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| Webroot Spy Sweeper Antispyware 5.x | 
 enlarge | From: Webroot Software
Category: Software
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $13.99
You Save: $15.96 (53%)
New (7) Used (9) from $6.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  91 reviews
Sales Rank: 563
Format: Cd
Platforms: Windows 2000, Windows Xp, Windows Vista
Media: CD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.4 x 1.6
MPN: 66410
Model: 66410
UPC: 667208664108
EAN: 0667208664108
ASIN: B000B6N2O4
Release Date: October 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ActiveX Shield thwarts drive-by downloads and blocks potential spyware threats that use ActiveX components to disguise their installation on your computer. | | • | Spy Communication Shield prevents further spyware infection by blocking incoming and outgoing communication to web sites known to host potential spyware threats and disables spyware programs’ ability to re-install during removal. | | • | BHO Shield blocks the installation of Browser Helper Objects – a small program that runs automatically every time a user opens an Internet browser and has the capability to track website activity or install a toolbar or add-on without your consent. | | • | IE Security Shield prevents spyware from adding website entries to your Internet Explorer security settings – which could lead to unwanted downloads and put your personal data at risk. | | • | Includes 1 Year Subscription of Version Upgrades. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Spyware is the Internet s fastest growing threat to personal privacy and a leading cause of fraud and identity theft. When surfing the internet Spyware can infect your system in many different ways. Webroot Spy Sweeper gives you 360 degrees of protection from the spyware threat. Powerful new Smart Shields block known and emerging infections as you browse - before they ever reach your computer and personal information. If your PC is already infected Spy Sweeper's advanced discovery methods find and destroy malicious spyware that hides within your PC - even spyware that hides using rootkit technology.Most comprehensive anti-spyware solution available - 360 degrees of protectionContinuous monitoring stops spyware before it can attackAdvanced detection and removal capabilities for stubborn spywareAutomatic defense updates keep you protected from the latest threatsFREE customer supportSystem Requirements:Windows 2000 XP Pro XP Home XP Media Center XP Tablet Vista Home Basic Vista Home Premium Vista Business Vista Ultimate 300 Mhz 15 MB hard drive space 256 MB Ram Supports Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher Format: WIN 98ME2000XPVISTA Genre: UTILITIES UPC: 667208664108 Manufacturer No: 66410
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| Customer Reviews: Read 86 more reviews...
 Diminished by annoying nag screens and ill-advised automatic "opt in" for annual renewals July 14, 2008
Spysweeper was one of the first high-quality spyware detection programs available. Although there are now a number of free products with similar or, arguably, enhanced capabilities. So in evaluating this product there are at least two important questions to consider: 1) Has Spysweeper kept ahead of its competitor's capabilities, and 2) is it more comfortable to use.
As to capabilities I can only speak from personal experience. Unlike at least one other reviewer here, I have been lucky enough that all malware I found was identified not only by Spysweeper but by other free malware programs I also run as an extra check. To date, my other malware detection software has worked as well as Spysweeper. Fortunately, I have not yet had any occasion where I could confirm the presence of any additional detection capabilities that may be present in Spysweeper.
I initially had a problem with Spysweeper's E-mail attachment shield which prevented my sending email. This required me to disable the E-mail shield. Fortunately, that incompatibility is no longer present, perhaps as a result of one of Spysweeper's appreciated and frequent updates, or an E-mail update.
Spysweeper still has some minor implementation issues. As one example, it specifies the number of cookies it finds. However, unless it determines a cookie is a problem, e.g., a tracking cookie, it provides no further information. A better approach would be for Spysweeper to list all cookies it finds with their location and allow users to decide which, if any, cookies to keep. My current version of Spysweeper still takes quite a while to complete a full sweep. Although one reviewer mentions sweeps completed in 5-6 minutes, I've never had sweep times even approach those results. On an XP system with many files, I've had sweep times exceed an hour. Perhaps the differences in sweep speed results arise from the use of the "quick sweep" option rather than the "full sweep" option I use. It is not clear if the relatively long sweep times are due to thoroughness or to less efficient algorithm designs.
