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PRODUCT SCORE
87%
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Product Name | STOPzilla by iS3 Inc. |
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System | Windows 98, 2000, XP, Vista |
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Price | $19.95 / about £10
(The price for STOPzilla is normally $39.95 but you get an instant $20 off when you order online at the moment). |
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Length of cover | 12 Months |
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What does this software do? | STOPzilla 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. It also offers realtime protection against spyware - protecting your computer from spyware attacks as they happen. |
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Buying notes | There's a couple of ways to get STOPzilla fully registered on your computer. The best way is to download the trial and then register from there (which I did). Or you can buy online. I had no problems ordering my product and it was very easy to get set up. |
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First impressions | STOPzilla has a huge array of awards so I was very keen to see how it would perform. It has definitely got the best looking interface of all the tools I've tested. It's bright, well set out and very easy to use. And when it starts up you get the feel this is packed with lots of beefy protection. It wasn't long before I was launched into my first scan. First impressions: very good. |
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Real time protection |
STOPzilla runs continuously on your PC by installing a resident shield that will sit in your computer's tray. This protects you from a wide range of spyware threats as they happen. From the main panel you can access a section called 'Real-Time Protection'. This handles all the settings for your PC and protects your network, browser and other important areas automatically.
The software offers a huge amount of real time protection. The three main ones are: Spyware protection, pop-up protection and Siteguard. If you click on Real-time protection, you can view and edit the different protection you're offered. Here's some of the realtime tools STOPzilla offers:
It doesn't matter if you don't know what the above means as they're all automatically protected against with STOPzilla. In fact it would take up too much room to mention all the real-time protection you get with STOPzilla and to talk about the level to which you can customize it. There's an amazing amount of realtime cover here. |
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Product updates |
The support staff told me that STOPzilla is updated on a daily basis. I certainly found that this was accurate. Updates to the software are very easy to do. You just click on the 'Check for updates' link on the main panel. You'll be alerted of both software updates and definition updates. Both are easily and automatically installed using the built in updater. This worked better than any of the other tools I've tested.
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Customer Support |
There's a number of different ways you can get help from STOPzilla. Email support is available via a simple online web form. This is really easy to use. They also offer Live Help, available from their website. As well as a toll free number.
I tested out the email support and was very impressed. My questions were all answered in a couple of hours. And I'm in a completely different time zone to this company. More importantly, the emails were very polite and helpful. Unlike some of the spyware software companies I have contacted recently. |
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What I liked | Superb interface - very easy to use
STOPzilla has a great looking interface. It's colours, design, layout and functionality all make for a great user experience. And this makes a huge difference. I couldn't tell you the number of unpleasant, unfriendly interfaces I've come across reviewing spyware tools. The main panel delivers in terms of depth, features and ease of use. Choice of scans to suit every need Although I generally just use the Full Scan option on my spyware software there's a host of different scans here for you to use. There's a Quick Scan, Intelligent Scan, Full Scan and a Custom Scan. These options will suite every user. And you can easily see what each scan will remove thanks to a handy graphical chart of what each one does. One-click, super-easy updating Updates are extremely easy to get with STOPzilla. There's a clear button which requires one click to start, download and install updates. Perfect. Updating also runs in the background, in a separate window, so you can work with other features of the software at the same time. Built-in pop-up protection One major problem with spyware is that it can start popping messages and browser windows up on your PC. They're a real pain. STOPzilla does a great job of neutralizing them, thanks to it's built in pop-up blocker. It has a wide range of options to make sure you aren't bothered by them again. |
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What I didn't like |
Explanation of each threat needed to be longer
One thing that STOPzilla doesn't do as well as some of the other tools I've tested is giving you a good explanation of each threat. Whereas some programs give you a paragraph or more of detailed explanation, STOPzilla gives you a few words such as 'Adware, a potentially harmful program'. And it's hard to get even that to come up as you roll the mouse pointer over each threat. |
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Strengths |
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Weaknesses |
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The verdict | It's hard to find anything bad to say about STOPzilla. It's very easy to use without skimping on important features. And there's plenty of depth in both the settings you can alter and the reporting of the treats it uncovers. iS3 have done a great job here. It's not quite on the same level as Spyware Doctor but still a great spyware tool. |
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Refund details | This product comes with a complete 30 day money-back guarantee. |
Click Here To Order STOPzilla
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