Product Reviews

Spy Sweeper has a good track record of protecting against spyware and other forms of malware (malicious software). It detects and removes programs that infiltrate PCs and deliver unwanted advertisements, steal passwords, record browsing habits, or commandeer private computers for the forwarding of email spam.

Unfortunately, by the time Spy Sweeper reached version 4 it had become something of a memory hog, demanding too many resources from its host computer and slowing Windows down, but this was fixed in version 5. Now we have version 5.2 and for the first time in the UK we are given the chance to buy Spy Sweeper as it has been sold in the US,

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with the option of built-in anti-virus protection.

The anti-virus element is courtesy of Sophos, a company that usually prefers to deal with business customers rather than end users, so this is a great way of getting a quality anti-virus product for little more than you'd expect to pay for anti-spyware alone.

Installing the software is a bit of a bind because only half the program is on the CD - the rest has to be downloaded during installation. This is fine for broadband users, but not for those relying on a dial-up modem. The download is necessary because Webroot guarantees to always install the latest version of Spy Sweeper on any PC. Once the program is up and running, you should perform a full system sweep for existing viruses and spyware, a process that could take several hours. Spy Sweeper then continues to work in the background, providing real-time protection against new threats that might try to infiltrate your PC.

By default, sweeps are scheduled at regular intervals, and updates take place each day, but you can change these settings and opt for manual sweeps and updates if you prefer. In fact, there are a myriad of options for inveterate tweakers, but it works just as well if left to its own devices.