12/26/2006 Utilities

About Spybot - Search & Destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove spyware of different kinds from your computer. Spyware is a relatively new kind of threat that common anti-virus applications do not yet cover. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you didn't intentionally install, if your browser crashes, or if you browser start page has changed without your knowing, you most probably have spyware. But even if you don't see anything, you may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging that is silently tracking your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile of you that will be sold to advertisement companies.

Spybot - Search & Destroy is free, so there's no harm in trying to see if something snooped into your computer, too.

How to Use Spybot - Search & Destroy?

1. First run

The first time you start Spybot-S&D, it will display a Wizard, a small window helping you through the first steps. It gives you the possibility to add or remove the icons you have or haven't created during install, for example. Let's just say you want them and procede to the next page.

If you are using a proxy in Internet Explorer, Spybot-S&D will show you this proxy and a button will give you the opportunity to use it for Spybot-S&D, too. If the text field is blank, you don't need to do it, but in most cases this will show an internet address, and you should import this proxy setting.



The next page deals with updates. It is very important to keep up-to-date. Using the two buttons this page offers will do the updates for you, if you want to do it at a later point, use the update feature in the Spybot-S&D section.

2. Doing a scan

After the tutorial has finished, you may find yourself on the Settings or Update page. As the default settings are ok right now, and you've already updated, let's ignore them for now and do the first scan.

On the left side of the program you can find a navigation bar that can lead you to all functions of the program. The first section there (the top-most button) is labeled Spybot-S&D and leads you to the main page. Right now, you will see only an empty list and a toolbar at the top. The first button in this toolbar is named Check for problems - that is the button you've got to press to start the scanning. Lean back and watch the scan progress.



3. Interpreting the results

At this point, you could just jump to the last point, and remove the results. Instead we recommend that you first have a look at what all the stuff is that Spybot-S&D detected. The first thing you should know is to distinguish between the red entries, which represent spyware and similar threats, and the green entries, which are usage tracks.

For the usage tracks (I hope you have followed that link to read what they are), removal is non-critical, but depends on your personal preferences.

Ignoring the usage tracks for now, you should have a look at the red entries which represent the real threats. While you of course can trust us that we have chosen the targets using strict criteria, you can check for yourself if you click on each product and then on the grey button on the right you can read the product information in the box popping up.



4. Decision on exceptions

All problems displayed in red are regarded as real threats and should be dealt with. But while you read the product description (you can find it by selecting an item in the list and then clicking on the grey button on the right side), you may still decide to keep a threat, or just a usage track. Maybe you don't want your list of most recently used Word documents removed? At this point you have three options.

You could decide on ignoring all usage tracks. In that case you could open the File sets page on the Settings section of the program, and disable the Usage tracks entries.

Or if you want to just keep all tracks from a specific product, just right-click a product in the results list.

Finally, if you want to keep just one file, that is possible the same way.

5. Removing the threats found

So now you should know about everything you've found. It's time to use the Fix selected problems button.

Once you start thinking about removing the usage tracks, too, you may think that ticking all the green entries is hard work. This is for a simple reason - to force you, the newbie - to look at the results. Once you know what you are dealing with, there is a hidden Select all button available for you on the settings page (only when started in advanced mode).