Max Secure Spyware Detector Review |
 
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| Home > Antispyware Reviews | February 21, 2008 12:58 PM |
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Pros
+ Attractive User Interface + Good spyware removal functionality + Quick scan time Cons - No popup blocker |
Max Secure Spyware Detector Review
Max Secure Spyware Detector provides an attractive user interface, a nice selection of tools, and quick scan times. It's quite effective against spyware, but its results fall short of being the the best antispyware product on the market.
Like other good anti-spyware programs, Max Secure will immunize your computer against drive-by ActiveX downloads and home page hijacking. Version 2.0 comes with the additional of real-time agents which monitor for active spyware processes and disables them. However, the software doesn't include a popup window or toolbar blocker.
Usability
Max Secure installed perfectly for us on the first try. The program has an intuitive feel to it and the interface is pleasing to the eye. The main options are easy to find and are not hidden behind menus or endless pages of options screens. The main window prominently displays buttons for scanning, quarantine, file recovery, exporting, scheduler, and real-time shields. The rest of the screen contains extended information such as scan results and statistics. Many of the interface quirks found in the prior release have been fixed in 2.0, making for a better overall experience.
Version 2.0 has addressed many of the usability quirks of previous versions.
Spyware Removal
We ran Max Secure Spyware Detector 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, Max Secure performed very well, coming in with an overall score of 56%. Max Secure detected 55% of the spyware we threw at it and disabled everything that it detected. It completely removed all traces of 45% of the total spyware list. Considering that this score was calculated against a random sample of all malware commonly found "in the wild" (including some obscure Chinese spyware strains), this is quite a respectable result which places it in the first tier of spyware removers.
Max Spyware Detector scan results screen
Max Secure 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
As a new product on our list, we haven't yet received any feedback about customer support. However, we did notice that Max Secure currently only offers support through email at this time.
Other Options
Max Secure includes a scheduler and several real-time spyware shields. It also offers a number of advanced diagnostic tools (look under "options"). Our impression of the tools is that they are functional, but the user interface is still a bit raw at this time.
Summary
As a new entry on our antispyware product list, Max Secure Spyware Detector performed admirably in our rigorous testing. It is generally very effective and offers fast scan times, but the user interface needs a little bit of polishing. If the product continues to improve, it may become a top contender in the near future.
Purchase Price: $29.95
Free Trial: Yes
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