After I create a backup of the registry with spybot 1.6.2, there`re 2 problems:
1.) If I click on the Recovery button, I don`t see the backup of the registry in the interface of the program.
2.) This backup are stored at my hard disk in the path "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy".
Should I change some settings in the program to get a complete portable app?
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[BaseAppIssue] Spybot Portable 1.6.2 backups stored locally
January 4, 2011 - 2:15pm
#1
[BaseAppIssue] Spybot Portable 1.6.2 backups stored locally
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I'll take a look at this. Are you sure the backups remain in that folder after the program has exited?
EDIT: Could you also provide a step-by-step of what you did?
I detect, that after the start of the program spybot then the folder "Spybot - Search & Destroy" are created. The complete path for this folder in Windows XP is: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search&Destroy\. This folder contains 6 subfolders (Backups, Excludes, Logs, Recovery, Snapshots and Snapshots2) and 3 files (Configuration.ini, Immunization.ini and Statistics.ini). In the subfolder "Backups" are included 2 files regusers.reg and reglocal.reg. After I closed the program spybot the folder "Spybot - Search & Destroy" now has deleted. Therefore is the program portable.
Here is the way to create a backup of the registry:
1.) After the start of the program click the button "Settings" in the navigationbar left-hand.
2.) In the popup menu below "Settings" again click at the button "Settings".
3.) In the toolbar above click now on the button "Wizard"
4.) In the popup window "Spybot S&D-Settings" in step 3 you can create a backup of the registry, which is stored in the folder "Backups" in the 2 files regusers.reg and reglocal.reg (look above).
Ah, so the only problem is that Spybot Portable doesn't see the backups, and not that they don't get removed from the local drive? Alright, I'll take a look a little later today.
I did this on a local install and they don't show up in the recovery tab either.
My assumption under Nr. 1 of my first post was false, because in the recovery section of the program only listed spyware, which was deleted in the past. The backup of the registry don't appear in this section. In order to revert to a registry backup, it's necessary to run Windows in Safe Mode ( for more details look at http://www.safer-networking.org/en/howto/backup.html ).
But the problem under Nr. 2 of my original post remain unaffected and is independent from the described problem under Nr. 1. How can it be, that the folder "Spybot - Search & Destroy" only visible in the case, if the program is started?
That's how the launcher works for nearly all portable apps.
The base app performs like normal when it is running, so it looks into the all users app data folder for its settings (we don't change how the program itself works), and the launcher takes all settings and registry entries for the base app from the host computer and moves it all into the data folder in the portable app's folder.
Thank you for the good explanation how the launcher works. It's really so, that in the Data folder in the portable app`s folder I find the folder "Spybot", which is identical with the described folder "Spybot - Search & Destroy". If I understand you correct, then in case of the running program the folder "Spybot" included in the data folder in the portable app's folder transformed to the folder "Spybot - Search & Destroy" in the all users app data folder.
That is exactly correct. You're welcome.
… and don’t forget to be extremely cautious with powerful apps like Spybot! Those programs are typically not "aware" that they’re running portably.
So if you run it on more than one machine you might accidentally "restore" something onto the wrong machine and mess it up beyond all repair! Just imagine what would happen if you backed up the registry on your desktop machine and accidentally restore it onto your laptop … crash, boom, boing! FUBAR.
Sorry to revive an old thread, but after just trying out Portable Spybot for the fist time (with no previous Spybot experience), and reading all the relevant threads I could find on PA.c, Moonbase's post above really hit home!
While I'm not a computer novice or a "click everything" sort of guy, I am going through some health problems which affect my mental concentration.
My initial impression of Spybot is that it's a useful tool I should continue using, as it did identify and (I trust) remove a bunch of malicious stuff. My intention is to use the Portable version to periodically check several different machines.
What are some guidelines for how I should proceed? It looks like some of the program's features are best used only on the fully installed program. Should I just limit myself to using certain features? Would I be safer if I used a separate Portable Spybot installation for each computer I'm using?
I'm considering eventually using the installed version of Spybot, but there are a lot of other tasks I need to complete first, and, like I said, mental concentration is limited. I'm also holding off because I'm reading on the forums about no support yet for Firefox 4 or Thunderbird 3, and there are numerous threads on their forum about uninstallation problems.
Maybe the thing for me to do is install Portable Spybot locally to each of the machines?
Rick Carter