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How to Install and Use Spybot
What is Spybot Search & Destroy?
Search & Destroy is free software that can detect and remove a multitude of adware files from your PC, as well as
clean program and Internet usage tracks from your system, which is especially useful if you share your computer with other
users.
Modules chosen for removal can be sent directly to the included file shredder, ensuring complete elimination from your
system. Additionally, it allows you to fix Registry inconsistencies related to adware or malicious program installations.
Version 1.2 also includes an immunization option that allows you to block many spyware downloads before they get to your
computer, and improved detection mechanisms for morphing files.
Installing Spybot
To install Spybot go to WWW.DOWNLOAD.COM and search for SPYBOT.
You can download Spybot to the desktop.
Click on the Spybot executable file to install the software to your PC.
The first time you use Spybot, you will encounter a Wizard, which will give you the opportunity to add or remove the icons
you have or have not created during your installation of the software and set your language preference.
Running Spybot
1. Click on the Spybot shortcut icon.
2. Click OK on the Legal Stuff Window.
Check mark the "Don't show this message again", if you don't wish this window to appear again.
3. You will now be in the SPYBOT program.
Using Update in Spybot
1. Once in Spybot, click the Search for updates button.
This will download a list of available updates from a PepiMK Software server and compare them to the files already installed
on your system. New files will be shown in the list, where you can select them and press the Download updates button afterwards.
During download, every finished file will get a green check mark. If you want to read about updates first, press the Read
news online button or visit the support forum. You can find the update function by choosing Update from the Online section
in the toolbar to the left.
2. To use Update, do the following:
3. Click on Update on the toolbar to the left side of your screen.
The Update Window will now appear.
4. Click the Search for updates button.
5. To download the updates that appear in the Update Window once you have completed your search, click the Download updates
Checking for Problems in Spybot
When using the Check for Problems feature of Spybot, the first thing you should know is to distinguish between the red
entries, which represent spyware, adware and tracking cookies, and the green entries, which are usage tracks.
Spyware is software that transmits personally identifiable information from your computer to some place in the Internet
without your knowledge.
A less threatening sort is adware. Adware is similar to spyware, but does not transmit personally identifiable information.
Instead, aggregated usage information is collected. Adware is also often a side effect of spyware, as both monitor you for
a sole purpose, delivering you advertisements that are tailored to your habits.
Tracking cookies, which are also under the spyware category, are used all over the Internet in useful and less useful
places.
Advertisement companies often set cookies whenever your browser loads a banner from them. In that case and if that cookie
contains a GUID, the company gets notice about every site you visit that contains their ads.
For the usage tracks, removal is non-critical, but depends on your personal preferences. Usage tracks are your fingerprints
in your system. Whenever you visit a page with your browser, or just open any file, that information is stored deep inside
Windows. In most cases that is very useful- if you want to open that file again, you can select it from a list instead of
typing the whole filename or browsing the whole directory structure again.
But in some cases you may want to hide your activity, because spyware and Internet attackers may use that information.
Consequently, when you use Spybot you should always look at the red entries first, since they represent real threats.
If you click on each product listed, you can read the product information and determine what each product is.
To check for spyware and tracking usage, do the following:
1. Click on the Check for Problems button.
You will now be in the Search & Destroy Window.
Search & Destroy will automatically run the bot-check to detect spyware on your PC.
Once the bot-check is done, it will list any problems that you may have on your PC.
5. Click on the Fix selected problems button.
If you uncheck mark an item it will not fix the problem.
6. Click Yes to remove the checked entries.
Using Immunize in Spybot
Permanent Internet Explorer Immunity:
Spybot allows you to adjust some internal Internet Explorer settings to block the installation of known spyware and set
all entries for those that are in its database to be blocked.
1. To Immunize, simply click Immunize on the toolbar.
2. Click OK when the Warning Window appears.
3. Click the Immunize button within the Immunize Window.
A green checkmark will appear announcing the immunization has successfully occurred.
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