Spyware Doctor
Encyclopedia
Spyware Doctor is a spyware
removal product for Microsoft Windows
developed by PC Tools
.
, and cookies, and then attempts to quarantine or remove recognized threats. It also includes real-time protection
, which is set to startup automatically, attempts to block threats from being saved to the disk and suspicious programs running. It also features other detection via new toolbars and add-ons for web browser
s.
Spyware Doctor is designed for Windows 2000 and XP and also supports 32-bit
and 64-bit
versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.
and Symantec
, has now implemented an automatic renewal system whereby customer's subscriptions are renewed every year automatically until cancelled.Usually sold with Antivirus.
in March 2007. This version allows scan and removal of threats using an older version of the program, limited real-time protection, but uses a database with only 60% of the definition files, which does not include some viral threats.
Best Buy award in the October 2007 issue of the magazine saying "PC Tools' Spyware Doctor 5.0 was the winner, outperforming the competition at detecting and removing our test set of adware and spyware samples."
Spyware Doctor has received several Editors' Choice awards from PC Magazine, including one for Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.5 in 2008. The product has also received numerous other awards from around the globe.
Not all reviews have been positive and early versions of Spyware Doctor 5.0, which the company rewrote from scratch, received some negative commentary.
CNET's Download.com reviews, justifies the 3-star rating by saying, "in our trial scans, Spyware Doctor repeatedly flagged several dozen harmless cookies as potential threats, more than any other antispyware product we tested. We were also unable to learn more about each threat or why Spyware Doctor flagged each."
Spyware
Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on computers, and which collects small pieces of information about users without their knowledge. The presence of spyware is typically hidden from the user, and can be difficult to detect. Typically, spyware is secretly installed on the user's...
removal product for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
developed by PC Tools
PC Tools (company)
PC Tools , formerly known as WinGuides.com, is a software company headquartered in Australia with offices in the USA, UK, Ireland and Ukraine. It develops and distributes security and optimization software for the Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows platforms. There are over 200 employees...
.
Features
Spyware Doctor is a program which scans a computer for spyware, examining files on the hard drive, objects in memory, the Windows registryWindows registry
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
, and cookies, and then attempts to quarantine or remove recognized threats. It also includes real-time protection
Real-time protection
Real-time protection, on-access scanning, background guard, resident shield, autoprotect, and other synonyms refer to the automatic protection provided by most antivirus, antispyware, and other antimalware programs, which is arguably their most important feature...
, which is set to startup automatically, attempts to block threats from being saved to the disk and suspicious programs running. It also features other detection via new toolbars and add-ons for web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s.
Spyware Doctor is designed for Windows 2000 and XP and also supports 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
and 64-bit
64-bit
64-bit is a word size that defines certain classes of computer architecture, buses, memory and CPUs, and by extension the software that runs on them. 64-bit CPUs have existed in supercomputers since the 1970s and in RISC-based workstations and servers since the early 1990s...
versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7.
License
Spyware Doctor is not free, which is not made clear until you install and run it. Before removing any found threats, a registration fee is required. Without purchasing, a user can not remove the threats and it is not easy to tell where the infected files are located. Normally purchased as a yearly subscription that includes new versions and updates and available online as well as in retail stores, PC Tools, like other security companies, such as McAfeeMcAfee
McAfee, Inc. is a computer security company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. It markets software and services to home users, businesses and the public sector. On August 19, 2010, electronics company Intel agreed to purchase McAfee for $7.68 billion...
and Symantec
Symantec
Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...
, has now implemented an automatic renewal system whereby customer's subscriptions are renewed every year automatically until cancelled.Usually sold with Antivirus.
Starter Edition
Spyware Doctor Starter Edition was included in the Google PackGoogle Pack
Google Pack was a collection of software tools offered by Google to download in a single archive. It was announced at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show, on January 6. Google Pack is currently only available for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7...
in March 2007. This version allows scan and removal of threats using an older version of the program, limited real-time protection, but uses a database with only 60% of the definition files, which does not include some viral threats.
Awards and reviews
Spyware Doctor received the PC WorldPC World (magazine)
PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
Best Buy award in the October 2007 issue of the magazine saying "PC Tools' Spyware Doctor 5.0 was the winner, outperforming the competition at detecting and removing our test set of adware and spyware samples."
Spyware Doctor has received several Editors' Choice awards from PC Magazine, including one for Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 5.5 in 2008. The product has also received numerous other awards from around the globe.
Not all reviews have been positive and early versions of Spyware Doctor 5.0, which the company rewrote from scratch, received some negative commentary.
CNET's Download.com reviews, justifies the 3-star rating by saying, "in our trial scans, Spyware Doctor repeatedly flagged several dozen harmless cookies as potential threats, more than any other antispyware product we tested. We were also unable to learn more about each threat or why Spyware Doctor flagged each."
External links
- Official Spyware Doctor website
- PCWorld.com "Best Vista Antispyware", PC World, August 21, 2007.
- Rubenking, Neil J. "You Need Antispyware - Spyware Doctor 4.0", PC Magazine, July 20, 2006.
- Rebbapragada, Narasu. "Spyware Doctor Review", PC World, August 23, 2006.
- Spyware Doctor Review