any experience with microsoft antispyware beta?

Microsoft has a beta spyware prevention software at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

Has anyone had any experience with it? I would like to hear from others before I put it on my machine.

thanks,

 

Bob_B--Lots of comments here. Most favorable. I use it. It did not change my start page. So far I am pretty unaware it is running except when it calls home for updates.
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=39560&highlight=antispyware+beta

 

Bob_B--I agree with Steve R Jones and usually do not run beta software. However, this program is based on Giant's antispyware application which was well regarded, so I thought the risk was not too high. (MS bought Giant.)
Note that you can use it along with other spyware detector programs, such as AdAware, SpybotS&D, etc.

 

OH YEAH SURE !!
Why didn't someone tell me that a long time ago

Anyway, I have had it for a couple weeks, with no ill effects.

Geri

 

No Problems

I have also used it since it came out and had no problems with it, a great tool, especially considering the price !!

 

I've been using it for quite a while now and for the most part like it.
Not that I need it running, but I need to know it works well enough to recommend it to customers. It is doing it's job well from what I can tell.

I write a lot of scripts, and although it can be a pain at times, MS AntiSpy asks permission to run each one on first run.

Also got a popup from MS AntiSpy when I moved my IE cache locale asking permission for the reg changes. For my customers, I like the idea of it asking permission for any changes to the system. This program monitors a lot of things as far as changes go, and asks permission from the user.

May I suggest a thorough looking over of ALL settings and features in this program, there are tons of things to check out and set up. The more you know about what you are doing, the better this app will perform for you.

One "not so good thing" I noticed was the scanning of a large HOSTS file can appear to make the app hang. Be patient, it comes back when it's good and ready. Also, when it finds an entry in the HOSTS file during a scan, and reports it, it may or may not be a problem as stated (up to the user to decide) I have a very large HOSTS file with many redirects to 0.0.0.0 but the program only reports ONE, every time I scan. When I delete the ONE it finds, it finds another ONE next scan, even though ALL my redirects are to 0.0.0.0.
It should be reporting them ALL if it regards one as a problem, but only reports one at every scan, strange. btw - None of them are actual problems, but the site(s) I am redirecting to 0.0.0.0 ARE all spy sites.

 

In case you have not seen this discussion, it applies to this thread
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?p=230485#post230485

 

careful...

Why shouldn't you install beta programs in a computer??

Anyways... I've had this program for a couple of weeks it works great. It also had a good note in pc world magazine. I have some advice, however. DONOT intall microsot antispyware AND Sunbelt's counterspy, I did this and microsoft antispyware caused a BIG error in my computer. It took me a couple of days to fix it. Be adviced... everything else, microsoft antispyware works great.

fernando

 

Hello fernando,

DONOT intall microsot antispyware AND Sunbelt's counterspy
Good Advice.

http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=42624

Regards - Charles