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PRODUCT SCORE
79%
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Product Name | Spy Sweeper by Webroot |
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System | Windows 2000, XP, Vista |
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Price | $29.95 / £19.95 |
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Length of cover | 12 Months |
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What does this software do? | Spy Sweeper scans your computer and hunts down any spyware that might be infecting it. After performing a scan it will show a list of the threats on your PC. You also see a full description of each threat and it's severity. You can then click a button to remove these problems. |
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Buying notes | The credit card payments for this product are handled by a company called Digital River. They are a huge company with a track record spanning many years and offer excellent customer support. I've spent a lot on software products with this company and have never had any problems. |
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First impressions | Installing Spy Sweeper real pain to be honest. The first thing I didn't like was the pre-selected option that installs a toolbar on your computer unless you un-check the box. Yes, you heard me correctly. A Spyware tool that installs a toolbar. I also had to give my email address during the installation - why? And there was another screen that tried to sell me their anti virus software too. After all that I was asked to complete a restart of my pc. Something other tools didn't require. |
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Real time protection | Spy Sweeper runs continuously on your PC by installing a several different 'shields' to protect your PC. It covers you against a wide range of spyware threats as they happen. There's 17 extra protection tools in there and they're all really good. I especially like the email attachment shield. |
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Product updates |
Spyware definition updates for this product are released on a regular basis, sometimes as much as daily.
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Customer Support |
Rather than a simple email link Webroot, the folks behind Spy Sweeper use a rather complex ticket based system (online email). It not only requires you to create an account, but also asks you for specifics such as the version of the tool you wish to ask questions about. This might sound like a fair system but if you just want to ask a quick question, it's cumbersome.
I should also point out that I wasn't able to get answers to my questions. |
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What I liked | Clean interface, easy to use
Spy Sweeper has a simple, fresh look to it that's easy on the eye. You can see from a quick glance what you need to click on, with simple buttons for actions like 'Stop Sweep', 'Home' and 'Start Full Sweep'. Excellent progress reports during scan The idea of a 'percentage complete' bar might seem like an obvious inclusion in any software that asks the user to wait for something to be performed but, surprisingly, many tools don't have one. You also get a running update of the threats Spy Sweeper has found so far, the folders scanned and other useful information. Fully resizable window The software lets you drag it's corner to any size you want, or allows you to maximize it. This simple feature is missing from so many tools and it can be very frustrating when the software makers decide what size your window is. Spy Sweeper does a great job of letting the user control the window size. Huge range of preventative tools There's a real wealth of realtime protection bundled with this software. Along with some decent help files to help you get the most of them. But, to be honest, it's all easy to use and simply installing the software will cover your PC against most online threats. |
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What I didn't like |
Two tray icons
Not a massive problem but SpySweeper installs two items on the system tray. I'm not sure why you need two icons for one program and it was a little confusing at times. Every other tool installs a maximum of one icon on the tray. Can't register from the demo version Competing tools that offer free trials of their software also allow you to upgrade to the full version by entering your serial number into the demo version. I couldn't find a way to do this and, once I'd bought Spy Sweeper, I had to uninstall and restart. Then install and add the serial number. And then restart AGAIN. This was really frustrating. |
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Strengths |
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Weaknesses |
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The verdict | Despite a few flaws and a bumpy installation this is still a solid tool and I feel completely confident recommending it. The level of protection, the scanning engine, and the frequency of updates is difficult to complain about. The interface is very intuitive and easy to master. I really enjoyed using the tool and found it did the job of protecting against, and removing spyware. It's worth being aware of the problems mentioned above however. |
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Refund details | This product comes with a complete 30 day money-back guarantee. |
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