Ad-Aware is one of the most popular anti-spyware tools, with millions of downloads worldwide, and I bet this number will be increased with the release of Ad-Aware 2008.

Though the interface in itself hasn't changed that much, the new Ad-Aware 2008 includes a few interesting enhancements such as a noticeable improvement in stability and performance, which makes the program a lot lighter on system resources. The rootkit and threat detection tools have also been enhanced for a more efficient protection, together with an all new integrated anti-virus functionality.

Ad-Aware is very easy to install and use, especially if you've been using the previous version, because the program features a similar design. It's constantly updated with new definitions, so that you keep up with the latest online threats and also includes a system restoration point to help you recover your system from a virus or Trojan attack. I especially liked the fact that Ad-Aware supports multiple browsers, which enables you to manage web browsing traces and control your privacy online in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.

The program still keeps some functions as exclusive to the Pro and Plus versions (like the customizable scans or the real-time monitor) but still, Ad-Aware 2008 Free is a reliable, effective anti-malware tool that will keep your system safe and sound without disturbing your daily workflow.

Ad-Aware 2008 features an excellent package of security tools with which you can efficiently protect your PC from virus, Trojans, spyware and other undesirable elements.

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While the developers claim that "Free 100% Real-Time Protection" is something that most similar programs charge for may be stretching the truth somewhat, Spyware Terminator & Web Security Guard is very powerful spyware solution.

The program includes all the options you expect to find in such a product including options to manually carry out or schedule scans as well as options to deny or allow access to certain programs to your PC. The program is not just a spyware scanner however as it also includes an antivirus scanner. The developers have also seen fit to include a "Web Security Guard" which carries out the the job that most anti-phishing and pop up blockers in Internet Explorer and Firefox already carry out. This feature also features user generated website reviews along with warnings as to whether the site could be potentially harmful or not. Note that the developers warn that if you are using an unsupported operating system (such as Windows 98 or ME), you it may be better to use version 1.9 which offers the same protection but is much lighter on resources as the one drawback of this program is that it is rather slow to start and close and can hog your memory at peak scanning periods.

This is a comprehensive security solution that has all avenues of attack covered although if you're already using a virus scanner, you may be better to stick with it as it seems the weakest part of what is generally an excellent package.

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WinCleaner AntiSpyware is free software that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware, adware and other unwanted nuisances.

It features real-time protection and an automatic monitoring system against spyware that is both quick and timely so it minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

WinCleaner AntiSpyware exceeds the protection of most commercial grade solutions! And since experts recommend that you have at least two or three different antispyware programs to maximize the security and privacy of your computer, you will find our free antispyware solution to be of great value.

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Arovax Shield is a brand new type of personal security solution that is unlike any firewall, anti-virus or spyware remover. Rather than looking for spyware traces or tracking applications that secretly send or receive data over the Internet, Arovax Shield blocks any attempt by malicious software to add entries to the auto-start menu, change the registry, hijack or install itself into a browser or find any other way to stealthily get itself onto a PC.

Arovax Shield's main function is to monitor all important branches of the Windows registry. If any attempts to write/delete/change are made, it notifies the user immediately and shows what program aroused suspicions and what actions it wanted to do. Arovax Shield gives the user an ability either to allow or block this attempt explaining what exactly is trying to infiltrate the system. With the help of a special Arovax Shield parameter it can simply be hidden in the tray doing all the work unobtrusively, letting you do your work while it silently sits in the background guarding your PC.

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SpywareBlaster takes the approach that prevention is the best way to deal with Spyware attacks and in the main, it accomplishes this aim.

Most importantly, this program is completely free, simple to setup and and very straight-forward to use. It works by preventing the installation of adware and spyware by blocking them at source. In this way, you prevent attacks rather than having to scan for installed diallers, trojans and bots later with something like Ad-Aware. Of course, this is no easy task. One annoying aspect used to be that there was no auto update function but this has thankfully been solved in this latest version. Via these updates, the program is constantly updated with a blacklist of potential threats that the program monitors for. However, you do get the slight impression that nothing much is going on when it's installed. It doesn't seem to issue any update messages or warnings although it seems to be doing it's job properly. As a result, for many people, this program may seem a bit too flimsy to trust 100% but if run alongside something like Ad-Aware as a backup tool, you don't have much to lose by trying it.

