Why You Can’t Rely on a Single Spyware Remover
I’ve run hundreds of tests and one thing I’ve learned: no program removes 100% of spyware.
A simple solution would be to run multiple anti-spyware programs. But realistically, you can’t run too many. First, you may end up paying for those programs, which is kind of a waste. Second, the cure might leave you worse off than the illness.
Why? Well, one reason why spyware is so bad is because it slows down your PC. All of those programs each consume a little bit of memory, a little bit of CPU, a little bit of bandwidth. Running spyware programs does exactly the same thing. The difference is that an anti-spyware program will consume far more CPU, bandwidth, and memory than just about any spyware invader. The technical term for this is “resource contention”. You can actually slow your computer down to a crawl by running just a few spyware removers at once.
I’ve found the magic number is two. Two good programs are all you need. I recommend you pick one commercial product, and one free product.
Why Choose a Commercial Product?
For-profit companies generally do a much better job of writing spyware removal programs. There are many reasons (chief among them being that for-profit companies can afford to hire armies of spyware researchers) but some people will argue with me until they’re blue in the face, so I will just leave it as an empirical statement: after running hundreds of tests, commercial products do a lot better than free ones.
Another indisputable point in favor of commercial companies however, is that they can provide you with real customer support. Not just a forum manned with rude (and sometimes clueless) developers. A real phone # with a real person on the other end. Some of us really like having that option available.
The Down Side of Commercial Products
For-profit companies are legally obligated to maximize shareholder return (ie: make money). This can lead to some interesting conflicts of interest. I have first-hand knowledge that “back room” agreements take place all the time between the spyware makers and the spyware removers. The problem is that these agreements are difficult to prove and not usually discussed. For example, if a software program you’re running suddenly stops detecting a certain spyware program, will you really notice? Probably not. And it could end up putting thousands of dollars a month in the pockets of the vendor. Ethics aside, it does happen and it’s probably happening at ___(insert favorite anti-spyware company name here) ___.
Why Choose a Non-Commercial Product
For the very opposite reason, you might find yourself in the freeware camp. Now I know you aren’t one of those who naively claim that corporate software companies are all evil and that the free software products are hands-down better than commercial versions. But those people are all over the net, and from the hours they must spend posting, you might think that there are more of them than there really are. But in reality, there’s a few bad apples out there in the freeware camp, just like there are in the commercial camp.
So here’s the real deal: Non-commercial companies are generally free from the commercial ties to spyware companies.
"Generally" is the operative word here. Case in point, earlier this year (2005) it was announced that Aluria (an anti-spyware company) and WhenU (a spyware company) had forged a partnership and that Aluria would no longer remove WhenU. This was cited as the worst sort of evil by the fundamentalist freeware camp. Yet when it later came out that Lavasoft (makers of AdAware, the symbol of all that is good and holy among the anti-corporate netheads) had come to a similar agreement, there wasn’t quite the same uproar.
Despite this, I more or less agree that it’s not a bad idea to run an freeware anti-spyware program on your computer.
What Stinks About Non-Commercial Software
Two things detract from non-commercial products:
1. They just don’t work as well – companies that give their software away for free depend on volunteer work, which generally isn’t available in the same quantity as paid development.
2. Poor Support – If you run into a problem, you’re on your own. Support costs money.
So What Should I Do Already?
If you’ve read this far, then my recommendations will make a lot of sense to you:
First, use two spyware removers. Using just one will probably leave you with gaps in coverage, while running three provides little extra protection and will just slow your computer down.
Second, make one of those programs a commercial product. Not only will you get better (although not perfect) protection, you’ll get customer support in case anything goes wrong. Good products are sold by Aluria, PC Tools, and Webroot – click here for our latest testing results.
Third, make one of those programs a non-commercial product. You’ll have some reassurance that commercial ties aren’t compromising your protection and perhaps the satisfaction of putting a smile on a developer’s face somewhere. There are three primary options: Microsoft Antispyware, Lavasoft AdAware, and Spybot S&D. Hands down, you should use Microsoft Antispyware – it’s a much better product that the other two. And even though Microsoft isn’t a non-profit, the program is free and it’s very good.
