Deleting Items Permanently

When you run a sweep and remove spyware, adware, and other unwanted programs, Spy Sweeper does not permanently delete the item. The remove-and-quarantine process first encrypts each item found, removes it from its original location (so it will no longer run), then copies it to the Quarantine folder.

If you find that a program you need will not work properly after removing the associated item, you can restore it. For more information, see Restoring Items.

If you find that all of your programs run properly after removing the item, you can permanently delete it. This deletes the spyware, adware, or other unwanted programs from the Quarantine folder, and you will not be able to restore the item. You can also tell Spy Sweeper to automatically delete the item after a specific number of days. For more information, see Setting Spy Sweeper Program Options.

If you reinstall the program or visit a Web site that has the same threat, it could be installed again. If you find that some items keep showing up in your sweeps, you can tell Spy Sweeper to always remove that item automatically. For more information, see Setting Up Items to Always Remove.

If the Delete Selected button is unavailable (dimmed), you may not have access to this function. For more information, see Understanding How Spy Sweeper Works with Multiple User Accounts.

To permanently delete items:

Start Spy Sweeper, if it is not already open, and display the main window.
For more information, see Starting Spy Sweeper.
In the icon panel, click Quarantined.
For information about the Spy Sweeper window, see Understanding the Spy Sweeper Window.
The Quarantined panel displays with information about items that you have quarantined, but have not permanently deleted.

Click to see a description of each field.

List of items found	Displays the list of spyware, adware, or unwanted programs that Spy Sweeper found. Click the plus sign (+) next to an item to see the full path to the traces found and to view the Threat Details on the right side of the panel. The icon next to each expanded item shows where the item was found: —Item found in memory. —Item found in the registry. —Item found in a file. —Item found in a folder. —Item found in a cookie.
Threat Details
Name	Displays the name of the currently selected item.
Category	Displays the type of threat of the currently selected item. See the Glossary for definitions of the types.
Risk Rating	Red bars show the risk level of the item. The more bars shown, the higher the risk as follows: 1 bar—low 2 bars—moderate 3 bars—high 4 bars—very high 5 bars—critical
Traces Found	Number of traces found related to this threat.
Description	Displays a description of the found item. For more information, click View more details online. Note: You must be connected to the Internet to see the additional information.

Select each item that you want to permanently delete.
A check mark next to the item shows that it is selected and will be deleted.
Click Delete Selected.
Spy Sweeper deletes the selected item and displays information about the deletion in the Information box at the bottom of the window.
If the button is unavailable (dimmed), you may not have access to this function. For more information, see Understanding How Spy Sweeper Works with Multiple User Accounts.