Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.5.2

Latest version of this brilliant Spyware application just released, for Windows XP / Vista, "Freeware"

Download > The home of Spybot-S&D!

good app this

One of my favorites!

Dave

"Best in the business" imo, as far as "automated script kiddie tools" for this type of work in identifying + purging malwares!

(AND, I am NOT saying that in putting these types of tools down either... they're time-savers, + move FAR FASTER than a person can, pretty thoroughly...)

Especially for HEAVILY infested/infected machines (& if you are on-call doing these types of things ALL day for many customers).

The reason I like this one, the best?

This type of app... they're pretty "smart", & this one in particular has 2 things I like about it!

1.) It's able to "stall things out, before they can start", via alterations to the HOSTS file (via the "IMMUNIZE" section of it)

&

2.) SpyBot WORKS IN SAFE-MODE (whereas others that are "nearly as good" like AdAware in various incarnations of it, due to the use of services? Will NOT!)



* & sometimes? You HAVE to use "safe mode" (F8 bootup option) to knock-out various infectors... IF you want to be able to knock them out!

APK

P.S.=> Personally? I've found that by going to:

• IE "Manage Addons"(IE6 & above - purging addsons you are NOT sure of, using GOOGLE to aid here)

• Clearing its cache, OR whatever browsers you use

• Using MSCONFIG (pruning startup areas, especially vs. apps there you are not sure of (search GOOGLE in this case))

• Services.msc (trimming out services you don't need OR don't recognize & are NOT std. ones from MS, & yes, some malwares are services no less)

• Then tools like ProcessExplorer (for freezing/suspending various apps or even services & their called libs/dlls or .exes they broker, which are SOMETIMES viruses & they can hide here from std. taskmgr.exe no less because it does NOT 'break out' what svchost.exe brokers/runs underneath itself, work the best)

Work!

AND, best in "Safe mode", IF POSSIBLE (& it usually is)... & without even USING automated tools like Spybot & others like it... though, admittedly, I do them ALL above, PLUS SpyBot, usually (to be SURE (as is possible @ least)).

Then... barring those tools I enumerated above?

RECOVERY CONSOLE! It can blow out rootkits of bootsector originated types even, via FixMBR... &, you're going to see more & more of this in the future!

Because, once you get a "malware's" name & location on disk (sometimes in having to use GOOGLE even to define them & what a program does, IF it is a known quantity as malware) IS the best & ONLY way to really burn them out...

That's all done via its DOS like commandline CD command, + DEL command (however, sometimes, you have to use secpol.msc, & allow RC to move outside of the %windir% & its subordinate folders, because it only defaults to those & being able to move in THOSE only - not all malware resides there! Sometimes its in your hidden "System Volume Information" folder even, normally hidden from sight no less & others)... apk

Two things to point out >

1) MSCONFIG - If you have Avast anti virus free / pro close it down before using MSCONFIG because it will stop Avast running on reboot that you have to use after changes within MSCONFIG.

If you forget and knock out Avast >

Right-click the icon MY COMPUTER and select MANAGE. In left column unroll SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS. Click on SERVICES. In the right column, look at the state of service avast! Antivirus.If the service isn't set to start automatically, set it that way (right click it and select PROPERTIES and the STARTUP TYPE set to AUTOMATIC). Restart the computer after making the change. If it was already set to "Automatic", check the status of the service If it not "Started", try to start it (right-click it and select START). If the service cannot be started, your avast! installation might be corrupted. Try repairing the avast! installation: click START -> CONTROL PANEL -> ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS -> avast! Antivirus -> CHANGE / REMOVE and select REPAIR. This solution works on Windows NT, 2000, XP and 2003 only.

2) SERVICES.MSC before you stop anything highlight it with one click and you will see a description in the narrow left hand window (understand in full what you intend to stop) and if your still not sure and if the option to pause is showing use it because Windows will restart the service if it needs it, better to find out and understand then to just take someones word for it.

SpyBot "Seach & Destroy" version 1.6x final released, today, here:

http://www.spybot.info/en/mirrors/index.html

(Get it, while it's "HOT", & straight "from the horses mouth" no less...)



* Enjoy...

I say THAT, because, imo?

Well, again (said this above):

SpyBot S&D truly IS, the "best-in-the-business", for this type of program, even surpassing Ad-Aware by Lavasoft!

I say that, for 1 reason: E.G.-> I use these types of programs daily on the job professionally, for virus/spyware/trojan removals, & yes... BOTH of them work!

However - Spybot S&D works in SAFE MODE!

(Which you SHOULD use to clear these machinations from your system rather than a normal boot, because it makes the job MUCH easier, since many of these badwares cannot run in safemode period is why)...

Others, like LavaSoft's AdAware SE (@ least that model doesn't) won't, & THUS, I have to give SpyBot S&D the "nod" over others like it!

* ADDITIONALLY - You'll notice a few cool & good things about it, such as the "TeaTimer" (trayicon tray resident app portion) loading faster, & its MAIN body program seems to scan faster too, overall... imo @ least, so far!

APK

P.S.=> I am partial to this program, for yet another reason: It's written in the language I have come to call my "fav" out there (& I code in 10 or more of them pretty fluently, ranging from Assembler, C/C++, Pascal, COBOL, FORTRAN, Basic (& its variants/dialects), & more): Object Pascal, via Borland Delphi... fastest RAD dev. tool there is, bar-none, & especially in MATH & STRINGS (which EVERY PROGRAM DOES DO, in those 2 datatypes + operations on said data)... apk

Originally Posted by User Name

thank you for this information

From my contribution to this thread? You're welcome!

Hey, I am JUST "telling it, how it is"...

(AND, that is that it's a VERY good application, & does the job on more fronts/levels (such as SAFE MODE operations) better than anyone else with LIKE apps, imo @ least & experience using quite a few of them).



* I'd "yell about this one" from the rooftops!

APK

P.S.=> Plus, their staff is quite cool too, as I have corresponded with them in the past, & they use the same compiler I found as my favorite, Borland Delphi & Object Pascal... great stuff! apk