# SUPERAntiSpyware



## pyritechips (Jun 3, 2002)

I was asked to review this software so I will present my report, with screenshots, verbatim. I hope any of you that have used this product can add to what I written:

With Mike's (Tech Support Guy) approval (and his having asked for a volunteer) I have installed SUPERAntispyware without a glitch. Now that I have it I remember downloading the free version at the beginning of May but don't remember installing or trying it.

I spent about a week to get to know it, its preferences (options) and functionality. The installation executable is 6.2 MB and installed quickly and cleanly. The program folder is 23.2 MB. My system (Vista Home Premium no SP, 1.86 Ghz dual core, 2 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD space divided into 10 partitions over 2 physical drives) runs 1% CPU usage at idle and ~600MB RAM usage. With SAS (SUPERAntispyware) running CPU usage was ~3% CPU and between 640-650 MB RAM. I have SAS starting with Windows and have real-time protection enabled. Running a custom scan took 9.16 seconds. After running Crapcleaner (cleaning 105 MB in 4.1 seconds) I did a second scan, which took 8.06 seconds.

When clicking on the Notifications Area icon the software shows this main menu (space and time prevents me from displaying all possible menu windows):










Clicking "Scan your Computer" gives this submenu. I have selected "Custom Scan" so that I could select only the C: folder, but aside from that it is the same as "Complete Scan":










After the initial scan I received this log:


> SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log
> http://www.superantispyware.com
> 
> Generated 07/09/2009 at 00:30 AM
> ...


There is a feature called "First Chance Prevention" which:



> "First Chance Prevention will scan your computer at start and shutdown to detect and remove spyware before it has a chance to "hook" itself into your system. If checked, First Chance Prevention is enabled and SUPERAntiSpyware will scan your computer at startup and shutdown." [from the help files]


This item is checked but greyed out. I have yet to see an option to "un-grey" it and unselect it, if desired. [Cookiegal replied with: "This is by design in Vista and Windows 7 because this feature works differently in those operating systems so you can't change the setting." Thank you Karen.] 
There is a feature on the main menu called:

"Find out what's running on your computer!" (see the above screenshot of the main menu, bottom left corner in blue.) Clicking the link will bring you to:

http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpreff.html, which leads you to:

Click here to find out what is running on your PC, then:

Click here to install the Mozilla/FireFox Plugin

When I try to install it I get this error message:










I am not sure whether this is an issue with the software, my system, Firefox or the website.

With a reference from Cookiegal (thanks again Karen!) I downloaded an anti-trojan software tester called "Trojan Simulator" from MajorGeeks. At first Avast detected and blocked this simulator (which is good testament to its effectiveness). I had to disable protection to install the simulator. Once installed onto my desktop I immediately received the following alert:










I take this as a positive endorsement of this product, as far as the simulator is concerned.

This is as far as I can test SAS, barring any other tests anybody can suggest. The one function I have not tested is uninstalling SAS. In conclusion I deem this product to be effective, easy on resources and also easy to use. All the menus are simple to follow and self-explanatory. I recommend it to any user, experienced or neophyte.


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## paisanol69 (Sep 7, 2005)

Good review Jim.

easy to follow, and the screenshots were helpful, answered all of the questions that I had about sas. Thanks a bunch, now Im not worried about using it!!!


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Your scans are very very fast or the drive your scanning does not have much on it because its on another drive.
But there is also lots of other setting.

I also have the SUPERAntiSpyware Professional that has the lifetime free upgrade and updates. I have mine running all the time and it scans at boot and shutdown.

I keep installing the plug-in in Firefox and it installs like all others and then goes to the add-on Install tab but it is not there and the restart button is grayed out because it has not install to restart. It is not listed in the extensions folder either. 

On the "First Chance Prevention" you have the very first box called ""First Chance Prevention" and that and the first two under it are checked.

The two real time scanner above that are also checked.
Now an odd then is if I uncheck the top real time scanner the 2nd real time scanner gets grayed out.
But it only acts that way if I uncheck the "First Chance Prevention"


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## hewee (Oct 26, 2001)

Now the http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpreff.html page just flashes from
http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpreff.html
to
http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpff.html

OK I got thing to work because there was noscript that I need to give more rights to for it to scan.
The scan was over once it started in a couple seconds.

I think really what they are doing selling you Super Ad Blocker.
http://www.superadblocker.com/product_superadblocker.html?tag=FILERESEARCHCENTER&rid=

But as you can see...
Recognized UNSAFE Applications and Files
There are no recognized UNSAFE applications running on your computer

So it may of said we can block this or that on what was found but nothing was there.

Now how the ?? do I uninstall this plugin?

A search found.
C:\WINDOWS\system32\SuperAdBlocker.com folder and these two files.
npsabffx.dll
npsabffx.xpt
Got move on boot so got the two files marked to get deleted.
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=600118&start=0

Here is the scan


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## Stoner (Oct 26, 2002)

Good review, Jim.
That test with Trojan Simulator was interesting.
I've used SAS for several years and have been pleased with it's performance.


