Spybot Freezing Up

[MerryMav@gmail.com]

Hi, Guys!

Hoping someone can explain a few things to me in re Spybot:

1) I've got it set to auto-scan on "Start-Up" but it takes 45 minutes
to scan before I can even begin to use my system---is this normal?!

2) Lately, out of 73083 processes (?) to be scanned, my system freezes
up at 42522 on account of something called "AdMoke" so I never get to
that point, at the end, where I can click the "Fix problems"
feature---
I have to turn off the tower via the back button---so, I take it
problems aren't getting fixed...? Spybot has also frozen on:

a) MyWay.MyWebSearch
b) Microsoft.Windows.SecurityFirewallOpenPorts
c) Hotbar
d) Vario.AntiVirus

3) Exactly, how much do I really need Spybot? Somebody else installed
it, someone who was visiting all kinds of dubious sites as well as
downloading alot from Bittorrents sites 24/7---this person no longer
has access to my system but he insisted Spybot was essential,
especially, if my tower was directly connected to my ISP (my cable
modem box through Time Warner Cable). He claimed there was no
Firewall, therefore, Spybot was needed in this instance more than ever

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated---I've got McAfee running for
viruses and there is a Firewall icon on my Control Panel (a feature of
Windows XP?) but am not sure if it is enabled.

Doesn't Time Warner cable have some kind of a built-in Firewall?
Should I have one and which do you recommend?

Thanks a million!

---MM

[Tom Willett]

http://forums.spybot.info/index.php

<MerryMav@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1185543030.988193.81150@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
| Hi, Guys!
|
| Hoping someone can explain a few things to me in re Spybot:
|
| 1) I've got it set to auto-scan on "Start-Up" but it takes 45 minutes
| to scan before I can even begin to use my system---is this normal?!
|
| 2) Lately, out of 73083 processes (?) to be scanned, my system freezes
| up at 42522 on account of something called "AdMoke" so I never get to
| that point, at the end, where I can click the "Fix problems"
| feature---
| I have to turn off the tower via the back button---so, I take it
| problems aren't getting fixed...? Spybot has also frozen on:
|
| a) MyWay.MyWebSearch
| b) Microsoft.Windows.SecurityFirewallOpenPorts
| c) Hotbar
| d) Vario.AntiVirus
|
| 3) Exactly, how much do I really need Spybot? Somebody else installed
| it, someone who was visiting all kinds of dubious sites as well as
| downloading alot from Bittorrents sites 24/7---this person no longer
| has access to my system but he insisted Spybot was essential,
| especially, if my tower was directly connected to my ISP (my cable
| modem box through Time Warner Cable). He claimed there was no
| Firewall, therefore, Spybot was needed in this instance more than ever
|
| Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated---I've got McAfee running for
| viruses and there is a Firewall icon on my Control Panel (a feature of
| Windows XP?) but am not sure if it is enabled.
|
| Doesn't Time Warner cable have some kind of a built-in Firewall?
| Should I have one and which do you recommend?
|
| Thanks a million!
|
| ---MM
|

[Daave]

MerryMav@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi, Guys!
>
> Hoping someone can explain a few things to me in re Spybot:
>
> 1) I've got it set to auto-scan on "Start-Up" but it takes 45 minutes
> to scan before I can even begin to use my system---is this normal?!

What kind of PC do you have (make and model number) and what are its
specs? I suppose if you're running a clunker, 45 minutes is normal, but
I would imagine there's something else simultaneously running at
startup--perhaps a virus scan--slowing things down.

> 2) Lately, out of 73083 processes (?) to be scanned, my system freezes
> up at 42522 on account of something called "AdMoke" so I never get to
> that point, at the end, where I can click the "Fix problems"
> feature---
> I have to turn off the tower via the back button---so, I take it
> problems aren't getting fixed...? Spybot has also frozen on:
>
> a) MyWay.MyWebSearch
> b) Microsoft.Windows.SecurityFirewallOpenPorts
> c) Hotbar
> d) Vario.AntiVirus

Does your whole system freeze? Or is it that Spybot hangs? What happens
when you press ctr+alt+del?

Either you have spyware (which is likely) or there's something wrong
with Spybot S&D, which is causing it to hang while scanning. What
version are you running? Do you have the latest definitions? Have you
scanned in Safe Mode?

> 3) Exactly, how much do I really need Spybot?

You need it. Or at least something at least as good. I would keep it but
would configure it so it doesn't scan at startup. Make sure you have the
latest version with the latest definitions, and manually scan in Safe
Mode if you can't successfully manually scan in regular mode.

