[ThePythonicCow]

Many of the spyware removers are selling F.U.D. and baiting their own trap, that is true.

There is a change occurring over the last 3 to 9 months most noticeably. Some serious money or national interests are putting serious effort into owning (having hacked control over) as many millions of PC's as they can, without being noticed by the PC owner.

Fewer and fewer users have sufficiently narrow computer usage patterns that they are safe from such attacks. It is rapidly becoming no longer responsible to encourage running malware or spyware detection tools, even as it becomes increasingly difficult to cull the tools that do more good than harm from those that don't do so.

Please don't continue to encourage unsafe computing practices.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm not recommending unsafe computing practices.

I said buy good commercial antivirus and spyware applications and keep them up to date, and don't install every free scareware tool that some kid typed up in his basement. All the people who report the most problems have installed every doohicky and gadget they've found a free download for and wonder where all the crap is coming from.

[Tiger Smack]

There is a change occurring over the last 3 to 9 months most noticeably. Some serious money or national interests are putting serious effort into owning (having hacked control over) as many millions of PC's as they can, without being noticed by the PC owner. Fewer and fewer users have sufficiently narrow computer usage patterns that they are safe from such attacks. It is rapidly becoming no longer responsible to encourage running malware or spyware detection tools, even as it becomes increasingly difficult to cull the tools that do more good than harm from those that don't do so.

tinfoiler