Microsoft Anti Spyware Beta

The Microsoft Anti Spyware beta tool apparently stops spyware getting onto your system, as well as scanning the system for anything that has already sneaked in.

For people who are not sure, but have struggled this far in understanding spyware and what it means in real terms to your computing day, click here for an explanation.

There is not much to say about this, that hasn't already been said, except for the nice part that when you use it, it nags. It tells you a lot of incomprehensible things about what could indeed become a risk to your happy safe surfing. Also it has a feature to restore the chosen configoration of your browser at the click of a button. So if you see a strange homepage you did not put there, check with this little program and it can wipe it away for you.

ANY program that tells the user what is going on, WHEN it happens, in a way they cannot ignore, is a good thing. Although I see more than my fair share of people who sit with a "Critical Updates need to be downloaded" bubble, on their task bar, FOR MONTHS! In some cases EVER SINCE THEY GOT THE MACHINE! Scary stuff.

Some people might say, oh I don't want crap popping up all the time, getting in the way of my important writing, or Tetris playing, so I will not install it. The point is chaps, that by having these announcements, and dealing with them, they will not return to interrupt you again!

This thing also warns of potentially risky things going on deep down in your computer, like unnecessary services that could put you at risk, or slow your whole day down. It allows you to do very comlex maintenance with one click. This is not going to mess up your day! I like the fact they are advising more now. The security center which arrived with Service Pack 2 was a good start, and this is continuing that trend.

This software seems to be fine, and so far so good. The notifications are good and will keep you informed of what is happening. Even if you insist on playing the (not any more) cute, 'but I don't know anything about computers..tee hee' part, this program will give you the ability to tell someone SOMETHING about what it said a little while before you clicked the 'I don't care' button and lost all your IM logs from Hot_chick23564.

I would like to see a third button added by default to dialog boxes, along with the usual YES/NO. A DON'T BOTHER ME AGAIN button, which actually tells the computer that you are a moron, and does what it needs to in the background, to keep you in touch with the latest episode of Americas Most Wanted, and Hot_chick23564.

And don't tell me Microsoft are evil. They may not move in the right direction a lot of the time, but this time they have. I go to places where you hear the same old drone about unrelated computer symptoms and supposed fixes. The only reason I am there 99% of the time is that the people already there (who are telling me this) don't seem to have computers that work. Go see my line at the top of this blog, and see if you can at least follow ONE line of instruction. This thing will keep those people who do not really need to know about computers, but DO need their computers to do something, even if it is only Hot_chick23564.



Download it, it's free.