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Spybot Search and Destroy
Features
When Spybot finishes scanning for suspected ad-serving software and
other Internet maladies, it produces a listing with a check box beside
each item to remove or keep it. Unsure how to proceed? Simply click an
item for a detailed explanation of what it is, what company issued the
item, and a recommendation from Spybot. Better yet, if you decide to
keep the ad component on your computer, you also have the option to
exclude it from future searches.
Spybot fixes the problems that you check, then reports back with a green check mark upon completion.
Moving down the left-hand navigation, the Settings button
accesses language, file sets, directories, and skins. Unlike Ad-aware,
Spybot Search and Destroy has the option to run in one of 25 languages,
including Magyar and two dialects of Russian. The file sets detail all
of the functions that Spybot can perform, such as checking for Trojan
horses or usage tracking. For safety, though, you'll want to keep them
all enabled and override the search results from time to time. Settings
are the options that you are presented with the first time you load
Spybot, but they won't make sense until you've run the program on your
computer a few times. For example, you may decide you want to run
Spybot every time you reboot your computer or you might want to speed
up its scanning to the fastest-possible setting. The Directories tool
allows you to specify your download directory path so that Spybot will
always check freshly downloaded files for spying software (often found
with freeware and some shareware). The Skins option allows you to
change the look and feel of Spybot, although at the moment there are
few options available in English.
Click the Excludes button, and you'll find tabbed settings that let you block cookies, dialers, hijackers, keyloggers (keystroke-logging software), malware (such as the Friendly Greetings e-mail), and Trojan horses (such as Klez, Sobig, and Benjamin).
For example, under Cookies, you'll find a current list of cookies on
your PC, with an option to delete them. The free version of Ad-aware
does not do this.
Spybot runs in 25 different languages.
From within the Tools button, you'll find a file shredder,
which allows you to delete a file safely from your computer by
overwriting it with random data from 1 to 99 times. There's also a list
of ActiveX components,
which are scripts, specific to your computer, that run within Internet
Explorer. Spybot will generate a very detailed list of ActiveX
components currently installed on your machine, which provides you with
details but no option to remove them. The process list replicates
information that the Windows Task Menu shows you, and System Startup
shows you what's running when you start Windows. Finally, there's a
handy Report feature to see all of the above in either a log file or a
printout.
The coolest option in Spybot lies within the Online button, where
you'll find a list of opt-out e-mail addresses that should stop you
from getting solicitations from ad vendors. Spybot's list includes just
about everyone, from DoubleClick to Yahoo; this list alone is a
valuable asset on any PC. Double-click any of the names, and a blank
e-mail message opens, with the company's opt-out address autoamtically
filled in, making it easy to untangle yourself from the mess of junk
mail associated with ad-serving software. Within the Online button,
there are options to update Spybot, access the company's Web site for
the latest product news, or file a bug report with the author.
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