can you have to many spyware programs?

Question

i have 4 spyware programs on my pc is this to much or do they conflict with eachother causing problems. or can i have as many as i want

Answer 1

I havent heard of spyware programs conflicting with each other but I definately wouldnt run them simultaneously. Some anti-virus programs do conflict but usually thats because some people dont realise theyre running in the background and not immediately visible, the same goes for firewalls.

The easiest explanation is that these programs are trying to access the same files in the same places on your pc and vie for control.

You should be fine as long as you know you can run these programs one at a time and independantly of each other. If you want to know what programs are running on your pc, just press ctrl+alt+del (hold them all down at the same time), this opens up your task manager.

The thing to be careful of is which programs start up with windows. To check this, got to START>RUN and type in msconfig, hit return and go to the startup tab, look down the list and if any of your spyware programs are scheduled to startup with windows, disable them by unchecking the box next to them (requires restart)
This way you can start up any of the programs when YOU choose.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Anti-Spyware programs generally do not conflict. There are some that do, so it is a trial and error method. If you have one that causes conflicts then remove it and replace it with another.

Four AS programs should provide great protection. Just be sure you keep them updated daily. Over 1500 new spyware/adware are introduced each month.

I used to use 7 AS programs. I have narrowed them down to the best and now only use 2 AS programs. One is the one provided in the AT&T Yahoo Protection Package that comes with my DSL fee. i also have Windows Defender Beta 2.

I also use a program called Cyberhawk. It uses new detection methods for all forms of Malware. It works with my AV and AS programs. You can check out Cyberhawk here and it is free.

http://www.novatix.com/?aspxerrorpath=/Home.aspx

I recommend you go to this site and learn all about malware and protection methods. Not all protection is from the programs. Some is from knowing what you are up against. This site is great and I learned much from it.

http://www.internetinspiration.co.uk/computer_privacy_and_security.htm

Answer 4

The quick answer is 'No'.

Some antispyware programs have utilities that can run in the background to monitor other processes running in Windows. If you have too many of these running at once, it's possible they can conflict.

However, there's nothing wrong with having more than one of these programs installed if they are not running in the background at all times. The more you have, the better chance of catching infections or fixing them.

In case you didn't know, it's also a good idea to start over with a clean install of Windows. After going through the trouble, start making periodic backups (maybe once a month) using a program like Norton's Ghost or Acronis Tru Image. That way, if you get into a bad situation, you can easily restore your system "exactly" to how it was at an earlier date before the problem started.

Answer 5

As there is always some latitude as to what constitutes spyware/ adware, you are more likely to receive conflicting results when you do a scan using several antispyware programmes.It's then a matter of doing some online research to make sure what you are deleting is safe to delete.Having 4 programmes that overlap is very sensible.Programmes such as Cyberhawk and Prevx that rely on heuristics to determine anomalous behaviour on your system should always be used with caution. Most firewalls, antivirus, and some antispyware programmes contain modules, that can trigger false warnings.

Answer 6

what are the names. Some are not dangerous, others are. Download spybot search and destroy free. When you run it, check the results. It can tell you those that are harmful and those that are.

There are also loads of review on spywares and viruses freely available on the Internet. You can research on them using any popular search engine.

Answer 7

YES! or NO! you know better! You will see ERROR messages if they got conflict. Yes, you can have as many as you want as long as they do alarm you with error massages. BUT remember one thing for sure, the more you have the slower your system is going to be! They take MEMORIES!

Answer 8

Yes..they cant all run at once.
I recommend Spyware,always does the job great,

Answer 9

uh hon no spyware is good get rid of it yahoo has a great anti-spy

Answer 10

Depends on your software configurations, but should mentioned your software name here, so we can assist you further.