, and other "works-in-progress-or-recently-used", email and newsgroup headers and messages, and a buncha other stuff which actually improves, some times even specifically permits and is required for the functionality of your machine as regards not only browsing but general operation. That's why caches exist. Informed cache management is a good idea, blanketly and indiscriminately clearing your cache is a decidedly bad idea.

Educate me some more.

Isn't the cache, by definition, a collection of temporary files? For slow connections the cache can make it faster if you always go to the same pages. But by default IE uses 10% of the disk's size, a huge amount of space on a 120 gig drive, and once the cache size grows bloated it's going to have to check through the thousands of tiny .jpg, .gif, .htm etc files in there before requesting the page. If you're on anything above a modem wouldn't it be quicker to pull the page in directly from the Internet than to wade through the 'cached' files?




Could you give me an example of something kept in the IE cache that is requirred for the general operation of a machine? And if indiscriminately emptying the cache is a bad idea, the why does IE give you a choice to clear all the temporary files when you close the browser?

Timber thank you for the thorough and informative explanation. Learning, learning...

Denze, first, I'll say IE's cache is not the only cache you have. That out of the way, the point is "Cache Management". To prevent "excessive clutter" in your IE cache, from IE's toolbar select "Tools > Internet Options > General, 2cnd pane, > Settings. There, you can choose how often IE checks for newer page versions, and set the maximum cache size. In general, an IE cache of less than 5MB or greater than 75MB will negatively impact overall browsing performance.

For more info, tips, and tweaks concerning your system and browser, including cache management, go to PC Pitstop and Fred Langa's BrowserTune. Running through their tests can show you a lot, and help you fix stuff that isn't "quite right". Another handy website to know about is Jason's Toolbox

stumbled on this post by accident, i work at a retail tech bench. Pretty much all i see all day is spyware and virus infections so I feel I can talk pretty confidently about this issue. Our bench has every possible spyware and virus removal tool known to man so i can talk about them all with a pretty decent knowledge.

1st-Ad-aware sucks balls. It does basically nothing. If you have no other spyware programs maybe it's ok but it finds nothing that spybot or anything else can't. They are pretty horrible at updating their definitions and from what i've seen actually seem to implant spyware from the free version. Anyone who tells you to use this doens't know what they're talking about (i'm willing to defend that).

2nd-Spybot is a great free program for several reasons. Mainly because it has a large community of supporters that are willing to give advice and they are consistent about updates. The only real problem i see with it is it's user unfriendliness when it comes to protection against spyware. Actually, i find that it's shielding is pretty lacking. You can have spybot and still have tons of spyware downloaded all the time. It excels at getting it off your machine, but not so good at keeping it off.

3rd- Spy Sweeper is the only spyware program i'd spend money on. Actually i wouldn't spend money on it, i'd skank it off the net for free. But if i had to pay money for any spy removal program it would be this one. Someone was dogging it earlier i don't think they know what they're talking about. We use this as our main program on the bench and i'll tell you why. Most people have spyblaster, spybot, and ad-aware on their computer and they'll come in telling us their computer is jacked up. We'll do a spysweeper install and it can find up to 40-50 programs and thousands of traces. I can actually verify this as of 10 minutes ago on my own personal computer. Just ran spybot, it found some spyware, ran it again, same stuff, ran spysweeper, 40 programs and 350 traces found, quarantined, ran again and found nothing. That's pretty impressive if you ask me considering spybot is a great program. Another reason i would spend money on it is that not only is it user-friendly, it acts as an awesome shield (and the only one i know of that does this decently), not only getting spyware off your computer, but keeping it off. Download an infected file and spysweeper tells you right away (like norton really) that it's infected, tries to delete it, and lets you stop it from changing your registry and starting up next time you reboot. There's still room for improvement, but tandeming spysweeper with spybot is an excellent way to stay spyfree.

As for the slowdown issue. Spyware programs these days do a lot of things. Almost all of them are constantly running in your background, waiting for you to type something so they can send you popups. They log key strokes, send packets to servers eating your bandwidth, send cookie and cache information, send random pop-ups, etc. Every piece of these are traces that spysweeper finds. Cookies and registry entries are just part of that. It's the actual programs that are being removed from your background that returns performance back to normal (i didn't say speed up because really it's just getting rid of slowdown). Get enough spyware, or a little of the wrong kind, and your computer can slow down severely. I've seen computers go so slow an OS reload was the only option. I've seen computers lock up, disconnect repeatedly from the net, shut down without warning, and have literally 100's of popups from one open unconnected browser. All of these caused by spyware programs running in your background. Best way to get rid of them is to start up in safe mode and do a spy sweeper scan and startup removal. (spybot has one but it doesn't work too well IMO). Hope this helped.

P.s. two more programs that are invaluable. Regedit and Hijack This!

First, churchskiz,
welcome to A2K ... glad you found us ... hope you like it here well enough to stick around and participate.

Next, dunno as I agree with your assessment of AdAware ... what you relate is not consistent with my own experience, but mebbe that's just a personal thing, or perhaps more likely, related to configuration of the application and expectation or understanding of what it does. I'm particularly puzzled by what I read as your objection to AdAware's update interval; typically, it is updated several times a month, frequently a couple or more times a week.

I will say there have been incremental improvements over the past year in Webroot's Spysweeper, bringing it close to, if not actually into, the top ranks of yuckwear remediation tools, but I've gotta say I've not found it to be the panacea you seem to hold it to be. But again, that may be just my own experience, and the impression I've drawn through frequenting and participating in many security and privacy related forums, boards, and newsgroups. That said, if it works fror you, it works for you, and by any measure, that's good enough for you.

