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Running a Sweep
You can run a sweep on your computer at any time. Running a sweep means that Spy Sweeper looks for spyware installed on your computer and removes it. Initially, it quarantines the spyware, making it inoperable, but permitting you to restore it if you find you need it to continue using another program.
Once you find that you do not need the spyware, you can delete it permanently. For more information, see Deleting Spyware Permanently.
You can also set up Spy Sweeper to run sweeps automatically. For more information, see Scheduling Sweeps.
To run a sweep:
- Close all programs that are open.
- Spy Sweeper may not be able to remove spyware associated with a particular program if that program is running. For best results, close all programs that are listed in the taskbar at bottom of your screen. You do not need to close programs that are running in background in the system tray in the lower-right corner of your screen.
Note: You can leave a word processing program open if you need to work while running a sweep. If you do this, you should set Spy Sweeper to a low priority by clicking Options in the icon panel and selecting Low as the Sweep Priority Level on the Configure tab.
- Start Spy Sweeper, if it is not already running, and display the main window.
- For more information, see Starting Spy Sweeper.
- In the icon panel, click Sweep Now.
- For information about the Spy Sweeper window, see Understanding the Spy Sweeper Window.
- The Step 1 Sweep System panel displays.
- Click Start.
- Spy Sweeper runs the sweep based on the options you selected. For more information setting options, see Setting Sweep Options.
- The lower-left part of the panel shows what Spy Sweeper is currently scanning. After you run the sweep the first time, Spy Sweeper displays an estimate of how long the sweep will take.
- To pause the sweep, click Pause. An Information window displays letting you know that the sweep is paused. When you want to resume the sweep where it left off, click OK.
- To stop the sweep, click Stop.
Click to see a description of each field in this panel.
Field Description Software Fingerprints Loaded This is the number of fingerprints that Spy Sweeper is looking for. Multiple fingerprints make up the definition of a spy. You should update your Spy Sweeper definitions regularly to ensure that you are using the most current version. For more information, see Updating Spy Sweeper Definitions. Memory Items Inspected This is the number of pieces of programs that Spy Sweeper swept in your computer's memory. Some of these pieces may be part of spyware. Registry Items Inspected This is the number of items in the Windows registry that Spy Sweeper swept. Some registry entries may be associated with spyware. Files/Folders Inspected This is the number of files and folders on the selected drives that Spy Sweeper swept. Software Found This is the number of spyware programs that Spy Sweeper found. Traces Found This is the number of traces of spyware programs that Spy Sweeper found. Traces are places where Spy Sweeper finds spyware fingerprints.
- When the sweep is finished, click Next.
- The Step 2 Remove Spies panel displays with a list all of the spyware found.
Click to see a description of each field in this panel.
Field Description Software Found This is the number of spyware programs that Spy Sweeper found. Associated Traces Found This is the number of traces of spyware programs that Spy Sweeper found. Traces are places where Spy Sweeper finds spyware fingerprints. Spy Sweeper looks for all known traces of each spyware program. List of software found This is the list of the spyware that Spy Sweeper found. Click the plus sign (+) next to an item to see the full path to the traces found. Select the check box next each spyware item or trace to remove and hold the spyware or individual trace in the Quarantine Folder. Software Name This is the name of the currently selected spyware. Location This is the number of traces found of the currently selected spyware. If you click the plus sign (+) and select lower level item, this displays the full path to the selected item. Fingerprint Type This is how closely the currently selected spy fingerprint matched Spy Sweeper's database of spyware fingerprints:
- Exact MatchThe fingerprint matches the spyware database exactly, which means that Spy Sweeper is sure this is spyware.
- Name MatchSome or all of the name of this fingerprint match, but the fingerprint is not an exact match in all aspects to spyware in the spyware database. Spy Sweeper is not sure that this is spyware.
Category This is the type of spyware of the currently selected spyware. See the Glossary for definitions of the types.
- To learn more about any spyware listed, select it and click More Details.
Note: You must be connected to the Internet to see the additional information.
- Deselect any spyware that you want to keep.
- By default, Spy Sweeper selects all of the listed spyware, which means Spy Sweeper will remove the spyware programs and put them in the Quarantine folder. You can restore spyware from the quarantine folder if you find that a program you need will not work properly after removing an associated spyware program. For more information, see Restoring Spyware.
- Click Next to remove and quarantine all selected spyware.
- The remove and quarantine process copies the spyware traces to a Quarantine folder. Spy Sweeper first encrypts each trace, removes it from its original location (so it will no longer run), then copies it. This process can take several minutes or longer depending on how many traces Spy Sweeper found and the speed of your computer.
- The Information box at the bottom of the panel shows the progress of the removal process and tells you when the process is complete.
- The Step 3 Results panel displays the Summary tab with a summary of the sweep and remove processes. For more information about the results, see Viewing Sweep Results.
- Click Finish to return to the Spy Sweeper main window.
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