Spy Sweeper 5.5.7.122 Online Manual

Configuring Custom Sweep options

You can create your own settings that instruct Spy Sweeper on where to sweep and what to sweep the next time you run a Custom Sweep.

To configure options for a Custom Sweep:

1.	In the Icon panel, click Options.

2.	Make sure the Sweep tab is selected.

3.	Under Sweep Type, select Custom Sweep.

4.	Click the Change Settings link.

The Custom Sweep window opens, with a panel in the middle that provides four buttons for selecting custom options. You can select any button, in any order.

5.

In the Where to Sweep panel, you can exclude certain drives, directories, or folders from the sweep by deselecting them (click the check box to remove the green check mark next to each folder or file). Typically, most spyware and other threats install on the C: drive, but you should sweep all drives periodically.

Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus: Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus can sweep all internal drives for viruses; you should sweep all drives regularly. Viruses can be found in all types of files and in any location.

6.	In the What to Sweep panel, you can select options as described in the following table. (Items with a check mark are enabled. Click in the box to deselect or select options.)

 

What to Sweep (Custom options)
Options	Description
Sweep for viruses	Applies only to Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus. Enables virus sweeping in the following areas: Memory Objects, Compressed Files, System Restore Folder, and All User Accounts (providing those options are also turned on, as described below).
Automatically quarantine viruses found	Applies only to Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus. Places files in the Quarantine that contain a virus and does list them on the Quarantine panel during the sweep process. If Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus is able to clean the file (remove the virus safely), it keeps the cleaned file in its original location and places a copy of the corrupted file in the Quarantine. The cleaned file is safe to use; the file in the Quarantine is not safe to use.
Windows registry	Sweeps the computer’s registry, where spyware and other potentially unwanted programs commonly create entries.
Memory objects	Sweeps the computer’s random access memory (RAM), where spyware and other potentially unwanted programs commonly load into memory.
Cookies	Sweeps for known tracking cookies that are included in the Spy Sweeper definitions. Some Web sites store and access cookies that may contain personal information (including surfing habits, user names and passwords, and areas of interest), then share that information with other Web sites. However, some cookies can be helpful, because they contain user names and passwords that let you log in to a Web site automatically or contain preferences you set for a Web site. You can determine which ones you want to keep from the Quarantine.
Sweep all user accounts	Sweeps registry entries for all user accounts or login IDs on your computer. If this option is turned off, Spy Sweeper only sweeps the registry entries for the user account you logged in with.
Compressed files	Sweeps compressed files such as .zip, .rar, .lzh, and .cab files, where potentially unwanted programs can hide. You may want to use this option after you have found potentially unwanted programs, and you want to be sure that you have removed them. Enabling this option increases sweep time significantly. (After the first sweep with this option, Spy Sweeper will skip compressed files that have not changed, thereby saving time.) If you download a compressed file in the future, you can run a sweep on just that file from Windows Explorer to save time. For more information, see the instructions for setting the Add “Sweep” option to Windows Explorer context menu.
System Restore folder	Applies only to Windows XP. Sweeps the folder where Windows saves system restore files. If a restore point contains a potentially unwanted program, Spy Sweeper finds it and lets you remove it. After removing the unwanted program, you can still use that restore point in the future.

7.	In the Skip File Types panel, you can specify the file types for Spy Sweeper to ignore during a sweep. Enter the file extension and click Add to Skip List. For multiple entries, use a comma or semicolon to separate entries (for example: .mp3,.wma).

Note: Do not skip .dll, .exe, or .com file types, because spyware and other potentially unwanted programs typically hide in them. Be very careful when determining file types to skip. Threats can hide anywhere.

8.	In the Advanced Options panel, you can select additional sweep options, as described in the following table.

 

Advanced Options (Custom Options)
Option	Description
Enable Direct Disk Sweeping	Makes sweeps run faster. Normally, you should leave this option selected. Deselect this option only if you find that Spy Sweeper does not complete a sweep. Some computers need to turn off this method for sweeps to run completely.
Sweep for rootkits	Sweeps for rootkits. A rootkit or rootkit masked file is a software tool that an attacker can use to maintain access to your computer for malicious purposes. When this option is selected, the time required for the sweep will double. Use this option only if you are particularly concerned about your computer’s security or continue to see unwanted advertising after running a full system sweep. Otherwise, turn off this option for quicker sweeps.
Verify executable programs in a protected memory space	Isolates and examines suspect processes running in memory. If the process matches a Spy Sweeper definition, Spy Sweeper stops the process from running.
Enable behavioral detection	Applies only to Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus. Enables additional protection from potential threats by searching for behavior typical of malware programs. This option can locate many emerging threats, but on very rare occasions, a legitimate program could be classified as malicious because it shows malware-like behavior.
Automatically quarantine behavioral detections	Applies only to Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus. Places any items found with the Behavioral Detection feature in the Quarantine.
Sweep Speed vs. Processor Usage	Allows you to provide more processing power to other programs as sweeps are running. To do this, move the slider (click with your mouse and drag) toward “Conserve processing power” at the left. This setting slows the sweep process, but provides more processing power for other programs. For the fastest sweeps, leave the slider all the way on the right.

9.	When you are finished selecting options, click OK. Your Custom Sweep settings are automatically saved and are used any time you select Custom Sweep as your sweep type.

10.	If desired, click Sweep Now and refer to Running sweeps immediately.