SpyEraser 2 – Yet Another Anti-Spyware Tool

SpyEraser 2 has a standard Windows setup. The install process and activation was simple. [See Images 1 and 2]

Activating the program requires simply entering the serial number. A live Internet connection isn't needed for registration. A recent product I used performs an activation test at install time. If a live Internet connection isn't available, the install will fail. Such install routines are onerous and such products should be avoided.
[See Image 3]

The system requirements for SpyEraser 2 are:

Intel Pentium 3 500MHz or Equivalent processor.
256 MB RAM.
100 MB free hard disk space.
Graphics mode 1024x768 true color (highest 32-bit).
Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP / Vista (32-bit).
Internet Explorer 5.5.

Recommended requirements are:

Intel Pentium 4 1GHz or Equivalent processor.
512 MB RAM.
200 MB free hard disk space.
Graphics mode 1024x768 true color (highest 32-bit).
Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP / Vista (32-bit).
Internet Explorer 6.

I ran my testing on both a Windows XP and Vista box with the recommended requirements.

At a high level, SpyEraser 2 has pretty much the same feature set for a anti-spyware product, namely:

Heuristic analysis to perform deep scan and malware removal
Continuous monitoring.
Advanced detection and removal capabilities for stubborn spyware.
Automatic updates.
Windows Vista Compatible.
Daily spyware definition updates.
Free Customer Support.

Scanning is in general an intensive effort. SpyEraser 2 has two scanning modes, 'Quick Scan' and 'Deep Scan.'
[See Image 19]

The main difference between the two is in the locations and thoroughness of the scans. In Deep Scan mode, SpyEraser 2 isn't only looking for known spyware but also using a heuristics scan to detect unknown spyware by scanning for typical actions and side effects. This is one of the reasons why the deep scan takes longer to complete. The deep scans your registry to search for registry entries containing malicious or spyware code characteristics.

I tested SpyEraser 2 on a Windows XP and Windows Vista box. On XP, it performed and reported about the same as other anti-spyware packages.
 [See Images 17-18]

On the Vista box, SpyEraser 2 failed miserably. On numerous deep scan tests, it reported zero infections found.
 [See Image 9]

Similar tests from AVG AntiSpyware 7.5 and Trend Micro PC-cillin Securtiy 2007 reported numerous items.
[See Images 10 and 11] 

F1 key brings up a basic help screen.
[See Image 12]

I submitted a number of tickets to Uniblue support for various issues and an email response was immediately sent confirming receipt of each ticket.
[See Images 13-15]

The help via F1 provided is of a bare minimal level and there are many undocumented areas.

The product support page at http://www.liutilities.com/support/faq/categories/spyeraser/ lacks any real help besides providing answers to a few basic questions. The web Support for SpyEraser 2 consists of a FAQ with three solutions. If yours is not listed, you need to submit a technical support query via the Uniblue website.

Support is promised within 24 hours, but the web site also states; “Although we strive to keep response times as low as possible, during weekends and abnormal heavy support loads response time might occasionally take up to 48 hours."

Uniblue is based in Malta and support is provided from there. For those who are geographically challenged, Malta is South of Sicily, north of Libya. General hours there are Monday thru Friday 09:00 - 18:00 CET. Closing times in Malta is noon in New York and 9:00AM in Silicon Valley. This can be an issue and if you are in the USA. Your support answers may not be resolved until the next day, unless you get them early in the day.

Overall, SpyEraser 2 needs much better help functionality, both on screen and on line. Technical support stated that they are in the process of re-writing the on-line help files to include more screenshots and make them more user-friendly.