New version coming soon

[robwild]

Hi Guys, just received an email from PC Tools support advising me:-

If you are experiencing technical problems such as slow responsiveness of your computer or problems accessing the internet after upgrading to Spyware Doctor 5.0, we recommend that you revert back to Spyware Doctor 4.0 until Tuesday 3rd April when there will be a new version of Spyware Doctor 5.0 (with included fixes) available to download.

To revert back to Spyware Doctor 4.0, please complete the following steps:

1. Uninstall Spyware Doctor 5.0 (Start > Programs > Spyware Doctor > Uninstall Spyware Doctor)

2. Restart your computer

3. Download Spyware Doctor 4.0 from: http://www.pctools.com/downloads/sd4setup.exe

4. Install the sd4setup.exe file downloaded in the previous step

Hope is on the horizon!

[Brentham]

You hold out a glimmer of hope.

V4 is an excellent product whereas V5 is crap.

What a pity this message had to come from a User rather than PCTools direct.

[robwild]

Perhaps they did not want to publically commit themselves to a date yet!

[Gary]

You hold out a glimmer of hope.

V4 is an excellent product whereas V5 is crap.

What a pity this message had to come from a User rather than PCTools direct.


I can't even get a response from an email I sent last week.

[robwild]

You might want to read this:-

http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/03/28/spyware_doctor_bugs/

If as PC Tools VP of Product Strategy, Michael Green, says only "50 people were posting issues with the product" why does it take Support so long to reply to some people's emails?

Having said that I feel honoured, I've had 4 emails from them in the last fortnight, sadly none of them resolved my issues, hence I've uninstalled v5 for the fourth and last time for now.

As sales of v5 are said to be up 20% and a free version of v5 is to be added to Google Pack presumably "the small percentage of customers that have experienced problems" with SD5 will grow.

Roll on April 3rd (at least, wisely, the VP of Product Strategy chose not to release the new version on the 1st) I'll read the feedback and may risk a fifth installation at some point after that.

[Cutter]

Kind of annoys me they quoted 50 people, I’d like to know how many computers got formatted due to version 5, also how many people don't know about version 5 yet, or who just can't be bothered to vent there disappointment in a forum, or who have had a look and people who have mentioned bugs have already mentioned them so what's the point in going on.

I've used spyware doctor a little over 8months now, this is the first time in 8 months I haven’t got spyware doctor on my pc.

Spyware slows down your pc, yet spyware doctor slows your pc down even more, at least I can look online now, with out random freezes, and constant pop ups saying it can't connect due to norton blocking it.

Fingers crossed it gets sorted and I’m sure it will, but I’ll trust Symantec over pctools any time of the day.

Cutter.

[tom.tdw]

Hi Guys, just received an email from PC Tools support advising me:-

If you are experiencing technical problems such as slow responsiveness of your computer or problems accessing the internet after upgrading to Spyware Doctor 5.0, we recommend that you revert back to Spyware Doctor 4.0 until Tuesday 3rd April when there will be a new version of Spyware Doctor 5.0 (with included fixes) available to download.

To revert back to Spyware Doctor 4.0, please complete the following steps:

1. Uninstall Spyware Doctor 5.0 (Start > Programs > Spyware Doctor > Uninstall Spyware Doctor)

2. Restart your computer

3. Download Spyware Doctor 4.0 from: http://www.pctools.com/downloads/sd4setup.exe

4. Install the sd4setup.exe file downloaded in the previous step

Hope is on the horizon!
do you mean version 5.0.0.174 (not 5.0.0.172 0r 5.0.0.169)

this resolves most issues but not all

[robwild]

Text you have quoted is exactly as received from PC Tools today, I simply cut and pasted it and put it in italics!

[InvisibleMan]

Per robwild's post...I am waiting for April 3 to arrive. Let's hope rob's info is true and that any new version "goes down smoother than Guzzlers Gin". (Borrowed from a Red Skelton phrase, if you are old enough to remember.) :rolleyes:

[socrfan]

And it's April 3 and we're still waiting. What concerns me is why didn't anybody else post about getting an "e-mail from PC Tools"?? Hmmm. Yes we remember Red Skelton, back when comedy was actually funny.:)

[mjq424]

Hi
I have seen reports that a new build was due for release today. I was disappointed when there wasnt! I have queried this with the powers that be. Hopefully they'll let us all know!:)

[adchia]

I think its already been released...

Check this page: http://www.dozleng.com/updates/index.php?act=calendar&code=showevent&calendar_id=1&event_id=37033

It says that the version number is 5.07020

[mjq424]

Hi
SDv5.0.0.176 is the current version. The new version should be 5.0.0.178 or 5.0.0.180 or something like that. That post you have seen just highlights the new definitions database entries in todays smart updates.

[adchia]

well....it says this:

Spyware Doctor to 5.07020.
Updated with 439534 intelli-signatures.
3rd Apr, 2007 07:37:04 AM

The signatures are said, but it also says that its version 5.07020

That should be a program version number.....

[mjq424]

Hi
That number is the signature id number. Please notice that version numbers come with "." inbetween numbers ie 5.0.0.176

[adchia]

oh right...heh...just looked at their screenshot

[dsteve54]

To be fair, I have to say that supermoderator AChen on this site has been good to me...he apparently is a PC Tools employee, I guess, but I think his capabilities to address things are limited.

Unfortunately, that is where the good news ends. My actual tech support cases directly to PC Tools have been ignored from the day SWD 5.0 beta came out, except one canned reply on simply how to uninstall and reinstall (and then apparently a closed case to that from their viewpoint) . Of course, I have since had to follow that instruction ad infinitum.

I cannot seem to wrap my mind around what they were even trying to do with SWD 5.x.....I was using SWD 4.x TOTALLY fine my exact same environment, and while it did cause some performance hit, it was nothing like SWD 5.x. I cannot really see much add'l functionality that is truly useful, and the way they are now handling the TSR aspect is just flat not working for me. I can only hope that maybe the internal engine to root out spyware is better, because other functionality is not.

It just looks like a rush to market or something without the corresponding infrastructure to support it.
I do not even see what the big rush would be anyway; SWD 4.0 was working fine....they should have kept this SWD 5.x (whether .176 or whatever) in the testing mode much longer.

Well, whenever a newer version that is fact rather than rumor, I will cross my fingers....I am getting tired of wrestling with this product.

[Keith Warner]

The link in AChen's signature still gets you .176. Should I dump my Recycle Bin, or just rename it the "Spyware Doctor Bin"?

http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/e088.gif

KW

[pjones006]

And it's April 3 and we're still waiting. What concerns me is why didn't anybody else post about getting an "e-mail from PC Tools"?? Hmmm. Yes we remember Red Skelton, back when comedy was actually funny.:)
I did receive a reply back from pctools and it only took 6 days!! I must be on a lucky streak!!

[mjq424]

Please note the release of SDv5.0.0.177 today (4th April!)

[ajm]

Please note the release of SDv5.0.0.177 today (4th April!)

Yeah, but I wonder what exactly does it fix? AChen's release post only mentions the addition of kernel compatibility mode, but that of course has already been in there. No mention of any other fixes at all. Just the stock post with 176 replaced with 177. It would be nice to know if they actually fixed any problems!

As I am still getting system lockups (including one apparently caused by smart update updating to 177) I would like to know if there is any prayer of this build preventing this crap from happening. I am getting real sick of being an unsolicited freakin' beta tester! I am getting real close to bailing completely on this product - that is, if I can get my money back!