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- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP/Vista/NT
- Date added: January 26, 2009
- Total Downloads: 114,398,634
- Downloads last week: 88,741
- Product Ranking: #3 in Spyware Removers
- See full specifications
- CNET Community
- This product is on 279 member lists. Add to my list Add to my Watch List
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 5353 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff on November 07, 2008
Spybot - Search & Destroy has been in the antispyware game for a long time offering features we've come to expect in the best apps in the category, but bugs and false positives make it difficult to recommend.
The program checks your system against a comprehensive database of adware and other system invaders. It also features several interface improvements, including multiple skins for dressing up its appearance. Scan results now appear arranged by groups in a tree, and a sliding panel lets you instantly view information about a selected item to help you decide whether to kill it or not. The Immunize feature blocks a plethora of uninvited Web-borne flotsam before it reaches your computer. Other useful tools, including Secure Shredder, complement the program's basic functionality for completely destroying files. Hosts File blocks adware servers from your computer, and System Startup lets you review which apps load when you start your computer.
Unfortunately, the program has the tendency to lock up at times and even during the install process for this review, we encountered several errors. The ambitious feature list and functionality make Spybot a good choice for those in search of a second antispyware program, and recent updates have made it run faster. It still makes errors in flagging spyware that isn't, and overall there are others in the category that do a better job.
Watch the CNET video review of Spybot - Search & Destroy:
Publisher's description
From Patrick M. Kolla :Spybot - Search & Destroy can detect and remove a multitude of adware files and modules from your computer. Spybot also can clean program and Web-usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer. Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your system. For advanced users, it allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies related to adware and to malicious program installations. The handy online-update feature ensures that Spybot always has the most current and complete listings of adware, dialers, and other uninvited system residents.
What's new in this version:
Version 1.6.2 features support for the latest Opera releases, support for Google Chrome, and improved support for fast user switching while Spybot is running.More popular Spyware Removers downloads
- 648,156 downloads 1. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
- 578,337 downloads 2. Ad-Aware Free Internet Security
- 88,741 downloads 3. Spybot - Search & Destroy
- 27,497 downloads 4. SpywareBlaster
- 24,787 downloads 5. Trend Micro HijackThis
- See all Spyware Removers downloads
User reviews
- All versions: 4.2 starsout of 5353 votes
- 5 stars
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- 1 stars
- Current version: 4.0 starsout of 480 votes
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- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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5 stars
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"Works Great"
Pros: It always works great and easy to use.
Cons: Had a problem saying I need to be the "administrator" on the computer. I guess there is a problem with Windows.
Summary: This is what the emailed me and it solved the problem:
Windows Vista/Windows 7 might tell you that you are not being allowed to operate
at the administration level of your computer.
You can solve this problem as follows:
Right-click the Spybot - Search & Destroy entry in your start menu,
instead of just left-clicking to start it.
Then, choose Run as administrator from the context menu.
You will find a screenshot of this problem in our FAQ:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/42.html
--
Best regards,
Norma
Team Spybot -
1 stars
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"If it blocks vistaprint.com, its useless to me!"
Pros: Advanced features are good
Cons: Blocks legitimate sites like vistaprint...nice going!
Summary: Shame on you, Spybot!
Update: all you have to do is turn off SD Helper to be able to access Vistaprint.com. Still, this should not happen!
Updated on Jan 19, 2010 -
5 stars
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"good product"
Pros: easy to use
Cons: updates far and few between
Summary: easy to use, and takes care of the problem
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1 stars
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"Spybot has gone too far and crossed the line"
Pros: I have loved and used spybot for many years until 4 days ago
Cons: Spybot has added the legitimate business site vistaprint to its list of blocked sites without informing its users first, nor giving them an easy option to use both spybot and vista print.
Summary: It should have been a simple process to take vistaprint off my blocked sites and add it to my trusted sites to be able to place an order for my business. It took two hours of searching to find that even when uninstalled, parts of spybot still remain on my system. Not only do you need to uninstall spybot, but before you do, you need to make sure you close your browser window, open spybot, run immunize, undo immunize, go to advanced options, uncheck two boxes, then complete the uninstall. If you do not follow each step in order, not only will spybot not completely uninstall, but the site blocks will remain. Additionally, even if you do everthing exactly right, spybot still has files on your system that you need to locate and manually remove. Not easy to do for most computer users. You must make a choice to use spybot and not use vistaprint, or completely remove spybot to be able to use the vista print site. The detailed instructions can be found here:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/14.html
When I complained to spybot that making a decision to block a legitimate business not only interferred with my business, but restrained vistaprints trade, their response was that vistaprint sent spam, and told me to look at the negative customer reviews at a link spybot provided.
The spam issue (regarding messages sent from the official vistaprint site and not from creative spammers) is a non-issue. To stop email from vistaprint, all one has to do is log in to their vistaprint account and click the easy to find button requesting email to stop. Problem solved, no need for spybot to interfere.
Regarding customer complaints, considering the massive volume of business vistaprint does, the complaint percentage is minimal. More importantly, most complaints talk about charges incurred by customers who checked the box for the $10.00 off coupon without reading the paragraph stating that they were agreeing to a subscription product with repeat billing. Consumer error, not an unsafe website.
Spybot is an invasive program that is too difficult to remove and I will not use it until they remove vistaprint. -
2 stars
8 out of 11 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"Uses too much memory and slows PC down"
Pros: Does what it says on the tin
Cons: Needs a lot of memory to run and you cannot work effectively when scan is in progress
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4 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"If you read the instructions, it works"
Pros: It does what it says it will do
Cons: There's alot to it, but still excellent non the less
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4 stars
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"resolves problematic theft of ip address"
Pros: it works effectively
Cons: it is slow searching through the hard drive
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4 stars
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"another layer of defense against spyware"
Pros: Finds more problem files and programs than typical anti-virus programs do. Adds an Immunize function to prevent browser attacks.
Cons: not a full featured security product. mostly for spy-ware, ad-ware, and scare-ware.
will not install or function without network (internet) connectionSummary: I like this product. you also need anti-virus software, and probably need Malwarebytes to round up malware protection.
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4 stars
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"Really speeded up my computer"
Pros: I didn't realize how my computer was being affected by these viruses. I spend a lot of money on other products that didn't do what this one does.
Cons: I didn't realize that I have to run it every week. Other than that it is great!!!
Summary: I already use a virus checker but this program is a necessity also!!!
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4 stars
Version: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.6.2
"Seems to be effective to me,I like it"
Pros: It's easy to use.Tell it what you want it to do and it does it.
Cons: It takes a while,but really,it shows that it's working.I can live with that.
Summary: A friend downloaded it for me in an effort to speed my machine up.I have Vista.It found a bunch of stuff that my Norton never did,and I paid good money for that! It was right at "renew"time,so you can guess what did'nt get renewed.The best part is ,your product is free! Spybot and one other free service and my computer runs better than it has since new.Thank you,thank you,thank you.
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