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## bp936 (Oct 13, 2003)

thanks for your report, it helps to know what is a good preventative program.


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## Linkmaster (Aug 12, 2001)

:up::up::up::up:


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## Blackmirror (Dec 5, 2006)

I tried SAS i didn't like the way it made out tracking cookies were a threat


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## SASService (Jun 5, 2009)

Blackmirror said:


> I tried SAS i didn't like the way it made out tracking cookies were a threat


Many users are interested in having them detected, and it's still common practice in the industry. Our writeup is pretty clear about their threat potential:
http://www.superantispyware.com/app...s&appid={A40816CB-83FD-4F96-B2EE-96158B1DFF89}

And it's pretty easy to tell SUPERAntiSpyware to trust/allow individual cookies (in the scan results window), or to turn off cookie detection entirely (Preferences > Scanning Control).


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## SASService (Jun 5, 2009)

Thanks for the writeup!



pyritechips said:


> There is a feature on the main menu called:
> 
> "Find out what's running on your computer!" (see the above screenshot of the main menu, bottom left corner in blue.) Clicking the link will bring you to:
> 
> ...


The "Find out what's running on your computer!" tool in its current form isn't compatible with Firefox 3+. You can use this direct link in Firefox 2 or Internet Explorer:
http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpre.html


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## Blackmirror (Dec 5, 2006)

SASService said:


> And it's pretty easy to tell SUPERAntiSpyware to trust/allow individual cookies (in the scan results window), or to turn off cookie detection entirely (Preferences > Scanning Control).


But how mamy ordinary users know that 

No i disagree
Cookies are not a threat and any program that tells you other wise is trying to make out they have found something 
Malwarebytes does not


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## Blackmirror (Dec 5, 2006)

pyritechips said:


> I was asked to review this software .


I hope you will do the same for Malwarebytes Jim


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## SASService (Jun 5, 2009)

Blackmirror said:


> But how mamy ordinary users know that


Any that take the time to _look_ at the program. These aren't hidden options.



Blackmirror said:


> No i disagree


Fair enough.



Blackmirror said:


> Cookies are not a threat and any program that tells you other wise is trying to make out they have found something
> Malwarebytes does not


They're a very minor privacy concern. I don't think it's unreasonable if Malwarebytes doesn't detect tracking cookies, but we include it because our customers like it, not to make some point about what Malwarebytes does or doesn't do.


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## pyritechips (Jun 3, 2002)

SASService said:


> Thanks for the writeup!
> 
> The "Find out what's running on your computer!" tool in its current form isn't compatible with Firefox 3+. You can use this direct link in Firefox 2 or Internet Explorer:
> http://www.fileresearchcenter.com/whatsrunningpre.html


Thanks for the comment, and to all you others that took the time to reply. I will spend more time in the future exploring the more intricate aspects of this great software!


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

VERY well done review, jim
i think you covered ALL the necessary aspects without delving so deep as to lose a lot of people and 'bury' them with to many details - especially those not so computer literate  :up:


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

Blackmirror said:


> ....*Cookies are not a threat* and any program that tells you other wise is trying to make out they have found
> something....


why are you being so cantankerously argumentative young lady? 

i mean, think about it - here we have a review done on a FREEWARE program - and this company cares enough about it's _freeware_ to come to our forum and post so that if there are any questions - they can be answered directly by someone 'in-the-know' - by _the-horse's-mouth-itself_??? :up:

shoot, how many companies that we BUY software from even give this kind of support for their software??? 

'nother question - with the number of legacy oses still in use - how many companies care enough to say this?


> What operating systems is SUPERAntiSpyware.com software compatible with?
> SUPERAntiSpyware.com software is compatible with Windows 98, 98SE, ME, 2000, XP Home/Professional, 2003, and Vista.
> SUPERAntiSpyware will work in 32-bit mode under 64-bit versions of Windows. We will have native 64-bit drivers later this year.
> Our software is not compatible with the Mac OS at this time.


http://www.superantispyware.com/supportfaqdisplay.html?faq=6

look at the number of companies using the lame excuse that the w9.x and early nt series oses are end-of-life - BUT - they are still a viable os being used for many miscellaneous and varied reasons - and ANY pc on the net CAN be used to help to propagate the 'baddies' that everyone says they don't want - and it's FREE???

reckon we all have our own definitions of what words mean - as well as what we want our softwares to do 

personally, i DO consider 'cookies' a threat, some i even choose to call _malware_ and _spyware_
cookies to log me into a site - yeah, i can deal with those
-BUT-
- i choose to call _identifier cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE
- i choose to call _tracking cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE 
- i choose to call _referer cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE

- i also choose to call _3rd party cookies_ just what they are - MALWARE

but then again, i haven't had any problems with networking, malwares, trojanz, booting, bsod, and so on, either 
[just my opinion]


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## allheart55 (Jun 5, 2007)

daniel_b2380 said:


> why are you being so cantankerously argumentative young lady?
> 
> i mean, think about it - here we have a review done on a FREEWARE program - and this company cares enough about it's _freeware_ to come to our forum and post so that if there are any questions - they can be answered directly by someone 'in-the-know' - by _the-horse's-mouth-itself_??? :up:
> 
> ...


