MalwareBytes Anti-Malware version 1.40

Finding several unknown folders created on my C: Drive, I believed that my computer was infected with some kind of virus or malware. I originally used programs like Adware SE Edition and Spybot: Search and Destroy to clean the HP Pavilion 716n, but the desktop still booted up and operated very slowly even after removing some of the threats. Frustrated, I started to search for other alternatives to Adware SE Edition and Spybot: Search and Destroy since I was convinced that there was still something wrong with my computer. Among the many suggestions, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and SuperAntiSpyware continually came up as the primary candidates.

MalwareBytes Anti-Malware version 1.40 is a program designed to remove malware and other harmful bugs from your computer. I installed Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, connected to the Internet to update to the latest definitions, and ran the program. Because of the HP Pavilion's slow performance and limited hardware (only 512MB of RAM), it took about 15 minutes for the scan to finish (my new computer can do it in under 5 minutes). Looking at the results, I discovered that the program found 15 or so items that the other programs had missed.

I removed the infected items promptly and after scanning with SuperAntiSpyware (which I will write about in another review), my computer was relatively free of malware, spyware, and any other malicious software. The boot up time on the 716n is much faster, and opening programs has had a significant decrease in time as well.

The download size is under 5MB, making it easy to download on even the slowest Internet connection. The definitions are updated everyday, which is a good sign that the developers are finding and blocking new threats. It also does not consume much resources when scanning; I was able to use it on an infected machine with only 512MB of memory.

There are some drawbacks to the program. With all computer programs such as this one, one has to be careful of "false positives," which are safe items mistaken for threats. Removing these may potentially be harmful to your computer. On my new desktop, I found that 2 items on my new system that were identified as malware were actually harmless. I placed them in the Ignore list, so that they would not be removed or deemed as threats. For the most part though, I have not had many false positives on either the HP Pavilion 716n or my new computer.

The free version only has manual scan and update functions as far as I know. I have not tried the paid "Pro" version, so I cannot comment on the effectiveness of that one.

In conclusion, the free version of MalwareBytes is an effective tool to help your computer combat malware and other threats. It is far better than the Adware and Spybot programs I previously used from 2003-2006. I would recommend using this in conjunction with SuperAntiSpyware since both are able to find bugs that the other one may miss.