The main Spybot window then appears. Before you do anything else, you should click the Search For Updates button.

Spybot will check to see if there are newer spyware definitions or any other program updates available. It’s important that you keep Spybot up to date.

After Spybot has retrieved a list of updates, select the ones you want and click Download Updates. Spybot will then download and apply the updates.

When the upates have loaded, click Search & Destroy in the left pane. You’ll then see this screen. Click Check For Problems.

You can note Spybot’s progress at the bottom of the screen. You can watch to see what checks are being made and how much longer the scan will take.

When the scan completes, you’ll see a list of problems found by spybot in the Problem list box. This list identifies spyware found on your system. If you click the [+], you can view more information about each entry. When all the items you want to delete are checked, click Fix Selected Problems.

If you have System Restore turned on Windows XP or Windows Me, Spybot will create a System Restore Point prior to removing spyware. This will make it easy for you to undo any potential problems that removing a piece of spyware may cause.

Spybot will prompt you to make sure you want to remove entries it detected as being spyware. Click Yes to continue.

At the bottom of the screen, Spybot will display an indicator so you can tell its progress as it removes spyware from your system.

Once Spybot removes all of the spyware, you’ll see a confirmation screen. Spybot marks all removed spyware with a large green check. Close Spybot when you’re done. rn

Sometimes Spybot can’t remove a piece of spyware and requires you to reboot. Spybot will run before Windows finishes loading and will then find and eliminate the offending piece of spyware.