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Thread: AOL Spyware Blocker

  1. #1
    ********** |ceWriterguy
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    Post AOL Spyware Blocker

    After much reading up on the various companies creating their own anti-spyware tools, I'd been itching to try one out for myself. It just happens that I got the chance this morning:

    I got a call last night from a former client of mine back in the days I ran my old onsite computer service. She was complaining that her machine was suffering from bad slowdowns. Knowing she was an AOL user and knowing they're pushing their anti-spyware tool, I voulenteered to come to her home and repair the problem. Packing up my 'handy cd' which has spybot and adaware se personal among other things onboard, I head over to her house this morning. I also take with me a n AOL 9.0 security edition cd since I know she's probably not updated.

    Sure enough, she's still running the old 8.0, and her temporary internet files are quite full, and her hdd fragged to hades and back. Here's my pidgeon. I first install 9.0 security edition, then spybot and adaware onto her machine, then reboot to safe mode and run them... first spybot.

    Spybot found 38 instances of spyware. I didn't clean them yet, wanting to compare with the other 2 tools I was to use.

    Adaware kicked butt a bit further, finding everything spybot did plus an additional 22 things on the critical list. At this point I'm thinking 'yes, that's probably all of it,' but still I held off on cleaning to let AOL have its chance.

    AOL spyware tool took about 2 and a half hours to scan her machine on full system scan. Over 200,000 files were looked at on her AMD Athlon 2000+ running XP sp1. It found, and get this, 182 malwares and spywares on board. Folks, we have a winner! I used the AOL tool to clean them.

    I then rebooted back into safe mode, and rescanned with all 3 in case something got missed. Nothing was found by any of the 3 packages. A nice cleanup of her temporary internet files, then a fast install of SP2, and a defrag while I was teaching her basic computer maintenance and the job was finished.

    All this to say that amazingly enough, it appears AOL has hit on something good with their spyware tool. Too bad you have to have AOL on your machine to use it.
    Even a broken watch is correct twice a day.

    Which coder said that nobody could outcode Microsoft in their own OS? Write a bit and make a fortune!

  2. #2
    Just a Virtualized Geek MrLinus's Avatar
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    Would this be the same pop-up blocker they include with AIM?
    Goodbye, Mittens (1992-2008). My pillow will be cold without your purring beside my head
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  3. #3
    ********** |ceWriterguy
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
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    No. This is the most recent release of AOL 9.0 security edition - it actually includes a spyware scanner onboard, as well as a link for activating McAfee AV. I didn't do the nice lady dirty with McAfee though, she's got updated Norton.
    Even a broken watch is correct twice a day.

    Which coder said that nobody could outcode Microsoft in their own OS? Write a bit and make a fortune!

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