Thread: Spybot

Search around the room that your computer is in, look for hidden cameras, some bugger is having a go at you.

I've been using Spybot for several years without problems, so my guess is as some others have said - Spybot has stopped some bit of malware from functioning properly (from its point of view) which is generating the errors, quite likely some sort of key press tracker.

As a cross check, I suggest downloading MalwareBytes anti-virus PLUS their Anti Rootkit program, then run both of them in succession. I found that I had acquired several instances of at least 2 different rootkits that several anti-virus programs could not find, it took a couple of runs with the anti rootkit program to get rid of the last one.

Thanks mate, I'll try that.

The volume control one is the most bizarre.

Hey Brett, maybe we can all have a crack at fixing it on the 5th.
Seriously though, I've been using Spybot for years and never had a problem. On the other hand, I used to have probs with the computer when it woke up from Hibernation, so much so that I disabled hibernation and just use the screensave option.

Windows 7, Firefox.

Originally Posted by Grumpy John

Hey Brett, maybe we can all have a crack at fixing it on the 5th.

My greatest fear - trying to sort it out before 30 chiefs descend upon it

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

My greatest fear - trying to sort it out before 30 chiefs descend upon it

30 chiefs are 30 times better than 30 'knowledgeable' mates.

Ok, I've downloaded and run MalWare Bytes and the Anti RootKit, and neither of them found anything - zero detected.

I'm still getting the error msg with Volume control and a few others, which is very hamstringing.

So, now I'm going to uninstall SpyBot which i think will do exactly zip, but worth a try.

If you don't hear from me again, think well of me.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Ok, I've downloaded and run MalWare Bytes and the Anti RootKit, and neither of them found anything - zero detected.

I'm still getting the error msg with Volume control and a few others, which is very hamstringing.

So, now I'm going to uninstall SpyBot which i think will do exactly zip, but worth a try.

If you don't hear from me again, think well of me.

Just before I go, the Pgms pinned to the start menu have all changed, and currently I'm trying to list "All Programs" to go about the uninstall of SpyBot. I can't even get the list of programs without the Data Execution Prevention msg which locks the computer (except for Firefox) until I dismiss it, then dismiss "Send a report that we won't read just to aggravate even more" msg. Inbetween clsong those two msgs the opening of the pgm list tries to snatch whatever cpu it can, but because there's bugger all, it takes forever, and the msg comes up every 3 seconds roughly.

THIS is starting to tick me right off!

It's gonna REALLY make my day when I have the proof that uninstalling SB hasn't changed anything.

Btw, I haven't even bothered trying to take a screen shot to show because I doubt it can be done atm.

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Just before I go, the Pgms pinned to the start menu have all changed, and currently I'm trying to list "All Programs" to go about the uninstall of SpyBot. I can't even get the list of programs without the Data Execution Prevention msg which locks the computer (except for Firefox) until I dismiss it, then dismiss "Send a report that we won't read just to aggravate even more" msg. Inbetween clsong those two msgs the opening of the pgm list tries to snatch whatever cpu it can, but because there's bugger all, it takes forever, and the msg comes up every 3 seconds roughly.

THIS is starting to tick me right off!

It's gonna REALLY make my day when I have the proof that uninstalling SB hasn't changed anything.

Btw, I haven't even bothered trying to take a screen shot to show because I doubt it can be done atm.

Uninstalling it may or may not change things, but it's the first thing to try.
Instead of listing all programs, try going straight to Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. Might be easier/faster.

O'course ya don't do it through All Pgms, ya duz it through the Control Panel. Which of course meant going through an additional round of msgs.

Well that was all a bit odd. The short answer is that the Vol.Control now works as it should, as does opening the Cont.Panel.

After SpyBot was uninstalled I did a restart, and some rather nerve wracking msgs came up about MS Office being reinstalled (eh??). Then it just opened up Excel by itself (only 30 seconds later), but not before telling me that there was some kind of error with RefTreeAnalyser (an Excel Add-on that I installed some years ago). So that has apparently been disabled or dissed something.

So far, so good. I'll report back in a couple of hours.

In the mean time I would suggest that if Spybot is recommended to anyone that they should know about the immunisation and what it can do. It is completely indiscriminant, and just puts everything into quarantine (some info from SpyBot themselves about this would have been very useful). It's not until after you have immunised that you find out you've got problems - big problems.

I have previously listed what steps I took to solve the msgs coming up with absolutely any move made (opening folders, files, volume, you name it) and got it down to just a few things causing the msg, but that list was sure growing.

I still find it hard to believe that SpyBot found nothing over level 5 (and the majority of them were MS pgms), MalWare found nothing at all, after years on the net. My MacAfee contract expired about 4 years ago.

As I was uninstalling a msgbox came up asking if I wanted to tell them why I was uninstalling. Some yank will be scratching his head trying to figure out the Aussie vernacular, but I'm sure that the expletives will give him/her the gist. It was a very poor experience indeed.

Anyway, I'll pop back later on.

Hello FF, no update on your progress????

FYI - I have used SBS&D for I reckon 10 years...it is fine to use - visit the tools menu tab to investigate it further and give it the tuning you need

I run SBS&D combined now with MalwareBytes, MS essentials and CCleaner under XP. All free. Run these often and NFP.

maybe it's because you have a HDD with 32GB capacity and probably running Pentium 3 or 4, and it is now 2013

Oopsie, forgot to call back. Its all good now after I uninstalled spy bot.