Looking for active antispyware/adware application.

[termite]

I'm looking for a program that runs in the background while I'm browsing websites (with IE and/or FireFox) and blocks incoming requests from the malicious adware/spyware/trojans. Any suggestions?

[Excavator]

I've built several computers recently, Christmas gifts, and I put MS AntiSpyware on each one of them. Seems to do a good job... too soon to tell really, at least it's free for now.
Check it out at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/secu...e/default.mspx

[PCBruiser]

It isn't quite that simple, you might want to start by reading this:

http://www.abxzone.com/abx_reviews/t...secure_p1.html

One application simply won't cut it.

[PCBruiser]

Moving this thread to the Security Forum. I'll leave a redirect in Applications.

[Terry Reynolds]

Originally Posted by termite

I'm looking for a program that runs in the background while I'm browsing websites (with IE and/or FireFox) and blocks incoming requests from the malicious adware/spyware/trojans. Any suggestions?

In some ways, your post is redundant to other posts and largely covered by the document PCBruiser mentions. And that document covers important things like "configure your browser(s) to close off vulnerabilities", firewalls, etc. You may have already read this.

Not covered (as of the last time I looked, but I expect soon) are DSOStop and HTAStop. These turn-off (and on, if you need) two methods by which your browser integrates your computer with the web and makes you vulnerable.

Some of what you describe might really be a firewall. For that, read PCBruiser's doc.

Now, to answer specifically about Anti-Spywares.

Microsoft Anti-Spyware (already mentioned) is a a combinded real-time and on-demand scanner. SpywareGuard is a real-time monitor only. I run both of these. I don't bother with Spybot Search & Destroy's Tea Timer real-time monitor. The other two seem to be enough, and Tea Timer's pop-up alerts have overlapping buttons at my screen resolution.

SpywareBlaster amd Spybot Search & Destroy's Immunize function configure your system to block many bad pages and threats. They provide some real-time protection without running in the background all the time.