Many of my disappointments with Spysweeper relate to the company's continued and intrusive sales "nags" after purchase, while making it difficult to avoid or eliminate them.
For example, when you select Update Spysweeper manually from the software's Options page, your browser is opened and you are taken to one of the company's web pages (nag screens), even if your product is up-to-date. There you'll find the option "Add Antivirus", even if Spysweeper's antivirus is already installed. This is an unnecessary, and time-wasting annoyance. Approximately two weeks before your annual subscription comes to an end you are continually presented with another "nag" screen you must respond to each time Spysweeper starts, and there is apparently no way to prevent this screen from appearing until you either update Spysweeper or just remove it from your computer, another unnecessary and time-consuming nuisance.
Spysweeper recently added a new "feature" to its on-site purchase option. Now whenever you decide to buy a Spysweeper product, or simply update your Spysweeper software to include antivirus protection, Spysweeper automatically "opts you in" for an annual and continuous subscription renewal.
What makes this particularly vexing is that to opt out you must go to another URL and re-enter the information you already entered to buy the original product. After you re-enter and send this opt out information a blank browser page appears with no indication that your opt out request was processed or accepted. A simple check box allowing you to opt in or out would do, but, sadly, the apparent goal is to make opting out difficult.
Spysweeper appears to be a competent product, albeit, with some technical issues. However, in rating it I considered not only its technical features, but also how user-friendly I felt it was for a purchased product. In this comparison, Spysweeper's intrusive sales approach, and its ill-advised tactic of opting you in for annual renewals, without your explicit approval, were significant negatives. More intrusive occurrences might be expected and accepted from free software, but not for a purchased product.
 Your most reliable protection March 30, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
By far the greatest dangers lurking on the internet are not viruses but trojans, browser highjackers and cookies. While Norton is arguably the best anti-virus software and the best firewall it has flaws. Long before Norton will notice a problem, Spy Sweeper will bag it and tag it. Hackers have learned to hide viruses in cookies and trojans instead of sending them out on their own. With Spy Sweeper you have very good protection against trojans and cookies and excellent protection against highjackers; these are the nasty bugs that cause your browser to lock onto their web page.
Here's some comments on Spy Sweepers operational behavior. It is slow to start up so give it some time. The first thing it will do is load a fresh copy of instructions from their website every morning. This will delay browser operation but it's necessary to keep you out of trouble. I just grab a cup of coffee and let it finish, which takes about 2 minutes. Spy Sweep is a little intrusive when it knows there is a program update scheduled so my advice is go with the flow.
As I pointed out, Spy Sweeper provides only fair protection against trojans, cookies and adware. There is free software that will cover this vulnerability but like everything free there is a price: poor updating. When you buy software, or subscribe might be a better word, they guarantee that they will support you. I've tried four softwares to cover this vulnerability, i.e., software I've purchased or freeware, including ZonePro's product (a purchase), spykiller (a purchase) and spybot. I settled on Spyware Doctor and one made by Sun. Spyware Doctor does an excellent job, often catching bugs before Spy Sweeper. Between the two of them, I seldom fall back on Norton for protection. The only problem with Spy Sweeper,initially, is that it did not like other protection software and would frequently alarm during start-up. It's nothing serious, just close the window properly and all will be well. Apparently, Webroot became aware of this problem and Spy Doctor has run fine for several months without interference.
As pointed out, the trojans, adware and cookies are the worst danger to your system. If your browser is highjacked, you can sometimes reload it.
In all fairness to Spy Sweeper, there are just too many hackers out there. All it takes is one twist in their software and they have invented a new bug. It is best to have at least one other bug-killer running. I often let one run first, then the other and then I reverse it. Shut down after a bug hunt to clear the damage.
If you can afford only one other protection, besides an anti-virus program, then spend your money on Spy Sweeper.
I hope this review was helpful. If so, please add your vote. I write these reviews at a considerable expense of time and money as a public service. I believe that Amazon provides the best reviews and often serves as the best means of efficiently buying products.
