System Security – Spybot Search & Destroy

For Windows 9.xx to Windows XP/Vista Tip #0006

We all have those moments when our systems slow down. I mean really slow down. There are a variety of reasons for this but the usual culprit is spyware. Many people have asked me “what is spyware”?
Well, for the purpose of our discussion let’s take a simple definition from Wikipedia:
Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent.
So in short, it is software you did not want, did not know you had and would like to get rid of. It can pass information about you, your machine and in some cases even redirect and over-rule your commands to your machine.
So, dear Bulldog readers, here is one solution to identify and get rid of spyware from your machine.
There are a number of different programmes available for download to accomplish our mission. As you know my favourite programmes are the ones that are free. From my own experience the best free anti-spyware programme is called Spybot - search and destroy. Notice there is no equivocation here. No sort of look for and maybe find something. No perhaps we will find something, perhaps not. Straightforward. We are going to search for spyware on your machine and then you can destroy it. This is a feature I particularly approve of. You chose what you want to get rid of. This is important. For some so-called spyware are cookies which you might actually want. If you have ‘allowed’ a direct sign into Yahoo or MSN – say if you have a hot-mail account or some other regular site you must sign-in to you will want to ‘allow’ this programme. There is a setting that will make it easy to ‘allow’ what you want and get rid of what you do not. There is also a feature called Immunize. It is an icon you will see after you have run Spybot the first time. It will keep out all known spyware from even loading onto your system in the future. It is easy to use and operates in the background so you do not have to worry about repeat programmes trying to ‘infect’ your system. More on this later Bulldog readers. For now let’s go to the download site:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html
This will bring you to the main download page for Spybot – S&D. At the top of the page, you will see a request to ‘make a donation’. Skip down to the Download area. On the right side of the download titled: Spybot - Search & Destroy 1.4, you will see a 3-D box with an arrow on it. Left click. This will bring you to a ‘mirror site’. A mirror site is just a way for small developers to allow a large number of people to download from other sites. I usually chose the top offering and then click where it says
‘download here’. You will be directed to the mirror site. Chose ‘download now’ and your download should begin. If it does not begin downloading within say 20 seconds, you can click on the area where it says “If your download does not begin shortly or soon, click here”.
OK, perhaps you may remember a previous suggestion about creating a special folder called MyDownloads. If you do not already have a special folder for your downloads; I suggest you create one – label it however you like (DadsDownload – MyDownloadedStuff) or whatever. This can be very useful when you are looking for files you have downloaded. You can also create sub-folders such as MyDownloads > Anti-spyware or whatever name suits YOU. Remember, it is YOUR computer, label folders and files so YOU can remember where they are.
Now, run the programme and let it install on your machine. Once installed, and you decide to run the programme, Spybot will load. It will inform you it is loading.
Once installed, the first thing I suggest dear Bulldog reader is you immediately go to “Search for up-dates”. This will ensure you have the latest spyware information up-to-date and installed on your machine.
Then, click on the icon that says “Check for problems”. The programme will check your entire drive and look for spyware, including hidden spyware. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes to accomplish the task. You can continue to use other programmes while this is going on. I do recommend that people using dial up (especially if using Windows 98) not to load too many other programmes or surf the net during the initial search.
Soon enough you will receive a report of installed spyware. You can uncheck items you know you may wish to keep [something labelled Yahoo or MSN]. A good rule of thumb is if you do not recognise a programme, and do not remember installing it, get rig of it. This is especially true for my readers who are parents with younger kids.
Note: if you do not see a special repeat link for your favourite programme; that is good.
Now click on and run the icon that says: “Fix Selected Problems”. Now your machine should be spyware clean. At this point run the immunise button and your machine will be further protected- and this protection will run in the background without further input from you.
I recommend that you run this programme about once a month. Get the updates and you should be for the most part running a safe spy-ware free system. In addition to being spyware free, you will also most likely notice your machine is running faster.
As always Bulldog readers let me know how you fare and what you think of this programme or if you have any further questions. My eMail Address is: GuyGriscom@gmail.com