I know I'm new to the forums, but for what it's worth my opinion is that it should be enabled by default.
If you think about it, most (if not all) security tools which can scan files and folders have some level of Explorer integration enabled by default.
With Spybot, I was so surprised not to see this that I originally came here to make it a feature request - but then I saw that post I referenced first.
Plus, like you say, it does nothing unless you actually select it - and even then you can still click cancel.
So long as there is an option somewhere to disable it, I really can't see how it could cause any problems or complaints. And it's just too useful to hide.
At the absolute minimum, I think a menu option somewhere under Settings to enable it would be useful (even if not made into a default choice during install).
Perhaps in the meantime, a FAQ on the web site or in the documentation would be helpful. I actually did try searching before posting, but because I was searching on "explorer integration" I missed it. :red:
Also for future consideration, maybe think about Explorer context menu integration too. In other words, an entry to "Scan with Spybot-S&D" in the popup menu you get when right clicking selected files and/or folders. That's what other scanning products do, so it would probably be more intuitive for the average user (and require fewer steps). This could even be made into an option - either use the tab or use the context menu (or both).
Just for the record though, I am a little surprised this feature is slower than normal scanning. Spybot itself - especially the new beta - is really fast on scans. But when I click on the file properties Spybot tab, it takes quite a while to complete (once it starts). Any reason why that is slower than a regular scan?
