This tutorial will show you how to update and scan your PC with Spybot.

Spybot works in two ways.  The first by blocking Spyware from installing itself on your computer.  The second is by scanning for and removing traces of Spyware.  You should update this program once every one or two weeks.

Open Spybot

Click on "Search for Updates"

The screen below will come up and a progress indicator will move along at the bottom of the window.

When the check is complete you will be shown all available updates.  There may be none, one or many updates.

Click in the tick box beside each available update...

until all are selected (recommended).

Then click on the "Download Updates" button.

This window will pop up and show you the progress as each update is downloaded.

Once the updates have been downloaded successfully you will see the screen below.

Click on "Immunize"

If "Immunization Database" was one of the updates available a screen similar to the one below will appear.  Click OK.

Click the "Immunize" button with the green cross on it.  Note that under the green bar there is an exclamation mark in a yellow circle with a message beside it.

Once immunization has finished the yellow circle changes to green and the exclamation mark is replaced by a tick.  Also the the message will have changed.

If there was no update for the "Immunization Database" then this window will appear.  Click OK.

Click on "Search & Destroy"

Click "Check for Problems".

The "Check for Problems" button will change to "Stop check".  If for any reason you need to stop the check simply click this button.  If you continue a progress indicator will move along the bottom of the window.  Whilst watching this you may notice that the progress indicator stops occasionally.  There is nothing wrong unless it stops for more than 15 minutes so leave the program to it's own devices.

If no problems are found you will receive this screen.  Notice that the "Fix selected problems" option is greyed out.

If problems are found you will get a screen similar to this.  If you are heavily infested there can be many listings.  If there are a lot of problems detected right-click on any one of the problems listed and choose the "Select All" option.

Notice that the "Fix selected problems" option is no longer greyed out.

Click "Fix selected problems"

For those with Windows XP the following screen will appear.

Click "Yes"

The following confirmation dialog box will appear.  In cases of severe infestation you may get a message that not all problems were able to be fixed and can Spybot run a check on the next start-up.  Click Yes and run through the other checks here.  When you restart your PC next time it will check your machine as it boots up.  Try to remove any problems listed but if that fails please give me a call.

If all problems are fixed you will see something similar to the window below.