Recently I downloaded SuperAntiSpyware and I wanted to seek your opinion on how good and effective is this software in removing spyware and adware threats? The computer is currently running Windows XP Home Edition with Norton Internet Security 2008, Windows Defender, and Spybot Search & Destroy. Windows Firewall is also enabled. In the past I have noticed that you recommend Ad-Aware, however I did not like this software so I have uninstalled the program. Additionally, Norton Internet Security did not seem to like Windows Firewall being enabled but I have enabled it anyway. I have always been a loyal Norton Internet Security user but recently I have seen people commenting that NIS can “hog” system resources, so I am starting to investigate alternatives. Any advice you could provide would be greatly received.

I have not used SuperAntiSpyware, so I cannot comment on whether it is effective at removing spyware and adware threats from the computer. However, after reading online reviews of this product it appears to be a fair product which has met a good reception from both users and reviewers. That said, the real proof of whether it meets your needs will be if the product can actually remove spyware and adware from your computer. You mention in your question that in recent times you are considering moving off Norton Internet Security as it appears to be occupying a lot of system resources. I also found this to be true for previous versions of Norton Internet Security, but when testing the latest version of their product (Norton Internet Security 2009) I found the package to have a much leaner footprint and use less system resources than previous versions. Therefore, if you are considering continuing with using Norton Internet Security you may wish to consider upgrading to the latest version as you might be surprised by the changes which have been made. Additionally, the scanning capabilities of Norton Internet Security appear to be very good, so from a security standpoint this is still a very good product.

In your question I noticed that you are running both the Windows Firewall and Norton Internet Security firewall simultaneously. This is not recommended, which is why Norton Internet Security would have suggested that the Windows Firewall be disabled (and may have even disabled the firewall for you). This is because if you have two firewalls running on the computer this can cause a conflict between the two firewalls, resulting in some network traffic being blocked or trapped between the two firewalls. In the situation where you have a much more capable third-party firewall (such as the Norton Internet Security firewall) you should let the third-party firewall be the primary firewall and disable the Windows Firewall.