ACSS Newsletter - Automated Spyware Detection and Removal

Windows Users
[More specifically Windows XP and Vista Users]

Ok, I'm going to do a complete about-face and recommend a product I've condemned in the past.

The reason for this change has to do with the fact that I have found that a lot of people, whom I have put on Spybot, are not correctly immunizing, detecting and destroying spyware. What users really want is something that's automated and therefore quite simple.

So, I am going to suggest removing Spybot and installing Windows Defender.

You can get Windows Defender at:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx
[NB! Do not try to install this if you do not have a legal copy of XP or Vista!]

Install using the "Recommended Settings."

After installing you can go into Options to change settings related to Updating and Scanning. In particular, you might want to pay attention to the time it has chosen by default for running updates and scans and change it to a time when you know the computer is generally on. 

Regardless of what settings are installed by default, I have found that whenever Defender needs to update or hasn't scanned in a while, it will give you a warning to that effect. Thus, the user is given the opportunity to manually let it update or scan.