Counterspy Review

Counterspy Product Review

Counterspy, a rebranded version of Microsoft's AntiSpyware product, performs well but suffers from usability problems that make the program annoying to use.

Like other good anti-spyware programs, Counterspy will immunize your computer against browser hijackers, unwanted search bars, and pop-up advertising programs. We discovered no problems on either Windows XP or Windows 2000, unlike some of the other products which caused serious browser slowdowns on Windows XP.

Usability

Because Counterspy is a rebranded version of Microsoft's product, the interface has a similar feel, although the graphics are different. Counterspy has a more monochromatic look which sometimes helps you to find what you're looking for, but other times gets in the way.

Like it's big brother, it is full of the same annoying usability quirks that make the Microsoft product somewhat difficult to use, such as constant popup alerts, vague descriptions, and a tendency to forget your settings. The popup alert windows are very annoying and tend to reappear even if you put them in "silent" mode. For this reason we feel that most people would probably want to use this for a "once-in-awhile" scan rather than leaving it on all of the time.

Spyware Removal

We ran Counterspy on two infected PCs running a combination of old and new spyware programs. It did not flag any legitimate applications as spyware.

In our spyware removal effectiveness test, Counterspy performed extremely well, coming in with an overall score of 79%. Counterspy detected 83% of the spyware we threw at it, disabled 79% of it, and completely removed 72%. The product's effectiveness has declined a bit since our last review, but it still continues to perform far better than Microsoft's recently recoded version of the same product, Windows Defender.

Rollback

Counterspy allows you to rollback any changes it makes. This is helpful if you have wiped out spyware that is needed by an otherwise useful program (Real Player and Kazaa are typical examples of software embedded with spyware on your PC that won't run without it).

Customer Support

One of Sunbelt's strengths is its focus on customers. They offer better customer support than Microsoft by including a telephone support line that even home customers can call. This is in addition to online self-help forums and email support.

Other Options

Counterspy includes a scheduler, as well as the same real-time "security agents" offered by Microsoft which protect against homepage hijacking and drive-by installs.

Summary

Although Counterspy is a re-branded version of Microsoft's AntiSpyware product, the product performed slightly better. In addition, Sunbelt Software offers better support and a less expensive offering than other vendors.

Purchase Price: $19.95
Free Trial: Yes

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