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Spyware Doctor 2010 v7 Review

Product: Spyware Doctor 2010 v7
Price: $29.95
Company Info: PC Tools
Editor Rating:

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Review of Spyware Doctor 2010 v7 for Windows 7, Vista, XP.

Offered by PC Tools, Spyware Doctor 2010 version 7 has been hailed as one of the most innovative tools on the market by PC Magazine and PC Best Buy. With integrated features that include advanced updating and IntelliGuard Technology, a number of users are looking to this software to help step up protection on both home and business PCs alike. With the threat of newer, bigger spyware becoming an increasing problem every day, looking to solutions like Spyware Doctor 7 is only natural. The natural question, though, is whether or not it works enough to truly protect your PC from harm. Fortunately, our tests found that while the software solution does have some drawbacks involved, it seems to work quite well in protecting your machine from ongoing spyware problems.

Interface

One of the first things you notice about this program upon installation is that the design itself is fairly intuitive. Instead of the common submenus and continual dialog boxes you might find with most solutions, Spyware Doctor 7 uses a very basic tab design that is quite easy to use. Status, Start Scan, IntelliGuard, Settings, and Register are really the only tabs you see along the left menu panel, and the main part of the screen is reserved for the information necessary for each tab as well as the scan results themselves.

As with almost any one of these kinds of programs, installation does take some time to complete. Expect to spend between five and ten minutes during the actual installation, then expect an additional thirty to forty minutes during the initial update and scan process. The real benefit for many buyers with this program, though, is that if you have existing spyware problems on your machine, this particular program can be deployed during a safe mode startup, and it will actually remove any existing threats during that first scan, so you'll see some fairly immediate results as soon as you deploy it. Keep your registration code handy, however, because you'll have to enter it to remove the threats from your system. It's even possible to clean the system before you install it if you use PC Tool's bootable Linux CD image that can't be harmed by malware within Windows.

Like many programs of this type, it is possible to schedule weekly scans when it's convenient for you, and the interface has the ability to postpone certain tasks should you request it to do so. Each scan ends with a list of any potential threats the program found, as well as some fairly helpful information about the risk level for the item in question and a brief overview of that item. It's even possible to see what file and registry keys are associated with the item listed, and you can simply click for additional web-based information. Details online are quite extensive, and they may be able to help you make a decision with regard to file cleanup. Once you choose to quarantine a file, you can find this information quite easily again should you ever need it. Many, however, don't need an extensive database of information just to decide whether or not the solution is right for them. Most will simple cleanup the results, and even that is easy. Just click Cleanup, and you're good to go. Additionally, if you wish, you can create a restore point before the files are cleaned, so should the program find and remove a file you badly needed, it's simple to restore your system back to the settings it had directly before you made an error in judgement.

Updates, as with many similar programs, are automatic, and they are installed quietly in the background of your machine's normal running processes. You get free updates for a year after you've purchase the program, then you have to renew your program license to get further updates.

It's also fairly easy to shift the advanced settings to meet your ongoing protection needs should you desire to do so while the program is installed. This is a very helpful feature for computer users who are looking to have a bit more control over their antispyware solutions.

Performance

Performance is unquestionably good with this particular program. Most performance reviews look at two primary categories: how effectively the software actually completes the task and how the computer itself performs while the software is running. In the first category, Spyware Doctor seems to be a real winner. Both those threats that are well known and highly publicized and those that are undocumented are easily removed because this particular antispyware solution doesn't rely on its simple definitions list it has downloaded. It has a better level of technology that allows it to analyze various possible problems and make choices about them as it scans. When combined with the list of known threats it downloads on a regular basis, more threats are detected, giving users a higher level of protection. While it does have a few problems in the world of keylogger removal, it still performs as well as many other software solutions. Few others manage to catch as many keyloggers as this particular program did.

The software goes on to offer additional performance perks in terms of spyware removal thanks to its patented IntelliGuard interface. Much as the name would lead you to believe, IntelliGuard actually allows active protection for your computer as you perform your typical day to day tasks. You can choose several different settings in each subguard menu. Menus include: Behavior, Cookie, Immunizer, Browser, Email, File, Network, Process, Site, and Startup. Browsing through each of the potential settings may prove quite helpful in terms of preventing future spyware problems on your machine. Real time protection is just part of the nature of this program, so from drive-by downloads to ensuring you're safe from malicious websites and emails, the program really tackles the challenge of ongoing protection. Furthermore, unlike some, it works quietly in the background with its real time protection options.

Along with the actual performance in terms of virus removal must come some consideration about the performance of the machine during the scanning process, and here too, Spyware Doctor 7 offers a bit more than some other programs. The removal process itself is fairly quick, and while you wait for the scan to complete, you shouldn't notice any real downtime on your machine. If, however, you're in the process of advanced programs like games or video editing, Spyware Doctor 7 has come up with a unique solution. You can run the program as you normally might, but it also has a game mode that you can run so that it won't even slightly slow your system during the process or interrupt any full screen action you might be in the process of enjoying. In addition to that mode, however, there is a power saving setting so should you be on a laptop, it won't run the program and suck up your battery. Once you plug your laptop back in, normal functioning will resume.

Pros and Cons

+The ability to actively clean your computer during the actual install is a huge benefit for those with ongoing spyware problems. Because it can be deployed in safe mode, machines that may have trouble with other solutions because of the spyware itself shouldn't have any trouble getting a clean bill of health from this software.

+Three possible modes for ongoing scanning to allow you to choose the rate of the scan as well as how your computer works while the scanner is on. With a unique game mode as well as a power-saving mode, you have options that aren't available with other scanning type programs.

-Just as the name would imply, this is only an antispyware solution. It does not automatically come with antivirus protection, and that can be a real hassle for some.

-The trial version is a very stripped down interface, and that can make it a bit more difficult than you'd imagine to get the full feel of the program before you decide to deploy it permanently. For example, you can't remove any of the results you find with the scan during the trial mode, and there are a few other missing features. That said, simply reading the reviews convinces many that this is the right solution, even without the involved trial.

-Because of the IntelliGuard interface, you may find some of your valid files reported as problematic. In some ways, this is a real benefit, but it can be a hassle if the program continues to find the same kinds of files and report them to you on a continual basis.

Summary

Spyware Doctor 2010 version 7 is an excellent solution. At just US $29.95 for three computers within the same household, it is reasonably priced, and it catches many of the other problems programs that are similar can't even begin to tackle. With free support via phone, live chat, email, and even an online support community, it's the easy-to-use choice in the world of antispyware many computer users have been searching for.

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