CounterSpy Anti-spyware Software End-of-Life

[Jack]

After nearly seven years as a leader in anti-spyware protection, CounterSpy is being discontinued. While there are many loyal customers for this product, we have found that most customers prefer to purchase GFI VIPRE® Antivirus instead, which includes anti-spyware and antivirus support.


Hence, effective May 23, 2011, CounterSpy will be discontinued and no longer available for purchase. Technical support for CounterSpy will be provided until December 31, 2011.

We are offering all existing CounterSpy customers with current subscriptions a free download of our award-winning VIPRE Antivirus. This free download will be available from May 23 through December 31, 2011. Customers with current licenses will be sent an email with further information. Read about upgrading to VIPRE.

Source

we have found that most customers prefer to purchase GFI VIPRE® Antivirus instead

Very true....I was wondering who will use CounterSpy while VIPRE is also there.... .....I wonder how many license for CounterSpy they manage to sell in this 7 years....
CounterSpy never made any "waves" so I don't think we will manage to see a lot of disappointed customers....

 

[Syed Hasan]

Its a shame, Counterspy is a brilliant product.

 

[Ink]

This is the same for Sunbelt Personal Firewall:
http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Home-Home-Office/Sunbelt-Personal-Firewall/

After many years as leader in firewall protection, Sunbelt Personal Firewall is being discontinued. While there are many loyal customers for this product, we have found that most customers prefer to purchase GFI VIPRE® Antivirus Premium instead, which includes firewall technology AND antivirus support.

Hence, effective May 23, 2011, Sunbelt Personal Firewall will be discontinued and no longer available for purchase. Technical support for Sunbelt Personal Firewall will be provided until December 31, 2011.

We are offering all existing Sunbelt Personal Firewall customers with a current subscriptions a free download of our award-winning VIPRE Premium. This free download will be available from May 23 through December 31, 2011. Customers with current licenses will be sent an email with further information. Read about upgrading to VIPRE Premium.

 

[moonshine]

CounterSpy never had that much impact on me actually,

 

[McLovin]

Never tried it. ....

 

[Syed Hasan]

The firewalls going aswell? Shame.

 

[jamescv7]

I didn't try CounterSpy, so from modern technology AV are now bundled with AS and users are much prefer in AV.

 

[Littlebits]

I have used CounterSpy in the past, it was one of the best anti-spyware tools before basic anti-virus were able to deal with spyware.

CounterSpy was originally incorporated from Giant AntiSpyware and so was Microsoft Windows Defender then later Microsoft Security Essentials and Vipre.

For awhile CounterSpy and Microsoft Windows Defender shared the same database before they went their separate ways.

After their separate ways CounterSpy did better on testing sites than what Windows Defender did which indicated Sunbelt's malware research was better than Microsoft. Then Microsoft added VirusBuster database which made it come out on top. I'm not sure how Vipre compares to Microsoft Security Essentials since both have made so many improvements.

Anyways it is sad to see CounterSpy come to its end, they should have made it a free on-demand scanner then offered Vipre as a paid upgrade.

Sunbelt Firewall was incorporated from Kerio Firewall which was one of the best basic firewalls, it is also sad to see it discontinued after Sunbelt was beta testing a version to work on Windows 7 and said it was to be released.

I'm sure that had something to do with Sunbelt getting bought out by GFI.

Many users don't want a complete security suite, I see more vendors trying to force users to upgrade by discontinuing stand-alones which is bad.

Thanks.

 

[jamescv7]

This is the same for Sunbelt Personal Firewall:
http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Home-Home-Office/Sunbelt-Personal-Firewall/

After many years as leader in firewall protection, Sunbelt Personal Firewall is being discontinued. While there are many loyal customers for this product, we have found that most customers prefer to purchase GFI VIPRE® Antivirus Premium instead, which includes firewall technology AND antivirus support.

Hence, effective May 23, 2011, Sunbelt Personal Firewall will be discontinued and no longer available for purchase. Technical support for Sunbelt Personal Firewall will be provided until December 31, 2011.

We are offering all existing Sunbelt Personal Firewall customers with a current subscriptions a free download of our award-winning VIPRE Premium. This free download will be available from May 23 through December 31, 2011. Customers with current licenses will be sent an email with further information. Read about upgrading to VIPRE Premium.

For the Sunbelt Firewall it was a long time before that people may use it however from modern days came it was behind.

 

[Jack]

Anyways it is sad to see CounterSpy come to its end, they should have made it a free on-demand scanner then offered Vipre as a paid upgrade.

Very good idea.... CounterSpy could've been an alternative to SuperAntiSpyware.
Sunbelt has some very good sign. so I could bet that CS would do better in a test against SAS .

 

[eXPerience]

No firewall, no counterspy, no clearcloud... to bad...

the last 2 were great products...


(it's all about the money, money, money...)

eXp

 

[jamescv7]

No firewall, no counterspy, no clearcloud... to bad...

the last 2 were great products...


(it's all about the money, money, money...)

eXp

All products we want will be exclusive only in paid version. So like ClearCloud which I used until now still a disappointed for ending that life cycle.

 

[Mark]

Comments from the General Manager of GFI Security.

 

[Ibrad]

I really liked CounterSpy, seemed like a nice product and was very light.

 

[illumination]

I had not tried CounterSpy, but I am using Vipre Premium right now. If what I have read in the Vipre forums is true, GFI discontinuing these products to focus on Vipre, will become worth while for those who chose to stick with Vipre.

 

[jamescv7]

Well since Vipre was improved from generations to generations, so Counterspy was came to a time to have ended it.

 

[GabiCRX]

I used a long time ago Counterspy, and it needed 6 hours to scan 6 GB, so i removed it .
But the firewall was good, too bad they want to end it .

 

[Jack]

I had not tried CounterSpy, but I am using Vipre Premium right now. If what I have read in the Vipre forums is true, GFI discontinuing these products to focus on Vipre, will become worth while for those who chose to stick with Vipre.

GFI main product was always VIPRE so their founds and ideas all went into this product,now that they've removed CounterSpy,Ccleaner and the firewall from their portfolio I hope we will be able to see new features and improvements in this product.
-A better white list for their HIPS , so VIPRE will have the confidence of enabling it by default.
-A download and file reputation system
-A powerful cloud detection
-A site advisor
-A sandbox.
-etc....

I used a long time ago Counterspy, and it needed 6 hours to scan 6 GB, so i removed it .
But the firewall was good, too bad they want to end it .

Wow... I remember that it was slow when scaning but 6BG in 6hours..that's got to be annoying.

 

[GabiCRX]

Wow... I remember that it was slow when scaning but 6BG in 6hours..that's got to be annoying.

Yeah, I used CounterSpy on, i used the product on un "ancient" PC: 6GB HDD, 128 RAM and 350 Mhz processor, and is probably why it needed 6 hours to finish the scan.

 

[illumination]

@Jack.. I am pretty sure Sunbelt hand their hands developing Vipre before GFi I agree with what you said.. GFI had said in the Vipre Forum that they were discontinuing these other products to focus on Vipre, meaning that they were going continue to focus on Vipre, to improve it.. It would be nice to see the features you mentioned.. It is already a strong suite. It is like a few other suites out there, in the respects that it is not as secure straight out the box, as it is when "tweaked" out some..