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Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: Confused Computer User on January 21, 2009, 11:11:48 PM
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Hi Everyone,
I have an HP Pavilion dv2700 with Pentium DuoCore and 4GB RAM. I am running Windows Vista Home Premium on it (32-bit) and have been an avid Avast user for almost 2 years now. My issue if you could call it that is that I got carried away a bit today. I installed Spyware Blaster and Spyware Terminator without testing each one out individually. This is how I would normally install software (one at a time), letting it run for a while before installing something else.
Now from other Avast Forum threads I understood that both these software run well with avast, but I have a few questions that will sound in some cases dumb.
1.Spyware Terminator has an active scanner/monitor that protects against spyware. What does Spyware Blaster do exactly, since it doesn’t seem to scan anything either on demand or automatically?
2.Speaking of scanner/monitoring in Spyware Terminator, when I connect to the internet I always get a pop up mini window saying that avst.setup is doing some installation and if I would like this process to go over smoothly I should switch to the install mode in Spyware Terminator. I do this but the event still reoccurs. How do I tell Spyware Terminator that avast is an allowed application and that it’s processes should not be hindered?
3.Are these software complementing Avast in terms of protection or should I delete them ( either one or the other, or both)
I would appreciate any comments or suggestions but please be a bit detailed since I’m not exactly an expert, just an average user.
Thanks.
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1.Spyware Terminator has an active scanner/monitor that protects against spyware. What does Spyware Blaster do exactly, since it doesn’t seem to scan anything either on demand or automatically?
Spyware Blaster does not scan, it just immunize, it's a static (not active) protection that avoid you to reach infected sites.
2.Speaking of scanner/monitoring in Spyware Terminator, when I connect to the internet I always get a pop up mini window saying that avst.setup is doing some installation and if I would like this process to go over smoothly I should switch to the install mode in Spyware Terminator. I do this but the event still reoccurs. How do I tell Spyware Terminator that avast is an allowed application and that it’s processes should not be hindered?
There is an option in Spyware Terminator to remember the choice you've done, isn't it?
3.Are these software complementing Avast in terms of protection or should I delete them ( either one or the other, or both)
Spyware Blaster complements.
Spyware Terminator, with your configuration, could be running side-by-side as avast (you have a good computer). But I'm not that sure it will add that much protection. For sure, disable the antivirus part of ST... does not worth.
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hi Tech,
Thank you for the quick reply.
Spyware Blaster does not scan, it just immunize, it's a static (not active) protection that avoid you to reach infected sites.
Ok, I take it you are refering to the system image it takes. I guess it makes sense. But how is this different from the recovery partition that comes with the computer?
There is an option in Spyware Terminator to remember the choice you've done, isn't it?
There is this part in the program that tells you what happened, i.e. that the Install Mode was activated or not but I can't find the other section that tells you which programs are allowed and which are not.
Spyware Terminator, with your configuration, could be running side-by-side as avast (you have a good computer). But I'm not that sure it will add that much protection. For sure, disable the antivirus part of ST... does not worth.
Well it only partially slows down my laptop but I wanted to use this on a desktop which has less power. I didn't install the AV, just the Anti Spy-ware (resident scanner). I didn't even activate the HE... something that is supposed to bombard you with questions concerning which programs should run (well it's installed but Disabled). Can I use Spyware Terminator as a secondary on demand spyware scanner and disable it's active scanner in order to cut down on system resources being used?
Thanks
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Ok,
So I uninstalled Spyware Terminator which mind you gave me the BSOD. Vista recovered, restarted and surprisingly Spyware Terminator did infact removed its self (at least I hope). So I am now going with the recomandation that DavidR made in the following thread:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=41949.0
I am essentially going to have Avast+SpywareBlaster + SUPERantispyware on my comp. I think this is more adequate and less demanding on system resources. The resident shield provided by avast has yet to fail me (fingers crossed) so my only concern is spy-ware detection.
Do you think this is good? Any other suggestion, additions?
Thanks.
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I am running avast pro, superantispyware pro (realtime) windows defender (realtime) and I have spywareblaster and my system runs fast no slow downs at all.
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thank you ronnycopeh,
I have the programs listed except for the pro versions. I use the free home-user ones in the case of avast and superantispyware. Any one else recommend this combination?
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But how is this different from the recovery partition that comes with the computer?
Recovering partition? I'm not following you... which is the relationship?
The resident shield provided by avast has yet to fail me (fingers crossed) so my only concern is spy-ware detection.
avast give you antimalware (virus and spyware) protection.
