Thank you very much for the welcome!

As far as expert in spyware, well thanks but I am far from it.

Part of the challenge is having to learn about each situation as I go.

I think spyware alert should be separate from the virus alert, because they are in fact two different things and are fought very differently.

Moreover the tools and tactics are not interchangeable, and I think people must get that firmly in their minds.

For example, let us use agent.bn a version of the fake alert ao
trojan, going around now as an example.

The tech at Microsoft used a generic cure-all method to attack the trojan.

However, their subsequent downloading of anti-virus components to treat a spyware problem caused the registry errors that led to a blue screen and a three thousand dollar loss.

To further compound the problem, big names like AVG anti virus comes with anti-spyware built in supposedly. However you can not see it scan like the virus scanner because its an addon.

Likewise Spyware Doctor and Webroot Spysweeper now come with anti-virus added on.But they are not experts in anti virus.

I want my A\V to kill virus, and I want my A\S to kill spyware.

What I really do not want is to download an anti spyware program, that tries to install anti-virus when I have one installed, because this causes memory loss and registry errors and will eventually destroy my system.

I'll give one last example.

My side job today, a blast from the past, a little spy-sheriff rogue spyware.

The person who owned the computer had both an anti-spyware system and anti-virus in place.

He went to a site that told him step bey step what to do, but he was fortunately too scared to try it and called me.

They told him after containing it , to go to a online scanner site to make the final check, to download this anti-virus program and check for malware.

Well again he had a spyware problem, and downloading the second anti-virus system could have and probably would have seriously damaged his system.

At the very least he would have been looking at rebooting the windows os.A needless risk for a problem he did not have.

I think the issues are separate and should remain so as to not confuse people further, but again I really am no expert, so it is just my opinion.