SpywareGuard

You may have seen our article here listing the Top Five Anti-Spyware programs. However, there is something interesting to mention about SpywareGuard.

SpywareGuard actually hasn't been updated in several years. You may think of this as a bad thing, but it really doesn't make a difference.

See, SpywareGuard does not rely on definition updates like most anti-spyware programs. Instead, SpywareGuard relies on looking for suspicious activity on your computer as signs of a possible spyware infection such as added Browser Objects, Homepage being changed, etc.

Because of this, SpywareGuard is just as effective as it was the day it was released. EasyTechReviews.com definitely recommends it.

Spyware Removers

I think this is a good opportunity to tell you something that many companies do NOT want you to know. Here we go... you should NEVER buy an anti-spyware product.

Now, this is a pretty bold thing to say. I am not denying that there are some good anti-spyware products out there that you have to buy. However, there are also many free anti-spyware products that do a great job at keeping your computer protected. Because of this, why pay money for a product when you can get a product just as good for free?

In fact, many of the anti-spyware products that cost money actually don't perform as well as some of the free products. Take Adware Deluxe for instance. EasyTechReviews.com recently reviewed it here. Not only does Adware Deluxe cost money, but it actually tries to trick you into buying their software. There are even reports of Adware Deluxe making it difficult for you to uninstall their software. Seriously, they are using spyware-like tactics themselves! You can easily see why we gave Adware Deluxe 1 star.

For some good free anti-spyware products. Check out this list we put together here.

Registry Optimizer

You know... continuing with what I said yesterday. You would think that companies would test their software more before putting it on the market. Or in this case, they would take a look at their website more.

You may have seen our Registry Optimizer review here. We mentioned in the review that the download link to download Registry Optimizer did not work. As of writing this blog post, the download link still doesn't work! This is absolutely amazing to me. You would think that the company would wonder why no one is downloading their software. Or maybe they aren't even paying attention to that software. Either way, it's probably for the better then that no one can download Registry Optimizer.

When will some companies learn? :)

PerfectOptimizer Freezing

It amazes me that some companies don't test out their software more before putting it out on the market. Recently we attempted to review PerfectOptimizer. However, we ran into a problem. PerfectOptimizer kept freezing when trying to run it's registry cleaner. We didn't just try it once either. We tried it multiple times.

After this happened, we weren't sure if we should still post a review of PerfectOptimizer or not. However, we ended up deciding to post one anyway and explain our experience with trying it. If this software is going to freeze like this, people should probably know that.

Maybe PerfectOptimizer will see our review and get the hint that they need to fix their software. Until then, stay away from it.

RegistryClear

Some of you may have seen our review of RegistryClear. We mentioned that RegistryClear installs itself onto your system through fake error messages. In addition, RegistryClear claimed that Microsoft supported their software when that wasn't true.

Well, you may have also noticed that the download link is now unavailable for RegistryClear on our review. Well, there have been rumors that the reason being is because they got into legal trouble over the Microsoft claim. We at EasyTechReviews.com have tried to confirm this but have been unable to do so.

Either way, I think it's clearly for the best that RegistryClear is off the market.

Google Chrome

If you hadn't heard, Google recently announced they were going to take on Microsoft and release their own Operating System. It will be released under the name "Google Chrome".

So obviously one of the big questions is, will Google Chrome top Windows someday? Although it seems like anything Google puts out is gold, that isn't always the case. How about Google's IM program GTalk? While the program itself is good, it didn't exactly turn out to be the program that kills AIM Or MSN Messenger. Of course, comparing the OS market to IM Messengers is like comparing Apples and Oranges.

Anyway, according to CNET, Google Chrome will be released during the second half of next year. CNET is providing some great coverage of the latest updates on Google Chrome. You can access the CNET page here.

Startup Mechanic

You may have seen our review of Startup Mechanic. We had given it 3 stars out of 5. However, there is one little amusing fact that we didn't include.

The official website for Startup-Mechanic no longer exists. However, back when it did, one of the customer testimonials mentioned just how great System Mechanic was for their machine. See the problem? That's a whole different program :). It seems the people that put up the website for Startup-Mechanic didn't see this and thought this testimonial was referring to Startup-Mechanic. :)

Of course, you can't really hold it against the makers of Startup-Mechanic too much. The software is completely free, and it appears they made no money off the software. But it's still a funny mistake. :)

Anyway, if you don't believe me, take a look for yourself at the old website here.

Blogger.com

You know... This is another example of how free alternatives can be better then the professional services. When starting EasyTechReviews.com, we were given the option of using WordPress for our blogging. Initially, this was our decision. However, after hours of customizing, editing the themes, etc., We still were not satisfied with our WordPress blog that we were set to use for EasyTechReviews.com. That's when the idea came along of using Blogger.com. It's much simpler and left us much more satisfied. Just goes to show that you don't always have to spend money for services that are otherwise free from other companies. :)

Is A Software Worth Buying If It Uses Scare Tactics?

This is the question that some people have. Should you still buy software if it uses scare tactics to get you to buy it? In my opinion, it all depends.

I can understand the side that argues you shouldn't. If they are lying to you to get you to buy their software, how can you trust that their software is any good? What if you need to contact them for support? Etc. Those are all very valid points.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind. What if the company that is selling the software is not the same company that created the software? In that case, even if the company that is selling it is horrible, the company that created it may have done a good job with creating the software itself. Also, what if the software is good and you have no need to ever contact support and deal with the company themselves? These are all points that should be considered.

This is why I go back to saying it all depends. Although a company using scare tactics may be a sign that you shouldn't trust their software, you shouldn't rule out trying their software for that reason alone. Try the software itself and factor it all in before making a choice on if you should buy the software or not. And you may also want to check EasyTechReviews.com for a review. It could be on there. ;)

Registry Patrol and History Patrol Comparison

You know, I find it interesting that a company can put out one product that is absolutely horrible, and another product that is great. That was the case with Registry Patrol (My Review) and History Patrol (My Review). Registry Patrol is a registry cleaner, while History Patrol is a history cleaner. I found Registry Patrol to be a very poor product, but I found History Patrol to be an excellent product.

What's even more interesting is I liked and disliked them for the exact same reasons. Registry Patrol didn't have any additional features I liked. History Patrol did. Registry Patrol's scanner performed poorly, History Patrol's performed excellent.

It just goes to show I guess that even software companies can put out a dud. Maybe they will learn from this and put out a better Registry Cleaner in the future. One can hope.