Spybot - Search & Destroy, also known as Spybot-S&D, is an application which searches and destroys spyware, adware and similar pests as well as potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) on your Windows XP or Vista computer. It does not replace your anti-virus software. Rather, Spybot - Search & Destroy is a complimentary application against PUPs and malicious software which do not possess the characteristics of a virus but are often poorly programmed leading to operating system instability and performance degradation.
I am sure you won’t uninstall Spybot - Search & Destroy after seeing the result of its scan on your computer!
The current version 1.6.2 and future builds of Spybot Search & Destroy are available for Windows XP 32 and 64-bit, and Vista. The installation files and updates of Spybot Search & Destroy required 35.8 MB hard disk capacity on the test system, and the application uses approximately 50 MB RAM during a scan.
The installation of Spybot - Search & Destroy is lengthy and starts with the language you choose for setup. Then, Spybot-S&D continues with license agreement, installation path and components to install; the default should be right in most cases, however it does not automatically include Spybot - Search & Destroy’s Windows Explorer context menu extension.
The next screen is related to the Start Menu for Windows XP or Vista, followed by putting application shortcuts to Quick Launch and onto the Windows Desktop. At the same place you activate real-time protection for Internet Explorer and system settings. Until you are more familiar with Spybot - Search & Destroy you may stick with the default again.
The next screen is summary of your Spybot-S&D setup before clicking ‘Install’. Upon completion of the installation, Spybot - Search & Destroy updates its database, and subsequently starts the application and helper tools with optional integration into Windows XP or Vista Security Center.
At that point, without a restart of Windows XP or Vista, Spybot - Search & Destroy leads over to some more legal stuff, and then creates a backup of your computer’s Registry before you can finally start using the program.
The setup process for Windows XP and Vista is depicted below:
