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Spybot Search and Destroy
Setup and interface
Spybot Search and Destroy is available only as a free 2.31MB download; there's no boxed version. The program installs in a flash and automatically places an icon on your desktop for quick access.
Before starting, there's a legal disclaimer that says if you remove advertising robots (or spybots)
from your computer with Spybot, you may not be able to continue using
the host program. Chances are, if you download a freeware product, the
end-user license agreement says that you agree to the advertising
placed on your computer as a result. Removing it with Spybot may make
the freeware unusable. Although the two products do basically the same
thing, this disclaimer is missing from Ad-aware.
Spybot's interface is no frills, with buttons along the left to access its many tools.
Spybot's interface itself is straightforward: buttons along the
left side allow access to Spybot's many features, while the large main
section provides details, such as the individual languages available or
the results of a spybot search of your hard drive. When you launch the
program after installation, you'll be reminded to update the program
for the latest version. Next, Spybot opens to a settings screen that
offers a variety of choices--such as removing cookies, Trojan horses,
and usage tracking--without a wizard to assist the end user. Also, the
overall terminology is a little confusing at first; for example, to run
Spybot's various scans, you must click a button that says Check For
Problems (instead of the more intuitive Start).
While Spybot Search and Destroy is running, a countdown clock in the
lower right-hand corner first estimates the duration of the scan, then
counts down to completion.
Back to Setup and interface