> Somebody else installed
> it, someone who was visiting all kinds of dubious sites as well as
> downloading alot from Bittorrents sites 24/7---this person no longer
> has access to my system but he insisted Spybot was essential,
> especially, if my tower was directly connected to my ISP (my cable
> modem box through Time Warner Cable). He claimed there was no
> Firewall, therefore, Spybot was needed in this instance more than ever

If your PC was being used to visit "all kinds of dubious sites," you
very well may have malware. Not only is a working version of Spybot S&D
essential, but so is a firewall. You *could* just use XP's built-in
firewall (which is better than nothing), but it only blocks incoming,
not outgoing. He probably meant that if you don't have a hardware
firewall (i.e., a NAT router between your cable modem and your PC), you
need *some* kind of protection. But he is wrong that all you need is an
anti-spyware app like Spybot. You also need a firewall. And a two-way
firewall, especially in your case, is a very good idea.

> Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated---I've got McAfee running for
> viruses and there is a Firewall icon on my Control Panel (a feature of
> Windows XP?) but am not sure if it is enabled.

McAfee is a resource hog and often causes many problems, especially on
PCs without that much RAM. I would dump it and instead use one of the
following:

Paid versions which are highly recommended include NOD32:

http://www.eset.com/products/windows.php

.... and Kaspersky:

http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_se...meProducts.php

Actually, you can download a free (for a year) version of Kaspersky
(it's AOL's branded version, but it has the same engine):

http://www.activevirusshield.com/

The following antivirus programs are all free and have *many* fans:

AVG (this is what I use)
http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/

avast!
http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html

AntiVir
http://www.free-av.com/

> Doesn't Time Warner cable have some kind of a built-in Firewall?

Do you mean does your ISP provide you with a software firewall? It's
possible; I don't know. Only you would know the answer to this question.
Search your Programs folder and see.

> Should I have one and which do you recommend?

Comodo is popular and free:
http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/

Kerio, Sygate, and Zone Alarm also have many fans:
http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/200...p#1.10Firewall

Also, other anti-spyware apps you could/should use include:

Ad-Aware 2007 Free (this complements Spybot S&D nicely):
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

Spyware Blaster (this helps prevent spyware from being installed):
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

A-Squared (use if the above combination doesn't work):
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

CWShredder (use if the above combination doesn't work):
http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products...al/CWShredder/

I've also heard good things about SUPERAntiSpyware (although I haven't
used it):
http://www.superantispyware.com/

[MerryMav@gmail.com]

On Jul 27, 7:35 am, "Daave" <dcwashNOS...@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:
> Merry...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Hi, Guys!
>
> > Hoping someone can explain a few things to me in re Spybot:
>
> > 1) I've got it set to auto-scan on "Start-Up" but it takes 45 minutes
> > to scan before I can even begin to use my system---is this normal?!
>
> What kind of PC do you have (make and model number) and what are its
> specs? I suppose if you're running a clunker, 45 minutes is normal, but
> I would imagine there's something else simultaneously running at
> startup--perhaps a virus scan--slowing things down.
>
> > 2) Lately, out of 73083 processes (?) to be scanned, my system freezes
> > up at 42522 on account of something called "AdMoke" so I never get to
> > that point, at the end, where I can click the "Fix problems"
> > feature---
> > I have to turn off the tower via the back button---so, I take it
> > problems aren't getting fixed...? Spybot has also frozen on:
>
> > a) MyWay.MyWebSearch
> > b) Microsoft.Windows.SecurityFirewallOpenPorts
> > c) Hotbar
> > d) Vario.AntiVirus
>
> Does your whole system freeze? Or is it that Spybot hangs? What happens
> when you press ctr+alt+del?
>
> Either you have spyware (which is likely) or there's something wrong
> with Spybot S&D, which is causing it to hang while scanning. What
> version are you running? Do you have the latest definitions? Have you
> scanned in Safe Mode?
>
> > 3) Exactly, how much do I really need Spybot?
>
> You need it. Or at least something at least as good. I would keep it but
> would configure it so it doesn't scan at startup. Make sure you have the
> latest version with the latest definitions, and manually scan in Safe
> Mode if you can't successfully manually scan in regular mode.
>
> > Somebody else installed
> > it, someone who was visiting all kinds of dubious sites as well as
> > downloading alot from Bittorrents sites 24/7---this person no longer
> > has access to my system but he insisted Spybot was essential,
> > especially, if my tower was directly connected to my ISP (my cable
> > modem box through Time Warner Cable). He claimed there was no
> > Firewall, therefore, Spybot was needed in this instance more than ever
>
> If your PC was being used to visit "all kinds of dubious sites," you
> very well may have malware. Not only is a working version of Spybot S&D
> essential, but so is a firewall. You *could* just use XP's built-in
> firewall (which is better than nothing), but it only blocks incoming,
> not outgoing. He probably meant that if you don't have a hardware
> firewall (i.e., a NAT router between your cable modem and your PC), you
> need *some* kind of protection. But he is wrong that all you need is an
> anti-spyware app like Spybot. You also need a firewall. And a two-way
> firewall, especially in your case, is a very good idea.
>
> > Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated---I've got McAfee running for
> > viruses and there is a Firewall icon on my Control Panel (a feature of
> > Windows XP?) but am not sure if it is enabled.
>
> McAfee is a resource hog and often causes many problems, especially on
> PCs without that much RAM. I would dump it and instead use one of the
> following:
>
> Paid versions which are highly recommended include NOD32:
>
> http://www.eset.com/products/windows.php
>
> ... and Kaspersky:
>
> http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_se...meProducts.php
>
> Actually, you can download a free (for a year) version of Kaspersky
> (it's AOL's branded version, but it has the same engine):
>
> http://www.activevirusshield.com/
>
> The following antivirus programs are all free and have *many* fans:
>
> AVG (this is what I use)http://free.grisoft.com/freeweb.php/doc/2/
>
> avast!http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html
>
> AntiVirhttp://www.free-av.com/
>
> > Doesn't Time Warner cable have some kind of a built-in Firewall?
>
> Do you mean does your ISP provide you with a software firewall? It's
> possible; I don't know. Only you would know the answer to this question.
> Search your Programs folder and see.
>
> > Should I have one and which do you recommend?
>
> Comodo is popular and free:http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/
>
> Kerio, Sygate, and Zone Alarm also have many fans:http://www.pricelesswarehome.org/200...p#1.10Firewall
>
> Also, other anti-spyware apps you could/should use include:
>
> Ad-Aware 2007 Free (this complements Spybot S&D nicely):http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php
>
> Spyware Blaster (this helps prevent spyware from being installed):http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
>
> A-Squared (use if the above combination doesn't work):http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/
>
> CWShredder (use if the above combination doesn't work):http://us.trendmicro.com/us/products...al/CWShredder/
>
> I've also heard good things about SUPERAntiSpyware (although I haven't
> used it):http://www.superantispyware.com/