What might be more helpful for you to do, if you were so inclined, rather than to talk about alternatives, or disparage methods or applications recommended here, would be for you to tackle some of the existing unresolved yuckware removal threads, offering your suggestions and recomendations, with perhaps explanations behind the reasoning for your suggestions. That of course is entirely up to you.

Just some thoughts; make of them what you will.


Oh, BTW, HiJackThis is a standalone app, but regedit is an inbuilt Windows core function, on which HiJackThis depends.

HijackThis doesn't depend on Regedit. HJT of course edits the system registry, but applications have no need to utilize Regedit to do so -- they'll typically use the Windows API for that. Regedit.exe could be overwritten by a virus & HJT would continue to work correctly. (By the way, I'm not contradicting Timber as I'm pretty sure he knows this... this is just for those who are curious about a bit of the inner workings of their computers.)



As for your assesments of Spysweeper, Spybot & Ad-Aware, Churchskiz, I'm fairly puzzled as well. I mean, your own experiences are your own experiences, but for the record you're not the only one here who deals with malicious software on a daily basis.


Patently false. Of course, all spyware/adware scanners find some items that other scanners don't, which is why there is no one perfect product to use & it helps to know how to do things like monitor processes, edit the registry & use HijackThis.

In fact, with all the most heavily infected machines I've seen, there was never a time when Spybot, Ad-Aware or more recently Spysweeper (old versions were pretty much garbage) didn't miss some items that other programs found. (More recently I've been seeing Ad-Aware remove more legitimate threats than Spybot & Spysweeper combined, but that again is personal experience.)


As Timber said, Lavasoft releases an update for Ad-Aware about once a week on average.


Please back up your rediculous assertions. Anyone can claim their competitor's product contains spyware... please inform us for our own benefit what "spyware" the personal edition of Ad-Aware implants & what exactly it does.


How do you intend to do so?

There are plenty of programs that are going to produce a lot of numbers, & if that makes you happy by all means go that route. I have no interest in having things like cached gif files, smart tags in Microsoft Office or my history of when I used WinZip being reported as spyware.

I am also not ready for yet another product that needs to be paid for every year as many commercial anti virus and firewall programs are. I can see where a company would think this was a good idea looking to the future, but as a consumer I feel there are better, completely free tools available.

I should clarify re regedit ... HJT doesn't "Rely on it", it pretty much just does/automates through its own interface what can be done with regedit.exe and direct user interaction. It is a registry tool. Thanks for catchin' that, Monger.

No prob...I'm just anal.

Just bein' a bit anal myself here ... in the past 8 weeks, there have been 10 AdAware updates:

01) Reference Number : SE1R0923.09.2004 (Sep 23)
02) Reference Number : SE1R1028.09.2004 (Sep 28)
03) Reference Number : SE1R1107.10.2004 (Oct 07)
04) Reference Number : SE1R1214.10.2004 (Oct 14)
05) Reference Number : SE1R1316.10.2994 (Oct 16)
06) Reference Number : SE1R1422.10.2004 (Oct 22)
07) Reference Number : SE1R1526.10.2004 (Oct 26)
08) Reference Number : SE1R1705.11.2004 (Nov 05)
09) Reference Number : SE1R1808.11.2004 (Nov 08)
10) Reference Number : SE1R1914.11.2004 (Nov 14)

Now, I'd say that pretty well resembles notably aggressive updatin'. I can surmise only that if churchskiz isn't gettin' these updates, churchskiz apparently is doin' somethin' wrong. Another possibility might be that churchskiz finds it horrible the updates come so frequently. I would surmise as well that if in churchskiz' experience, AdAware " ... does basically nothing ... it finds nothing that spybot or anything else can't", churchskiz apparently does not understand the applications, their functions, and their features, has the applications misconfigured, and does not know how to, or does not care to employ them effectively.


Dunno if any of that that says anythin' about churchskiz' credentials, churchskiz' expertise, and churchskiz' experience ... but it just might.

I found the differing opinions to be interesting reading. For my own systems, I do not use any of those discussed. Several years ago I got and tried Spy Bot and Ad-Aware, but found that I just did not need them. Between the Norton Systems Professional software, Zone Alarm, and good cookie/cache management I never needed them at all, so I uninstalled them. When there are times I was using IE and hit on a site that immediately went to work trying to place a scad of pop-ups, I use Web Washer, which is an old, standard pop-up blocker. I also switched to Mozilla Firefox at work and Mozilla 1.73 (the suite) at home. Mozilla in many forms does an excellent job of blocking spyware through it's built-in alerts and use of saving "finds" into "My Downloads" so I can easily remove anything that slips past me.

Of course I have put a bundle of somewhat similar issues into one basket here, but that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Forgot to add something to the previous post: I maintain membership in a number of excellent IT forums and receive email suscriptions to many newsletters on IT, search, librarian resources, as well as use an RSS reader/news aggregator extensively. So I am pretty well up on which sites and cookies to watch out for. My housemate is an elderly man who has had to restore his system at least 6 times in the last three months. He just does not stay away from troublesome sites and answers all the quiz questions, surveys, prize contests and links that promise you can make $1,500 a week by surfing...

He asked me why there is not a site that updates which cookies to avoid. I told him that the potentially unsavory type are easily able to make minute changes in them to keep creeping in despite general efforts to delete them, such as in IE, the Internet Options>Settings>View Files. I finally gave him a list I made up and told him to watch for key words in the file names, such as ad, click, stats, hit, etc. Then I gave him the biggies, like gator, mediaplex, bfast, bluestreak, etc. He's gotten "better" but his new computer runs sooooooooooo slow.