A valient effort although I still wouldn't change it for the trio of Ad-Aware, SpyBot, and Spyware Terminator.

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A smart freeware program that can clear all forms of mal-ware from your computer. Spybot S&D is a powerful application that offers a default mode and an advanced mode.

When you install this program, you are immediately given the choice to update, which is of course all important when dealing with the various forms of spyware that you want to be protected from. Unfortunately, when updating, progress can seem rapid and then stop for no apparent reason, for several minutes before finishing off the job.

Once you get over that small hiccup, you are prompted to create a system backup, just in case the program happens to remove something that is actually quite important for the smooth running of your system. It should go without saying that making this backup is recommended after which you may finally immunize your system from a growing database of malicious processes.

The program has plenty of options for tweaking and customizing scans as well as some unrelated functions like the secure shredder and a start-up manager.

Although this is a powerful piece of anti-spyware software, it may be better to see it as part of your security solution. For example, team this up with Ad-Aware SE and you should be covered from practically every form of threat to your online safety.

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Previously known as Windows Antispyware Beta 1, Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

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In the ever increasing battle against malware, you can never have too many good malware removers and detectors. Malwarebytes Anti Malware scans disks and devices connected to your PC and removes all types of malware.

The program is constantly updated with a list of the latest known malware threats across the net so you'll always be fully covered although the update prompts can be annoying and should be switched off. They may also slow down your PC momentarily but it's worth it to keep up to date. The program cannot be schedule to offer real time protection bit it can scan your system at any time. There is also a list for the files in quarantine and one for those which can be ignored. If an infected file is detected, the programs "Fileassassin" can be launched although use it with caution because it is potent and you may end up deleting essential drivers and files.

If you want realtime protection, you can register online although you'll have to pay for this service.

A powerful and quick scanner but it's a shame there's no realtime protection with it.

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CyberDefenderFREE's easy-to-use features include earlySPY, a free spyware removal tool that will catch more spyware lurking on your computer faster. Spyware is identified, quarantined, and removed with just a few clicks of your mouse.

earlySPY identifies and resolves both known and unknown spyware threats in real time. Previously classified threats are combated immediately, while new threats are reported instantly to the Early Alert Center™ where a defense is developed and then broadcast to all earlySPY users.

The program provides the latest updates as they become availabl and can prevent malicious websites from changing your home page.

Tighten up your PC security with CyberDefenderFREE today!

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Tackling Spyware is an ongoing task that sometimes seems to neverend. Firefox and IE have improved vastly in dealing with them but a lot still gets through.

SuperAntiSpyware is a surprisingly powerful Spyware detector and scanner that ensures that anything that you've downloaded is clear of any nasty software or spyware that might slow down or harm your system. The program can detect and remove spyware, trojans, dialers, worms, hijackers and rootkits. At the same time, it's very light on your CPU and won't slow it down while scanning so you can work comfortably at the same time. In addition, it has a special repair utility that tries to fix broken internet connections that have been damaged due to spyware or malware. It's not just a scanner though - it also protects in realtime to ensure that you are constantly protected before malware gets a chance to root itself onto your hard drive.
It also carried out a "pre-emptive" scan which scans 50 critical points of your system during system start-up and shutdown.

A powerful Spyware detector and scanner that will ensure that if anything has rooted itself onto your hard drive, you have a good chance of finding it.

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CWShredder finds and destroys traces of CoolWebSearch. CoolWebSearch is a name given to a wide range of different browser hijackers. Though the code is very different between variants, they are all used to redirect users to coolwebsearch.com and other sites affiliated with its operators.

The CoolWebSearch Trojan installs dozens of bookmarks, mostly to porn sites on your desktop; it also adds a toolbar to Internet Explorer and changes your home page without asking. Furthermore, it significantly slows down the performance of your PC, and introduces some modifications which cause Windows to freeze, crash or randomly reboot.

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Nixory,is an Anti Spyware program open source for Mozilla Firefox, planned for remove malicious data miner. The program comes with a simple user interface that after scanning, will show you a list of all the found items. You can then choose what elements you want to remove and any that you may want to keep for whatever reason. One useful feature is its log keeping of every operation carried out during use of the program.

