Counter Spy

Pros: Simple and easy to use interface, nice customization, extensive built-in Help application and some other great functions - including a scheduler, secure file shredder, and a history cleaner.

Cons: When it finishes some update, you have to reboot your PC, and the process of updating takes much system recourse. There is lack of a button to select all of the found spyware, to make removal easier.

Benefits:
So many viruses and spyware are existent everywhere, even if we pay a lot of attention when surfing the internet, our PC will be imperceptibly infected by the malware. I have my machine protected by AVG (a famous anti-virus program), however, there are also some escaped malware intruding it. When I start to choose CounterSpy working with AVG, I have not been afflicted by the adware and spyware anymore. 

CounterSpy has some great features. It is a pretty big utility, but you could get a lot of power and features for this 43 MB program. It not only did very well in current active-detection test - better than Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper, but also includes a few features we don't normally see in a spyware remover. 

CounterSpy can delete, quarantine, or remove spyware. Most similar programs could only delete or remove spyware, to quarantine definitely a great feature when we found that the infected files were related to system documents. 

It offers us a scheduler, so we could deeply scan our computers according to our leisure time. It is convenient that like every antivirus program, the scanning takes much system resource that will affect other programs’ normally working.
It also offers us a history cleaner. When we surf the Internet or open some files, there will be a “history trace” left in the PC. Some intruder will make use of this information to theft our important data. Through history cleaner’s help, we could avoid this situation. 

What impressing me much is that CounterSpy offers Antispyware Boot Cleaner and monitors ActiveX controls - since most of similar programs do not provide such powerful functions. For the first time this software, can remove or delete spyware, during bootup of you computer.

Setup:
CounterSpy is a large install (45MB), to download the setup file takes a little time, while the installation is easy and straight, a step-by-step wizard walks you through the setup process and prompts you with questions about specific features. There is no third-party plug-ins and it is 100% clean.
If you want to uninstall this program, the uninstallation is as easy as installation, it won’t take you much time.

Interface:
CounterSpy is extremely easy to use. The program is divided into 3 categories, which are separated into sub-categories. This arrangement helps lead you intuitively through the program. And connection to the program's website was embedded nicely and provided additional information.

System Requirements:
It works well with Windows 2000 Professional SP3+ and Windows XP Professional/Home/Media, Windows Vista (32bit only), the hardware requirements are 400MHz processor or higher, 128 MB of RAM, 200 MB of available hard disk space, Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher and Internet access with at least a 28.8Kbs connection.

Conclusion:
Sunbelt Software’s CounterSpy can protect our computer and our privacy easily. Its powerful functions deserve recommendation.