Microsoft Offering Free AntiSpyware Software

[shortbear]

great job Microsoft.

Thanks for monopolizing the market and creating a defective product - then forcing us to buy your spyware and antivirus software to correct it!

 

[manno]

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: gsellis
OP - The Giant stuff is reported to be better than what you are sticking with. You might consider giving it a try.

I just installed it (on my machine at work). Seems to be a nice interface. The real-time protection and auto updates seem to be nice also.

Wonder how much this will cost in the future?

Probably not a dime, rumor has it they're teaming up with Network Solutions to offer Mcaffee to XP owners for free too. It will be about GD time.

That's the story with that "Windows Genuine Advantage" marketeering you see on the side there, if you have a legit version of the OS, and can prove it you get all these added features, like anti spyware, and free antivirus. Finaly making my $125 investment in the software seem worth while. Because basicaly getting the OS meant I was required to buy, $30-$50 in antivirus software, get a firewal, install anti-spyware software ect. they just knocked off 2 out of the "Big 3", and hopefully we'll get the 3rd soon.

MS gets a bad rap for some things it doesn't deserve, like spyware, viruses, and hackers. People didn't blame Honda for having the most stolen car in America 7 years in a row. Do you blame Firestone when some one slashes your tires?

I still think they're the evil empire though, and that they're one of the shadiest companies around. I still don't understand why they decided to package internet explorer with the OS though... I liked it, but it's caused them so many legal headaches, and it's not doing wonders for their reputation. I'm thinking they're going to be more than happy to give Firefox all the share of the browser market it can get... enough ranting.


-manno

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

I like it and will use it. But I will continue to also use the other stuff I already have, like SpyBot and Adaware. Kinda like the stock market, you don't want all your eggs in one basket.

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: manno

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: gsellis
OP - The Giant stuff is reported to be better than what you are sticking with. You might consider giving it a try.

I just installed it (on my machine at work). Seems to be a nice interface. The real-time protection and auto updates seem to be nice also.

Wonder how much this will cost in the future?

Probably not a dime, rumor has it they're teaming up with Network Solutions to offer Mcaffee to XP owners for free too. It will be about GD time.

That's the story with that "Windows Genuine Advantage" marketeering you see on the side there, if you have a legit version of the OS, and can prove it you get all these added features, like anti spyware, and free antivirus. Finaly making my $125 investment in the software seem worth while. Because basicaly getting the OS meant I was required to buy, $30-$50 in antivirus software, get a firewal, install anti-spyware software ect. they just knocked off 2 out of the "Big 3", and hopefully we'll get the 3rd soon.

MS gets a bad rap for some things it doesn't deserve, like spyware, viruses, and hackers. People didn't blame Honda for having the most stolen car in America 7 years in a row. Do you blame Firestone when some one slashes your tires?

I still think they're the evil empire though, and that they're one of the shadiest companies around. I still don't understand why they decided to package internet explorer with the OS though... I liked it, but it's caused them so many legal headaches, and it's not doing wonders for their reputation. I'm thinking they're going to be more than happy to give Firefox all the share of the browser market it can get... enough ranting.


-manno

It would be terrific if they offered free antivirus to XP users! I only wish that it was Norton, instead of McAffee (we had a lot of headaches with McAffee in my office).

 

[CaptainJackSparrow]

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: manno

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: gsellis
OP - The Giant stuff is reported to be better than what you are sticking with. You might consider giving it a try.

I just installed it (on my machine at work). Seems to be a nice interface. The real-time protection and auto updates seem to be nice also.

Wonder how much this will cost in the future?

Probably not a dime, rumor has it they're teaming up with Network Solutions to offer Mcaffee to XP owners for free too. It will be about GD time.

That's the story with that "Windows Genuine Advantage" marketeering you see on the side there, if you have a legit version of the OS, and can prove it you get all these added features, like anti spyware, and free antivirus. Finaly making my $125 investment in the software seem worth while. Because basicaly getting the OS meant I was required to buy, $30-$50 in antivirus software, get a firewal, install anti-spyware software ect. they just knocked off 2 out of the "Big 3", and hopefully we'll get the 3rd soon.

MS gets a bad rap for some things it doesn't deserve, like spyware, viruses, and hackers. People didn't blame Honda for having the most stolen car in America 7 years in a row. Do you blame Firestone when some one slashes your tires?

I still think they're the evil empire though, and that they're one of the shadiest companies around. I still don't understand why they decided to package internet explorer with the OS though... I liked it, but it's caused them so many legal headaches, and it's not doing wonders for their reputation. I'm thinking they're going to be more than happy to give Firefox all the share of the browser market it can get... enough ranting.


-manno

It would be terrific if they offered free antivirus to XP users! I only wish that it was Norton, instead of McAffee (we had a lot of headaches with McAffee in my office).

