Paretologic Anti-Spyware Review
Introduction
I researched a little on the ParetoLogic company and found that it was formed in 2005 by four brothers who worked as software engineers, ParetoLogic now employs 140 people to help develop their PC software focussed on security and optimization. They are based in Victoria, Canada.
Installation
If you have an older computer please be aware that ParetoLogic Anti-Spyware is designed for Windows XP/Vista/2000/2003 only. ParetoLogic have another spyware remover for Windows 98/ME called XoftSpySE which you should use instead.
The Paretologic Anti-Spyware download was quick as the program is quite small (by today’s standards). Installation is very easy and will complete in less than 2 minutes. There is an automatic update check run after installation to make sure that everything is up to date. It did not automatically start scanning but the “Start Scan” option is located on the main screen so this is easy enough to do.
Feature Set
Paretologic Anti-Spyware has a full set of features for spyware removal and protection. Here is a rundown of the main screens:
Home screen – shows an overview of the program status and quick buttons to scan your PC. Also has buttons to check for updates and to run a full scan or a quick scan.
Scan Screen – Scans your PC for spyware and shows the number of threats found and lists details of the threats. The scanning process was the fastest out of the products I reviewed, great if you have a large number of files stored on your computer. The “Details” link is very useful to look up more information about the spyware that is found. An “Ignore” link is also available for each threat to prevent it from showing up in the list again if you know it is not spyware (advanced users only)
Ignore List – Shows any items that have been ignored in the previous screen.
Backup screen – When a spyware threat is removed the associated files are actually backed up and stored in a quarantine section. All removed threats are listed here and there is a handy “Restore” option in case you need to restore a file.
Schedule – Here you can schedule an automatic scan. When you install the program it creates a weekly scan by default.
Active Protection – Paretologic Anti-Spyware has an extensive set of “Active Protection” monitors. It will keep an eye on your browser and computer settings and watch for any updates by nasty programs. For example many spyware programs will change your browser home page and search page. Paretologic Anti-Spyware will prevent these changes by watching for unauthorised background changes. When any changes are blocked an extensive log is kept so you can see what is going on.
Removing Spyware
After the scan has completed any spyware found is listed giving you the option to fix the problem and remove the spyware. For each problem that is found Paretologic Anti-Spyware shows the threat level as a series of bars and gives the option to show more information. This is very useful if you are not sure what has been found. Pressing “Clean” removes all spyware and on my test computer it took about 1 minute.
Ease of Use
The Paretologic Anti-Spyware screens are nicely designed with a simple layout. All of the useful functions can be found from the Home screen. I did wonder why the menus needed to open and close when there are so few options. After using this product for a few days I was able to find everything I wanted quickly.
Support
Clicking on the help option in the top right opens a comprehensive help manual. I like to be able to read more detail about the features and screens if I am not sure how the program is supposed to work so I found this very useful. There is also an online knowledgebase and same-day support via email. When contacted the response was prompt and helpful.
Summary
Paretologic Anti-Spyware is a capable and easy to use anti-spyware solution for people using Windows XP/Vista or Windows 2000/2003. Combined with good documentation and fast scanning this product makes it easy to keep your computer free of spyware.