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PS.
I find the value of software firewall, such as Norton and ZonePros, to be limited. The same can be said of hardware firewalls, though the later are more effective.
Hardware firewalls work on the principle of creating one or more false targets for the hacker's software to attack. Unfortunately, being hardwired, it is easier to develop a work-around with software than with hardware. This could change with a new generation of software on the horizon; if they ever get it off the drawing board.
By the way, I spent a lot of money and time figuring out what works and what does not. The hackers got my blood up one day when I was plugged into the company's high security system and somebody shutdown my computer in less than a minute from South America. I was looking for a novel scrubber design presented in a paper from a university. After that, I spent about a year, at night, testing software. Eventually, I settled on some proven principles. I have not lost a computer in several years.
 Version 5.5 slowed my PC to a crawl March 11, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As many people in these reviews have claimed, version 5 is a real hog. After installing and running the application for a few days, I was forced to remove it. It slowed everything to a crawl. Switching between windows took 2 seconds. My CPU usage was usually at 90 to 100 percent. Fortunately for me, the disk I purchased had version 4.5 available as well. I have been running that version for about a day without the same problems. I would recommend to my friends and family to avoid version 5.
Sincerely, Steve in Florida
The good, the bad and oh yes, the ugly! February 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
GOOD: detected spyware that I didn't even know was there.
As you read on, keep in mind I am a recently retired engineer who spent his last few years supervising code writers' (even wrote some myself).
BAD: Out of the box had bugs for Vista (and XP, IMO) so when I went to update for the "fix", their server was painfully slow ... oh so slow. It was throttling me. After nearly 2 hours for the 14.5 Meg download, the "fix" was in. Now for every manual update, it gives me a nag screen to purchase (for $10) their version that adds virus protection.
UGLY: Telephone support. After 40 minutes on hold, someone answered. Not sure why as he was of no help, but he did speak English! I asked if they could send me a CD with a version that works to avoid the slow server problem. $8.95 plus S&H. I asked how to eliminate the nag screen since I did not want to buy their virus protection. He said, "can't be done". I then asked to have my 30-day money back guarantee, he said it had to be within 30 days of purchase, not activate date! I am over the 30-day limit -- this was a Christmas gift to me by my wife and with holidays, I just didn't have time to install ... sigh ... "too bad, sir."
My recommendation is to not deal with this company, as they are not flexible and want to charge for everything. Nickel and dime you.
With that, I give them the lowest rating possible. Wish I had read customers reviews here first before buying at Best Buy. Caveat emptor.
Oh, and if you must purchase, only buy the single user one, not the family or 3 user version unless you need it -- will save you money.
Webroot Spy SLEEPER February 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I purchased SpySleeper to fix a recent infection in my computer. Although it detected and cleaned 2 trojans: trojan-fisher-bzub and trojan-downloader-zlob, SSleeper missed the trojan-spyware.webhancer. I had to use PC Doctor to detect and clean it.
Now I am having to work with Webroot online tech support to clean a final infection that it missed, and it has taken 7 days of trivial pursuit and poorly written quick fixes to get them to look at a scan and (hopefully) come up with a fix.
Phone tech support hold times are about 20 minutes as they are having to deal with significant Windows Vista compatibility problems with their product.
Although this product has had a good reputation, it is now asleep at the wheel in many ways. If you are trying to fix an infection you would be better off doing a Windows reinstall than spending time and money on SSleeper. Read the PC World recent review on antispyware to confirm what I have posted (poor infection removal, last place in overall ranking.)
2/25/08 update: It took 3 weeks to remove all spyware with ssleeper thru tech support. I have removed ssleeper from my active startup programs and use it only to run occasional scans after updating it. I do not plan to do anything with my computer during ssleeper scans because it slows to nearly lockup speed when a scan is running. Also, after definition updates, ssleeper automatically opens a new browser window that advertises the webroot antivirus product (kind of like what adware does!)
Pitty the poor people who do not read the more current reviews of this product before buying (amazon, your default should be to display most current reviews first.)
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