:up: *Great review Jim, it was nicely done*. :up:



pyritechips said:


> This is as far as I can test SAS, barring any other tests anybody can suggest.


There are some great* tools* for *repairing* some of the things that malware does....

In the main window, click on *Preferences* and in the new window that opens,

select *Repairs* from the top. *Caution*, you may want to tread carefully in this

area, some of these tools are powerful little buggers.. You don't want to fix

something that isn't broken... If you highlight each one it will give you a summary

of what it does in the box below it. (*Description of Repair)*

*Daniel, I could not have said it better!*  :up: I have been using SAS Pro for 2+

years now and I recommend it to all my clients. I think the *program* is *top*

*notch*, the *customer service* gets :up::up::up: up and until or unless something better comes

along, D *SAS is a tough act to follow!* ) I don't see myself using any

thing but SAS as my primary anti-spyware protection.



> i choose to call _identifier cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE
> - i choose to call _tracking cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE
> - i choose to call _referer cookies_ just what they are - SPYWARE
> 
> - i also choose to call _3rd party cookies_ just what they are - MALWARE


My sentiments EXACTLY!  :up:


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## daniel_b2380 (Jan 31, 2003)

allheart,
uhhh, reckon all i can say is thank you? 
if you had disageed with my perspective - would have had a lot to say - [but you shut me up totally]   

and thank you for posting those other options - and CAUTIONS in their use :up: :up: :up:

actually, it seems the longer i use the program, the more i like it - have found the application to be very well written and NOT filled with a bunch of 'glitches' and 'gott-chas' and 'bugs' - like i have found in a lot of softwares today


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## RootbeaR (Dec 9, 2006)

Blackmirror said:


> I tried SAS i didn't like the way it made out tracking cookies were a threat


Besides privacy concerns, cookies also have some technical drawbacks. In particular, they do not always accurately identify users, *they can be used for security attacks*, and they are at odds with the Representational State Transfer (REST) software architectural style.


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## Cookiegal (Aug 27, 2003)

Verify nice review and well-done Jim. :up:


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

daniel_b2380 said:


> why are you being so cantankerously argumentative young lady?
> 
> i mean, think about it - here we have a review done on a FREEWARE program - and this company cares enough about it's _freeware_ to come to our forum and post so that if there are any questions - they can be answered directly by someone 'in-the-know' - by _the-horse's-mouth-itself_??? :up:


Well, to be perfectly honest, this is the "for pay" version that he's testing, not the freeware one, which does not offer real-time scanning, just on-demand scanning. 

As for why *Blackmirror* is cantankerous, well, you should know that by now. 

I'm going to duck now, because I see incoming!


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## Blackmirror (Dec 5, 2006)

JohnWill said:


> As for why *Blackmirror* is cantankerous, well, you should know that by now.
> 
> I'm going to duck now, because I see incoming!


Are you ready John ?
really 

Start ducking >>>>>


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Blackmirror said:


> I tried SAS i didn't like the way it made out tracking cookies were a threat


While tracking cookies are not a real threat, if you have 7-900 of them they can really slow surfing down so it is a good idea to always remove them and this is probably the easiest way.


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## Rich-M (May 3, 2006)

Great review Jim and Allheart pointed out the one thing I would also have mentioned as few other programs have these and that is a complete set of repair tools for damage often done with spyware removal by many programs, a key to first effective use.
And yes as JW pointed out you mentioned reviewing the free program but appeared to be using Pro version which is the only way to run it in the background, but we can be more than forgiving on your first venture! Thanks much and we look forward to more to come!


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## pyritechips (Jun 3, 2002)

Once again, thank you all for the positive responses and additional comments on aspects of the software that I did not cover. As I had stated, with such a comprehensive app it would be impossible to list and describe every single option. I covered only the main ones.

A special thanks to SASService, and others, for the thumbs up and clarification on cookies. Some cookies are a threat to your personal privacy and security inasmuch as they can send personal information back to the author to be used in such activities as spamming. When it really comes down to it, cookies are a personal matter in how you deal with them. Except for a few sites like TSG I nuke all cookies on almost a daily basis, depending on how much surfing I have done.

Please feel free to debate any features of SAS, and definitely report any bugs you encounter so that the author(s) can address them and improve their product. Also, have at it and test it to destruction, if I may borrow an engineering phrase, but remember! This is copyrighted software so do not attempt to crack it or reverse engineer it or alter it in any way. The author(s) have spent a lot of time and effort to create a top-notch product and deserve the meager fee they charge. Let's give credit where it's due. :up:


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## jillian2 (Sep 11, 2004)

I have the paid version of SuperAntiSpyware and it is excellent.

I also have the free Malwarebytes and it too is excellent. I can recommend both of these.


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