Introduction
The Internet is a dangerous place to be in the 21st century. Unscrupulous people using malicious software are finding ingenious ways to access your information or lead you into spending money. Spyware harvests information from your computer with keylogging and data capture techniques, while adware tracks your browsing habits and tempts you with popup ads related to websites you have visited.
With every new generation of malware (adware, spyware, virus, rootkits, trojans), there will be a new generation of software to combat it. Gizmo's offers many useful articles and reviews to help today's computer user obtain the necessary tools to combat the virtual foe. This category will look at adware and spyware removers.
The following products have been reviewed for this category:
- Spybot – Preventor, Remover
- SUPERAntiSpyware (SAS) – Remover
- Malwarebytes – Remover
- SpywareBlaster – Preventor
Discovery: All these programs will perform manual scans, but some will not provide real-time scanning protection unless you upgrade to the paid version. Some are removers, some are preventers. It was difficult to find a free program that combined all the components. The winner in this category is Spybot for its removal and prevention ability in a free program. SAS found more to remove, however it doesn't offer real-time protection.
[Doakio Editor's Note: This article was restored from Gizmo's Freeware archives as a service to the freeware community. Gizmo's Freeware provided high-quality, volunteer freeware reviews for decades. They shut down in July of 2021.]
Rated Products
Spybot A malware remover designed for basic use yet offers information for advanced users
License: Free (Private/Educational use)
SUPERAntiSpyware Detects and removes malware without real-time protection in the free version
License: Free (Limited features)
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free Malware detection and removal software but the free version doesn't offer real time protection
SpywareBlaster Prevent and protect from the installation of adware, spyware and scumware
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