Dear Daave,

I am just now seeing your message from the 27th, today: *THANK YOU*
for all of the links, suggestions; extremely helpful.

Also, thanks to Tom for the Spybot forum link.

My system is fairly upgraded, is XP, plenty of RAM, etc. Aside from
the Spybot issue, it runs pretty well and pages load up almost
instantaneously.

Spybot freezes 1/4 to 1/2-way through regardless of whether it's on
"Start-Up" or when I elect to abort and manually scan towards the end
of any computer session.

Nothing happens if I CNTRL+ALT+DELETE---everything is frozen, Task
Manager won't come up, the cursor is frozen.

By "dubious," I should've been more specific: Alot of torrent sites
(and all that *that* literally "entails"); my system was part of a
small LAN network of five-six computers with at least one, and
sometimes, even two towers, downloading torrents 24/7. This is not
happening now, of course.

I just wonder what residual effects all of that downloading has had on
my own system (which was never one of the "downloading towers").

So, I need a two-way Firewall, need to dump McAfee for a better virus
scanner and also get a router...geez: (sigh) It all used to be so
simple! :-)

You all have been *very helpful* in this NG and I sincerely appreciate
all of yours' respective time and consideration contributing to my
Spybot woes.

Oh, say, one last ??? A friend of mine who is rather naive about the
Internet thinks that simply deleting all of the cookies after a
session is enough to keep the "cooties" away, but, I think not.

This person also has a new "friend" sitting on his Desktop for the
last week or so that he can't get rid of: It's some stranger's current
(July of '07) Bank of America Checking Account Statement in a Folder
called "My Documents." Is it possible that an even less computer-savvy
person accidentally uploaded his own "My Documents" folder to the Web,
somehow? Why can't he get rid of this icon and its contents?

Or is this some new "entrapment" scheme wherein cyber cops are trying
to entice people to use other people's bank accounts---the address and
phone number on the Statement are in my buddy's local area code...the
amount is somewhere between $1,000 to $1,500.00. I told him to call
the person and/or notify the police.

Again, you all have been very helpful in this NG and I sincerely
appreciate all of yours' respective time and consideration.

I'll post my results towards the end of the week.

Cheers!

MM

[Daave]

MerryMav@gmail.com wrote:

> Dear Daave,
>
> I am just now seeing your message from the 27th, today: *THANK YOU*
> for all of the links, suggestions; extremely helpful.

You're welcome.

> Spybot freezes 1/4 to 1/2-way through regardless of whether it's on
> "Start-Up" or when I elect to abort and manually scan towards the end
> of any computer session.

