AntiSpy Review
Let's paint a portrait that accurately shows what spyware really is. Many people (most, in fact) don't actually know what spyware is, they only pretend to. Bombardments of what you do and do not need to have on your computer for protection lead to paranoia- this is when parents yell at their kids for viewing websites or downloading from the internet, even though, 99% of the time, its not the kids that have created the problem.
Spyware is the result of numerous things and circumstances, though it is rarely the result of someone downloading the program itself. Most commonly, spyware is bundled in with useful applications. The Google toolbar, for example, is bundled in with numerous applications, yet you probably wouldn't even think to go and download it. Regardless of how you managed to get it, spyware is annoying and degrading when it comes to system performance.
That's why there is AntiSpy.
Features
AntiSpy has all of the standard features: real-time monitoring, startup monitor, system scan/clean, and spyware description. None of these features set the program out from any of the other spyware applications, but the way that these features come together to form a solid, well-rounded application are what makes AntiSpy so effective.
Using AntiSpy
We downloaded AntiSpy straight from its manufacturer, bypassing the shipping charges or the wait. However, you can purchase a CD version if it isn't important for you to own a CD. For us, timely delivery is more important.
The program has a very small memory footprint, which we were glad to see as the computer we used to test AntiSpy only has 512 MB of ram instead of our usual 2 GB (about one quarter of the ram we usually have). Though not necessarily fair, time constraints and location constraints caused us to improvise and use what we had available. However, even on a less than ideal PC, AntiSpy ran smoothly (as did the rest of the computer). Performance was unaffected.
AntiSpy cleaned out the majority of the spyware on the computer, though it took a fair bit of time to scan the entire contents of the drive (the computer used for testing is about four years old). Once the scan was complete, AntiSpy deleted over 2,000 various items associated with spyware. That's a lot!
We would have liked to have seen some more advanced features, but we are reminded of the bargain-basement price of $30. You generally get what you pay for, though AntiSpy is a great value considering its effectiveness and capability. So what if it's missing a few higher-end features? That's like complaining that a Hyundai doesn't have the same bi-Xenon headlights that a Mercedes might have.
Conclusion
AntiSpy is a great budget-oriented spyware solution, though there are more effective applications on the market. However, it performed quite well and it did everything that we expected it to. We'd say that it is $30 well spent.
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