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thank you ronnycopeh,
I have the programs listed except for the pro versions. I use the free home-user ones in the case of avast and superantispyware. Any one else recommend this combination?
I am running the same as ronnycopeh avast pro, superantispyware pro with no problems is there a need for spywareblaster as well as superantispyware??
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The spywareblaster application is a passive tool, it is more an immunisation thing as it adds, malicious sites to the restricted sites, cookie and activeX protection, to Internet Explorer, it only adds cookie protection in Firefox.
So it is a zero resource issue, periodically check for updates to the database and apply the updates to the areas it protects (single click operations).
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Hi all,
Sorry to have to bring this topic up again but I am curios as to how Super Anti Spy-ware Pro (SAS Pro) can complement Avast's real time scanner. As far as I understand Avast does protect (to some extent) against spyware.
See: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
Now I know that having an extra spyware and malware program to insure a maximum discovery and removal rate is recomended (i also added Malware Bytes Anti Malware or MBAM) but how do I make sure that there isn't a conflict between the two SAS Pro and Avast.
Also how does Windows Defender (WinD) "catalyze" the mix. Is it ok (or even wise) to maintain these security applications (Avast, SAS pro and WinD) on at the same time.
Thank you for the continued help.
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but how do I make sure that there isn't a conflict between the two SAS Pro and Avast.
Well, you can ask me ;)
Anyway, I'm using SAS Pro, and Avast, and they work just fine together, I just installed them, and they are running just fine the months I have used them together.
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Hello Bluesman,
Thank you for the reply. I'd like to write a funny comeback to your:
Well, you can ask me Wink
but I'm a bit tired and not really up to it. regardless, I appreciate the comment. That at least puts my mind at ease that I won't get error messages that avast is doing something that SAS Pro does not approve of and "vice et versa" (although I'm more worried about the former than the later).
Now that that's out of the way, can someone explain the other part of my question:
how does Windows Defender (WinD) "catalyze" the mix. Is it ok (or even wise) to maintain these security applications (Avast, SAS pro and WinD) on at the same time.
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You're probably acquainted with the fact that not all antimalware applications can find them all, every time. Some have a larger and more up to date database than others. They will almost always have a fair bit of overlap, and also, even if up to date, will not share all the items database to database.
Knowing this it would seem that the risk should be reduced by adding more applications, to cover any shortfalls. There comes a point where the required investment in computer resource to have two, three or more applications scanning the same stuff outweighs any slight increased margin of protection offered by having them.
I have heard of cases where WD did actually detect something that some of the others did not.
I've also heard of many more cases where SAS or MBAM detected something that WD did not.
Another factor is: even if it is detected, can the application clean it?
From what I've read, Avast, SAS and MBAM all have the edge in this regard. Depends on the particular malware.
So even though with the setup you have, there is a small chance that something could slip through, I believe that there isn't much point in having WD active alongside Avast and SAS. Those two, (or Avast/MBAM) running resident, should prevent 99.? % of anything bad encountered.
I don't know what conflictions are likely with more than one AS running resident, it probably depends on each individual computer setup, but having more than one is likely to increase the risk.
Passive immunity, like SpywareBlaster, or a Hosts file, uses no resource, and simply blocks known bad sites/activex from loading. Too many immunity-type programs will slightly slow browsing. Maybe by a few microseconds for each item to load on a page. So, immunity=good. Programs offering immunizing include SpybotS&D, a hosts file (Google "mvps hosts"), and SpywareBlaster. Probably OK just having one of these active.
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Thank you Tarq57. That puts my mind at ease.
Cheers.
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avast!'s built-in real-time antispyware does an excellent job, another antispyware isn't needed.
My laptop is for my personal use, I only have avast!, SpywareBlaster, WinPatrol & ZoneAlarm on it.
But I let family & friends use my desktop, you can't be sure where they will go & do online, so I also have Windows Defender (beside avast!, SpywareBlaster, WinPatrol & ZoneAlarm) on it for a little extra protection.
Although WD doesn't have the best detection rate, it can clean a computer of some real bad nasties. WD runs as a service so it won't conflict with other antispywares, I've read. ;)
From the Spyware Terminator forums I see members are having a lot of problems with ST 2.5 & ST 2.3 will no longer auto-update, manual updates only on 2.3. So, for a stand alone free antispyware the only reasonable choice for now is WD.
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Thank you rdmaloyjr,
I am not going to add (for the time being) any other security suits as I am satisfied with what I have so far.
So far I have had almost no problems... Mostly I overreacted to some things and I had some compatibility problems between vista and Avast but no virus/spyware. So No reason to start worrying now.
Thank you again for your post.
Cheers