First Take: Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta)

Following its December purchase of anti-spyware specialist Giant, Microsoft has produced a tool designed to protect Windows against spyware. We take a first look at the beta version.

A major plank of Microsoft's corporate strategy has always been to buy products from its competitors, rather than pour resources into home-grown developments.

Famously, back in 1980, when IBM was seeking an operating system for its PCs, Microsoft bought q-DOS (a.k.a 'Quick and Dirty Operating System') from developer Tim Paterson for US$50,000 and called it MS-DOS. As we all know, MS-DOS licenses subsequently earned Microsoft billions.

With the purchase of anti-spyware specialist Giant in December 2004, Microsoft obtained the basis for its AntiSpyware product, which has now appeared in beta form.

There are plenty of other anti-spyware programs available: the most popular, Ad-Aware, is available in a free version, although others are paid-for products. Life could become more difficult for the latter if the final version of Microsoft's tool becomes available for free.


On starting, Microsoft AntiSpyware automatically delivers the latest status report.

Microsoft AntiSpyware recognises more suspicious programs than, for example, Ad-Aware or Spy Sweeper. However file sharing programs such as eDonkey2000 are falsely classified as Adware Bundler.

The About screen shows that the current beta version expires on 31 July 2005. In the licence conditions, Microsoft also limits the life of the utility up to the completion of a commercial version.

The System Diagnostic Report shows the current status of Microsoft AntiSpyware. The current version of the utility and the operating system is also shown.

The Advanced Tools screen offers extra functionality.

The Security Agents Status screen gives detailed information about the selected agents.
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Talkback 1 comments

  1. conclusion? Anonymous -- 06/12/05

    hey! i want an objective break-down of this application's performance and effectiveness, not a market analysis! seriously: are you writing a review or an advertisement for microsoft?

    shame on you and your lack of professionalism.


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