brownj00's Full Review: Webroot Spy Sweeper Full Version for PC
I've been a PC guy -> server admin -> network engineer now for 15 years. I used the free anti-spyware products for a number of years, tried a few trial offers on other products.
I checked around, wasn't happy with the free ones (Adaware, Spybot). Saw
(http://anti-spyware-review.toptenreviews.com/?ttreng=1&ttrkey=spysweeper)
shows Spysweeper got the Bronze medal (notice it checks for 50,000 bugs, like twice as much as the others) and PC Magazines review (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1750882,00.asp) said something like "best single package we've tested keeps getting better". Don't just take my word for it.
Like I said, I've been at this for awhile, I was aware of spyware ten years ago. I understand the fine print in these reviews. Okay, I figured I'd give it a try.
I'm actually happy with it. I do recommend it to all my friends, family, and colleagues. I was looking for a product that my wife and others who are NOT PC gurus to use. No problems yet. I've seen having installed it on about 5 systems (laptops, desktops).
It protects against more things in more ways than a lot of the other products out there. For example, it can protect your HOSTS file - so you don't fall prey to a 'pharming' attack where something modifies that file (which could redirect ALL your online banking or ebay traffic through a pirate system for example - invisible to you). It's not a traditional anti-spyware protection, some other products do that too, but not all. That's just one feature I like.
I just checked. My version (3.5) can automatically check for UPDATES of definitions - the 'fingerprints' of all 50,000 bots and bad code it checks for. It can check for UPGRADES in the program version and I found a new version - 4.0 is out. Pay extra to upgrade? Nope, you get free PROGRAM upgrades for 1 year from purchase date (which they have on file from registration - it checks automatically). Sent me an email with the link to download the new version in all of 10 seconds. Is that cool or what?
I think the GUI (the screen you're looking at when you use the product) is very well laid out. Easy to understand, looks great - smooth icons. A good mix of easy layout with the number of knobs and switches you need to configure it for your preferences.
I found a "download only" version available on the web from a reputable store for $10 less ($20 if I remember). But my wife wanted the book so she bought hers ($29 Best Buy) at retail. Worth it. I mean, how much could you loose from identity theft? [Don't ask. One fraud on my credit reports took six months to clean-up, and in the meantime, every credit card company automatically bumped me up to a higher interest rate, costing me about $200 a month difference, because I looked like a credit risk. And I was LUCKY.]
Yeah yeah, no product is perfect. No anti-spyware program will catch every single spybot or spamhelper as these things proliferate like mad. This could add additional load to your machine and make it a little slower. Guess, what? So does the spyware. Think of it more as an arms race. You have to protect yourself, your money, your identity, your interests - and I think this product does a really good job.
Okay, I'll share my opinion on the whole category of anti-spyware- maybe you are on the fence and don't know if you really need it. Let's face it, if you don't have a good firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software you are an idiot who is looking to not only give your money (directly and indirectly) to web pirates, but you are also threatening to make the Internet more dangerous for everybody else. I don't say that lightly. In case you hadn't heard, some people, even some organized crime groups, are looking for vulnerable machines and setting up those "free coupons" sites (or whatever - I don't want to talk about the kind of sites you might being going to!) and dumping bad code or tracking cookies or whatever is next, on you. Not just them, even normally legit companies want you personal information - duh, they can sell it.
So getting a good program, like this one has been for me, to take care of your machine, is really important. You can find out more online, find articles on spyware and learn just a little about it. Another example: Guy sits next to me at work checked his nephews PC last week, having been online unprotected for a few months (and guess what kind of sites he was going to...). Dozens of viruses, a few remote-control trojans, hundreds of spybots. Luckily the kid has no credit card. It was killing his PC, choking the performance. Took a day to cleanup. Unless your uncle is a kindly old tech-wizard you could pay big $$$ to have somebody perform that kind of surgery and save your digital bacon. All those "free" downloads - aren't!
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