Formerly one of the best antispyware programs available, Spybot Search and Destroy performed the worst in our tests. Unfortunately, the scan was not very accurate. In our tests, Search and Destroy was lightning fast, requiring only 7 minutes, 19 seconds to scan our test system.

It's the extras within Spybot that initially won us over. Protection not found in other antispyware software includes displaying your windows Hosts file (often the target for phishing scams), a built-in data shredder, and a fairly long list of opt-out addresses so that you can stop getting spam.

A highly configurable advanced-mode interface is available for power users who like to schedule their scans (using Windows Task Manager), manage cookies, add skins, and even customize Spybot's operation, such as deciding whether to launch at start, to log files, or to display warnings. Spybot has an easy-to-use interface: From the main window, you can scan your system for spyware, update the program, and recover your system to a previous state, if needed, thanks to the backup copies that Search and Destroy makes of everything it changes. Simply select your language preference, and you're ready to go. With its support of more than 30 different languages, Spybot maintains wide international appeal.Īfter downloading the 4.8MB file, installation is smooth. That said, Spybot's default mode is easy to use for most home users, and its advanced mode offers features that will please most high-end users. Of the antispyware software tested by, however, Spybot tested dead last, leaving behind several known pests, but it finished near the middle in overall performance. Spybot Search and Destroy 1.4 is a free, fast, proactive antispyware app, and it doesn't require you to provide an e-mail address or any other information about yourself.

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