Counter Spy Review
2009 SunBelt CounterSpy Review
Deep within your computer are lines of code that are constantly reporting your habits and trends to its manufacturers. They exist in remote, hard to access areas of your hard drive, and they only come out when coaxed. Like any other spy, they face a fate worse than execution when discovered. They face deletion!
CounterSpy is one of the most effective anti-spyware applications on the market, and it doesn’t take long for you to figure out why. As soon as you load up the program its friendly, easy to use interface will have you easily configuring you way to a spyware free computer. Those hard to reach programs don’t stand a chance.
Features
CounterSpy has all of the standard features that we have come to expect from anti-spyware applications: real-time monitoring and cleaning, various scanning levels, automated updates, automated scans, spyware descriptions, and much more. One unique feature is the “FirstScan” component, which scans as soon as you boot up Windows.
It detects and subsequently eliminates any spyware that is hiding the root directory, or any root kits that just happened to get in there. A little known, though very useful, addition to the program.
Using CounterSpy
We can honestly say, without feeling bad or even somewhat uncomfortable, that if you can’t make CounterSpy work, you shouldn’t be anywhere near a computer. Or television, just to be sure. This program is so easy to use that a 12 year old could (and actually did) figure out how to use it.
When installed on our Ghosted spyware-filled install, CounterSpy detected every running process that we were aware of, as well as a few that we weren’t. We cleaned them all up, and the immediate difference in performance was amazing. It just goes to show you how some programs are more effective than others at achieving the same goal; the performance increase that we experienced with CounterSpy was about 15% more than what we received with other programs.
The real-time monitoring component of CounterSpy operates without taking up a ton of memory or causing unnecessary slowdowns. It might sound simple, yes, though these are traits that are hard to find in anti-viruses and anti-spyware applications. CounterSpy ran without affecting our CPU usage at all, and we were able to discern no noticeable change in performance.
A full system scan took about 29 minutes, which is a bit on the long side. But, considering that it had 600 gigabytes of hard drive to tear through, and the level of depth that it went into, we are willing to let it slide.
Conclusion
A good product, packed with good features, and matched with good performance. Highly recommended.
Categories: Anti Spyware Software