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All-in-One Secretmaker is designed for everyone who wants to avoid unpleasant experiences, protect their privacy and use the Internet efficiently for private or business. It combines 7 powerful tools including a Spam Fighter, Pop-Up Killer, Cookie Eraser, History Cleaner, Privacy Protector, Banner Blocker and Worm Hunter.

It will protect you from spyware, trackware, and viruses. Spam Fighter rates spam and works with any POP3 e-mail client, and the automated whitelist keeps preferred contacts up-to-date. Banner Blocker reduces advertising banners, and Movie Blocker blocks Flash ads. Pop-up Blocker stops unwanted pop-ups, and Privacy Protector hides your identity while you surf. Cookie Eraser circumvents profiling. History Cleaner clears needless files, logs, and tracks. Various whitelists allow user-specific optimizations.

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Spy-Ad Exterminator looks through your computer's memory, hard drives, and registry for spyware, adware, worms, hijacks, keyloggers, IE Toolbars, BHOs, etc . Items found are possible to be deleted, ignored, or quarantined.

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VX2 is one of the most problematic applications to remove from your computer. While Ad-Aware SE effectively deals with most VX2 variants, there are a few that none of today's available antispyware application can detect or remove.

Until the release of Ad-Aware 2006, we will continue providing protection against threats such as certain VX2 variants through the add-on functionality of Ad-Aware SE. Ad-aware 2006 will tackle threats such as VX2 without the need for add-ons. Note that VX2 Cleaner 2.0 works with all editions of Ad-Aware SE.

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Protecting from spyware and adware can be easy and effective! 1-2-3 Spyware Free is the award winning solution that will comprehensively scan your PC for unwanted components and will suggest their removal.

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This program gives you secure file deletion, making sure that deleted files cannot be undeleted again. Deleting a file normally just removes the file's directory entry, but the data itself remains on the disk. This program completely eliminates the contents of deleted files. The highly acclaimed Gutmann disk cleaning method is now available as an option.

This program can also clean the Window's swap file, and can optionally clean unneeded temporary files from your hard disk, such as your Internet browser cache, files in your system's Recycle Bin, and can clear the "recent files" list. Comes with a direct disk viewer for discovering exactly what is on your hard disk.

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SpyDefense protects your computer against annoying, and harmful software such as Spyware, Adware, Trojan horses, etc. SpyDefense is anti-spyware software that prides itself on a very user friendly environment. SpyDefense utilizes our proprietary technologies to provide advanced spyware scanning, and removal quickly and precisely.

SpyDefense can also protect your computer in Real-Time, scanning websites and running programs to find and prevent spyware from every reaching your computer. It can also defend against Internet hijacking software, protecting valuable private information.

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This intuitive application not only blocks spy software from tracking and logging your activities online, but it can permanently erase the digital foot prints left behind when you surf the Internet. X-Cleaner gives you the power to permanently erase potentially embarrassing files downloaded to your computer. It also scans for viruses that many anti-virus programs miss.

Hot features of the app:

• Detect snooping software like KeyKey, Spector, SubSeven trojan, and Bigbrother
• Remove Adware like Aureate,Conducent Cydoor, TopText, Gator
• Manage the list of automatically starting programs
• Secure file shredder
• Generates secure passwords
• Prevents Browser start page from being changed by porn sites
• Examine all Internet Connections being made to and from your PC

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SpywareGuard provides a real-time protection solution against spyware that is a great addition to SpywareBlaster's protection method. An anti-virus program scans files before you open them and prevents execution if a virus is detected - SpywareGuard does the same thing, but for spyware! And you can easily have an anti-virus program running alongside SpywareGuard. SpywareGuard now also features Download Protection and Browser Hijacking Protection!

Features Listing:

Fast real-time scanning engine

Catch and block spyware before it is executed (EXE and CAB files supported)

Download protection

Prevent spyware from being download in Internet Explorer

Browser hijacking protection

Stop browser hijacking activity in real-time

SG liveupdate

Provides an easy updating solution

Small size

With a small size and small definition sizes, download and updates are quick

Report capabilities

Keep a detailed log of all spyware detected

Spyware files are blocked before being opened or run

They are not simply shut down after they are loaded in memory

Download SpywareGuard 2.2 in Softonic