I don't believe you answered my other questions. Here they are again:

What version of Spybot S&D are you running?
Do you have the latest definitions?
Have you scanned in Safe Mode?

> By "dubious," I should've been more specific: Alot of torrent sites
> (and all that *that* literally "entails"); my system was part of a
> small LAN network of five-six computers with at least one, and
> sometimes, even two towers, downloading torrents 24/7. This is not
> happening now, of course.
>
> I just wonder what residual effects all of that downloading has had on
> my own system (which was never one of the "downloading towers").

Downloading torrents 24/7? Darn right it's possible there's some malware
on the PC!

> So, I need a two-way Firewall, need to dump McAfee for a better virus
> scanner and also get a router...geez: (sigh) It all used to be so
> simple! :-)

The NAT router is nice to have, but it isn't absolutely
essential--especially if only one PC is connected to the modem. I don't
use one. And it turns out my DSL modem includes a hardware firewall. But
still, a properly configured software firewall is generally all you
need.

It still is fairly simple IMO:

1. A good firewall (e.g., Comodo)
2. A good anti-virus program (e.g., AVG)
3. Decent anti-adware and anti-spyware programs (e.g., AdAware and
Spybot Search & Destroy)

And all of the above are free. :-)

Also, I wouldn't configure programs to run at startup. I prefer to run
them manually. Others schedule them to run while you're asleep. Personal
choice. Just make sure you run them!!!

> Oh, say, one last ??? A friend of mine who is rather naive about the
> Internet thinks that simply deleting all of the cookies after a
> session is enough to keep the "cooties" away, but, I think not.

You are correct. The best way is to practice safe hex. That entails
avoiding dodgy Web sites, configuring your e-mail client and Web browser
so they are less likely to convey malware, deleting e-mails containing
unsolicited attachments, etc. The second line of defense involves the
software mentioned above in Points 1 through 3. A cookie merely is a
text file that indicates which pages you have visited. Some cookies may
wind up relaying more information about your surfing habits than others,
so some folks understandably either decline these cookies from the
get-go or delete them eventually. Not a bad idea, but this would hardly
prevent an infestation of "cooties."

> This person also has a new "friend" sitting on his Desktop for the
> last week or so that he can't get rid of: It's some stranger's current
> (July of '07) Bank of America Checking Account Statement in a Folder
> called "My Documents." Is it possible that an even less computer-savvy
> person accidentally uploaded his own "My Documents" folder to the Web,
> somehow? Why can't he get rid of this icon and its contents?

A preliminary Web search yielded:

"p2p-targeted-as-security-threat"
http://www.scribd.com/doc/102108/p2p...securitythreat

So I guess there are some very careless and/or foolish people out there!

[MerryMav@gmail.com]

On Jul 31, 2:31 pm, "Daave" <dcwashNOS...@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote:

> I don't believe you answered my other questions. Here they are again:
>
> What version of Spybot S&D are you running?

I uninstalled it (please see below).

Daave also wrote:

> It still is fairly simple IMO:
>
> 1. A good firewall (e.g., Comodo)
> 2. A good anti-virus program (e.g., AVG)
> 3. Decent anti-adware and anti-spyware programs (e.g., AdAware and
> Spybot Search & Destroy)

I actually selected two of the above to try out. Comodo is pretty
good (was very easy to install and so far, works like a charm)! AVG,
as well.

I decided to try the 15-day free trial of SuperAntiSpyware
Professional but it has frozen on three different occasions all with
paths that start out with an "HKU" and end with ".it" I'm not
downloading anything from Italy, haven't surfed to any Italian sites
in ages, so I guess this stuff must be coming from a European server E-
mail account I have which has alot of pop-ups? Heck, what do I
know? :-)

All three have looked like this with variations in the number sequence
in the beginning and different domains, at the end:

HKU\S-1-5-20\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version
\InternetSettings\ZoneMap\Domains\trtenitalia.it

The last one it froze on had "paginabiuanche.it" so, is this
somebody's business web page ("pagina" means "page" in Italian) where
something may have came from?

I'll scan for spyware using the SuperAntiSpyware Professional in Safe
Mode tomorrow morning before I go to work (I turn my system off when
I'm gone).

My friend called Bank of America and somebody there walked him through
on how to get rid of the icon and said a notification would go out to
the customer.

I agree---"auto-start" in "Start Up" is not fun: I didn't configure it
all this way, couldn't get Spybot to go to Manual (it simply didn't
want to do it, so I decided to uninstall---I'll go back to it and
install the latest version if this SuperAntivirus keeps freezing like
this).

Thank you again for all your help and direction, all of you, and have
a great week!

Sincerely,

---Mav