Norton has its problems too, trust me, but indeed it is superior to McAffee

 

[Rauthoen]

It didn't find anything missed by Sypbots. Thanks anyway, OP.

 

[fallenangel99]

wow thanks op

it found more stuff than ad-ware and spybot! (althought it thought flashgot was spyware)

 

[Auxano]

I thought I was clean - Found 1 item the others could not. Don't know how it got in as we use IE for MS updates and firefox everywhere else .

 

[thedealmaker]

Maybe Microsoft bundled this antispyware with spyware to make itself look good?

Originally posted by: Auxano
I thought I was clean - Found 1 item the others could not. Don't know how it got in as we use IE for MS updates and firefox everywhere else .

 

[coolVariable]

REPOST

 

[usernamemax20charact]

Originally posted by: timswim78
It would be terrific if they offered free antivirus to XP users!

AVG is free. And it's good, too.

 

[modestninja]

If anyone here has used Giant Anti-Spyware in the past, they'll notice this is the exact same. It seems in the time since Microsoft bought Giant, the only things they've manged to change are the name and add to the title... Anyway, works as well as Giant did (it consistently was 1st or 2nd in detection and removal without false positives), which is better than either Ad-Aware or Spybot (the only one that is close was Spy Sweeper), hopefully M$ doesn't f*ck up this great product...

 

[ElGuache]

got it, thanks

 

[tnguyen88]

Very nice. We were using Giant at work before to clean spyware from user systems. This is EXACTLY the same as Giant except with Microsoft logos. After the first scan, I found 7 things that Spyboy didn't detect when I ran a scan right before installing Giant (I refuse to call it MS Antispyware).

 

[theshazman]

I just tried the beta version...right after running an updated spybot and spysweeper....found one spyware the others didn't.

 

[ironk]

its about time they are taking spyware seriously. If MS had to bundle two things in their OS, it would have to be this and a antivirus. No need for IE, or Windows media player.

 

[Dragonbate]

Well, I'd try it but.. I agree that this is a conflict of interest of sorts. Plus I don't trust Microsoft to be giving something for nothing. Finally since using Firefox I haven't gotten any spyware adware anyway
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

 

[VaG]

Here's a link to the best free antispyware software available.

 

[mparr1708]

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: mparr1708
I think someone already mentioned it but this is in fact a rebadged Giant Spyware program. I do hope that MS does not screw up giants already very good spyware cleaner. IMHO giant has the best spyware cleaner out there. Adaware tends to leave things behind and you normally have to do 3 or 4 scans to catch everything. Giant is usually got it within the first go around and I have never seen it miss anything. I (like most people here I'm sure) work on pcs and servers for a living and I try to use the most effective tool I can. Giant has been it and I really hope MS doesnt botch it up. Just my 2 cents.

For how much was Giant selling this software? I wonder how much MS will charge...

If I remember right it was like 24.99 or 29.99. I normally would download the trial if I only needed to clean a computer once. I tried to get my work to buy a license but they decided to wiat until our budget was done for the year and MS bought Giant before our budget got approved (Silly corporate politics!).

 

[mparr1708]

Originally posted by: VaG
Here's a link to the best free antispyware software available.

lol Firefox is good and I have it on my workstation but try switching 100 users to it. Even 100 isnt to bad but I used to work for a 30K+ user company. Think about the logistics of rolling everyone to a new browser. Not a fun project.....

 

[Bozo Galora]

Giant AS is the best - or at least it was.
Flashget IS spyware, and only GianT and PestPatrol call it so
Pest patrol usually finds about 150 entries for Flashget.
The first time I ran Giant it found 2984 entries for Flashget.
FG constantly broadcasts all your webpage visits, length of time, links clicked - the whole enchilada in stealth mode thru your FW and Proxy.
I started checking registry entries and found all kinds of nasty stuff.
You MUST put "ignore always" for flashget or GAS will remove the whole program clean as a whistle
MS also removed the cookie clean option in GAS - Heh Heh

 

[StumbleBum1]

Originally posted by: Dragonbate
Well, I'd try it but.. I agree that this is a conflict of interest of sorts. Plus I don't trust Microsoft to be giving something for nothing. Finally since using Firefox I haven't gotten any spyware adware anyway
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

Same here

 

[goutnout]

porn and illegal download sites are to blame.
ad-aware is still the best. the only small "advantage" MS will have is it knows exactly where the holes are so it will look there first.

 

[Schneider879]

Didn't find anything new but thanks anyway I will keep it anyway.

 

[coomarlin]

I installed it and it seemed pretty nice. I did a scan and it didn't find anything. But neither did Ad-Aware.

I've disabled the real time protection. But what about that Netspy antispyware community. Did anyone enable that?