Normally a failure to connect during and attempt to "Search for Updates" is accompanied by a message in the following format:
Error retrieving update info file!
Socket Error # nnnnn
Were nnnnn is the code of the Socket Error that was encountered:
Windows Sockets Error Codes
Socket Error # 10060 indicates:
Connection timed out.
A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or the established connection failed because the connected host has failed to respond.
The primary causes of Socket Errors are not being connected to the internet, firewalls and proxy servers.
Do you have a firewall? If you have a firewall:
You must authorize SpybotSD.exe to access the internet through your firewall. If you have a firewall and are not sure if that is the cause of the problem, you could (for a short period) disable the firewall and see if the updates work properly.
Are you sitting behind a proxy server? If you are sitting behind a proxy server:
Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced mode > Settings > Settings. About 2/3 of the way down the option tree there is a category "Web update". Check the last item in the list "Use proxy to connect to update server". A pop-up will come up were you can enter the information required.
If you are sitting behind a proxy server and need to know what the settings should be, there are hints in the following article on how to find them:
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
The integrated update is not working. Are there any solutions for this?
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/10.html
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