There is no one anti-malware tool, that is likely to identify and remove, all of the malware that infests the cyber world.
So to ensure maximum safety, it’s important to have layered defenses in the ongoing fight against malware.
In other words, it’s necessary to have front line line active malware defenses which provide real time protection, coupled with a secondary malware scanner which should be employed on a regular basis, I recommend once a week, to ensure your computer stays clean.
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, which I have been testing for over 8 months, is an excellent choice, as a secondary line of defense and I’m glad to report, it works smoothly on Windows 7 RC. This application definitely munches on malware!
The free version of this speed demon (it’s faster at scanning than any anti-malware program I’ve tested in the last 2 years), with its easy to employ interface, is used by millions of people worldwide to protect their computers.
I wasn’t surprised to see that this free application has been downloaded over 2 million times from Download.com alone.
It’s important to note; the real time protection module is disabled in the free version. Less critical, is the disabling of scheduled scanning, and scheduled updating in the free version.
Since real time protection is disabled, I would not recommend that you use this free version of Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware as a stand alone security application, since it simply will not offer you adequate protection with this restriction. Instead, use it only as an on-demand, secondary scanner.
Despite this real-time protection limitation in the free version, Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware has an excellent reputation (shared by me), as a first class security application, for its ability to identify and remove adware, Trojans, key-loggers, home page hijackers and other malware threats.
Numerous users of this Blog, have commented on Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware’s ability to deal with one of the real scourges currently making the rounds on the Internet; rogue security applications.
As a secondary line of defense, I highly recommend that you add this free version of Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware to your security toolbox.
As a full fledged security application, with all of its features unlocked; real-time protection, scheduled scanning, and scheduled updating, Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware is a terrific value at $24.95 US.
Regular readers of this site are aware that I generally do not recommend the purchase of commercial software, but in this case, I have to do so. This application is just that good.
Fast facts:
Blazing speed on quick scanning
Full scans for all drives.
Daily database updates
Quarantine function
Additional utilities for manual malware removal
Multi-lingual support
Command line support for quick scanning
Context menu integration to scan files on demand
Quick summary: Discovered malware, including 3 Trojans, not found by SpyBot, or AVG, on a recent test on my test bed systems.
Systems Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7.
Multi-lingual support: English, Albanian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish.
Download at: Download.com
Spyware Doctor Starter Edition, from PC Tools, is another excellent free secondary line of defense against malware threats. You can read the review, and find the download link in my article “Spyware Doctor Starter Edition – The Best Secondary Malware Tool”, on this site.
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8 responses so far ↓
paulandrewrussell // July 11, 2009 at 9:57 am
I agree with you Bill. Malwarebytes has found stuff on my computer, and my wife’s, that both our paid for antivrus applications have missed.
It’s excellent, quick and easy to use.
Bill Mullins // July 11, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hey Paul,
Makes you wonder – maybe, at least some of the best things in life are free!
Thanks for commenting.
Bill
g // July 11, 2009 at 12:51 pm
i use malwarebytes as part of my weekly cleaning.
great program and is very thorough.
Bill Mullins // July 11, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Hey G,
Yeah, like you, I spin this app up at least once a week.
Hope the weather out there is better than it is here. Yuck!
Bill
Ramblinrick // July 11, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Bill,
This is one app that you have introduced me to in the past that is awesome… With malware being so prevalent, Malwarebytes AntiMalware is a must have application. I have personally used this app to assist others in the removal of malware on their PC’s.
Rick
Bill Mullins // July 11, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Hey Rick,
Awesome – a proper way to describe Malwarebytes!
This is a tool that definitely makes a computer user’s life much easier. Especially when dealing with a case of the nasties.
Thanks for stopping by.
Bill
Rick Hamil // July 24, 2009 at 3:32 pm
That’s right, most good things in life are FREE, that’s why I recommend sticking with the FREE version of this software, considering even CNET suggests that, because the added “features” MalwareBytes includes in its overly priced commercial version is NOT worth the 24.95 they charge.
Bill Mullins // July 24, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Hey Rick,
Thank you for the comment, but I can’t agree. Real time active protection is a critical issue for the average Internet user. As for price, Malwarebytes Anti-malware is at the lower end of the price.
Bill
Like gas stations in rural Texas after 10 pm, comments are closed.