- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (See description); $29.95 to buy
- Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
- Date added: March 15, 2007
- Total Downloads: 19,334,233
- Downloads last week: 9,027
- See full specifications
A newer version of Spyware Doctor is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 2634 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
The trial version of Spyware Doctor offers solid real-time protection for your system, but without removal capabilities. Users with infected computers will need to purchase a registration code or look elsewhere.
With quick scanning and multiple tools for stopping malware before it infects your computer, the paid version is a solid spyware remover. The well-designed interface makes getting started a breeze. The program can perform a number of scans, including Quick Scan, which blazes through common trouble spots such as Internet Explorer cache files. We found scan times to be fast; even the Full System Scan took under five minutes on our test machine. The app displays scan results clearly, showing file and registry locations, threat level and a concise description of the threat.
The trial features include real-time protection, a pop-up blocker, a browser monitor, and a keylogger guard. The Live Update feature works smoothly, letting you know at start-up if there are significant updates. New features in this latest version include the option to see detailed scan results, Spider scanning technology, rootkit scanning, alternate data streams (ADS) threat detection, kernel-level malicious-process detection, and minor enhancements to the graphical user interface. It also has a fairly liberal definition for cookies and other threats, so be sure to examine your results carefully.
The full version is one of the better antispyware tools available, but without the ability to remove threats your computer will remain infected. Although we consider the full Spyware Doctor one of the most effective anti-malware available, the anemic trialware makes it hard for users to fully realize its potential.
Watch the CNET video review of Spyware Doctor:
Publisher's description
From PC Tools :Spyware Doctor is a spyware remover and provides real-time anti-spyware protection against spyware, adware, Trojan horses, keyloggers, spyware cookies, adbots, spybots, browser hijackers, and phishing attacks. Additionally it actively protects Web browsing using Internet Explorer with a built-in popup blocker and malicious site guard. Spyware Doctor is easy to use and low on PC resources and its scanning speed is delivered by multiple specialized scanners. Almost any function of Spyware Doctor can be updated through the Live Update process. The OnGuard feature is designed to provide real time protection and deploys several tools that actively monitor and protect the PC from spyware attacks.
Version 5.0 is a major update, featuring optimized application performance, complete Modular design, and total Spider technology. It introduces new Intelli-Scan technology, new Site Guard functionality, and AntiVirus protection.
Note: This time-unlimited trial version does not remove existing threats during scans, but real-time detection and removal of incoming threats is enabled.
What's new in this version:
Version 5 includes unspecified changes and fixes.
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User reviews of Spyware Doctor 5
- Average user rating: 3.2 stars out of 2634 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 181 user reviewsSee all 181 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
94 out of 117 people found this review helpful
Version: Spyware Doctor 5
"It's Not The Best Antispyware"
Pros: Good interface and user frendly.Updates daily.Good detection of spyware.
Cons: Trial version dosen't remove spyware.False positive scanning, it told me I have 5 high threat spyware on my pc when it dosen't have one.Realtime protection dosen't block spyware at all in the first place.Uses high amount of memory and my pc crashed couple of times.Too much ads saying it's the best antispyware when it's not.Get Spysweeper it's all most the best Antispyware solution.
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54 out of 64 people found this review helpful
Version: Spyware Doctor 5
"stay away from this/dose not work on vista"
Pros: well i have been a pctools fan for 2 years stop using there stuff along time ago now this new version sucks all your programs freeze up and it give me a blue screen from hell.
Cons: still slows down your pc dose not work on vista or xp and second it installs spyware on your computer.. get spy sweeper its better no problems everything works good on vista that is
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69 out of 83 people found this review helpful
Version: Spyware Doctor 5
"Like having a key logger on your credit card"
Pros: The uninstall worked
Cons: Stay away unless you enjoy reading the fine fine print of the EULA. Once you know it is in there you can did and find it but otherwise, along with the initial download and "one year subscription" to "protection", they give themselves the right to AUTOMATICALLY CHARGE YOUR CARD NEXT YEAR without asking first.
Go check BBB.ORG - I wish I had done that first.
Even if you buy into the idea that some companies are engaging in the automatic renewal practice nowdays, the effort that seems to have been made by PCTOOLS to OBSCURE this from the end user makes the behavior HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE in this case.
STAY AWAY.
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11 out of 13 people found this review helpful
Version: Spyware Doctor 5
"Spyware Doctor is no good any more! Try Spyware Terminator!"
Pros: Very good detection capability!
Cons: I have a laptop Acer 3103 and Spyware Doctor takes so much time to scan my PC so I uninstalled it. I was silly to try the antivirus plug in and it only made the matter worse. I do not think a spyware scan should take that long. The same goes with Webroot Spy Sweeper; it also takes much too long. Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper have both very good detection capabilities but I consider them useless only because their scans, as mentioned, take much too long.
Because of the reason that I use Firefox I do not today receive any spyware. If I did I would try Spyware Terminator. Today Crawler Company seems to be a very good company which you can trust. I use their email program which is very good so try Spyware Terminator as it is also free. That is probably the best value you can get!
Bjorn Lundahl
Gothenburg, Sweden
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11 out of 24 people found this review helpful
Version: Spyware Doctor 5
"This was the first anti-spyware application I ever bought."
Pros: But, now it's not worth it's weight in memory use. This application has a great GUI and is simple to use. It has a good scan engine, a large data base, does a thorough scan and will scan in safe mode. It has good detection and removal capabilities on spyware and trojans. It runs fine on "XP" and "Vista". But, it has to many problems to be worth an investment.
Cons: The free trial is useless. This application is heavy on resources, to heavy. Theres to many false positives with this version. And to top it off, should you decide to buy it, the first major update will install an anti-virus module. the whole thing is a waste of time.
- See all 181 user reviews Write review
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