SuperAntiSpyware won't start up for me

[Lurch]

Does anyone else have this problem? I click the quick launch icon and MAYBE I'll see the splash screen briefly, or not at all, and if it does show, it usually then disappears. I had the same problem with my last HD also. This is for the free edition.

I run Win XP.

I use Spybot and Avira free AV. Is there any other program that can take it's place? Thanks for any advice on this.

[YeOldeStonecat]

MalwareBytes

[Sava700]

Try to uninstall it and reinstall it..but also keep in mind that some spyware/malware will for some odd reason prevent it from working including keeping malwarebytes from starting once installed too! You may want to slave the drive to another comp and scan it through just in case.

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by YeOldeStonecat

MalwareBytes

I got and installed MWB today but the trouble is, it never finds anything. SuperAntiSpyware found stuff almost every day.

SpyBot S&D finds things too.

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by Sava700

Try to uninstall it and reinstall it..but also keep in mind that some spyware/malware will for some odd reason prevent it from working including keeping malwarebytes from starting once installed too! You may want to slave the drive to another comp and scan it through just in case.

I just installed it on a new HD. I run a master HD and slave HD configuration.

Should I put it on the slave drive to keep it off the master HD? I'm not sure if I correctly understood what you meant.

[YeOldeStonecat]

Originally Posted by Lurch

I got and installed MWB today but the trouble is, it never finds anything. SuperAntiSpyware found stuff almost every day.

SpyBot S&D finds things too.

If you "just count numbers" when running a scan with some tool...yes some will "appear" to find more than others. The key is, examine what they found. Some will report rather harmless stuff like cookies.

I'm not saying SAS is bad, it's one of the tools I commonly use on infested systems, but MalwareBytes and Microsoft Security Essentials are the first ad/spyware tools I turn to these days, they find the majority of really bad stuff on the first pass.

You run an update before scanning each time?

[Sava700]

Originally Posted by Lurch

I just installed it on a new HD. I run a master HD and slave HD configuration.

Should I put it on the slave drive to keep it off the master HD? I'm not sure if I correctly understood what you meant.

well I was meaning take that drive you have super installed on if you think you have a infection and put it in a whole other computer to scan it with super already installed on the other.

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by YeOldeStonecat

You run an update before scanning each time?

I downloaded Windows Defender today too, then updated it and ran it. It found nothing.

Yes, I always updated SAS before running it. I'll see if I can get the Microsoft Security Essentials program too. Maybe I just don't have that much spyware anyway.

[TonyT]

Try running SAS in its stealth mode. The program dir contains a copy of the executable that is named with a long string of numbers & letters so as to bypass malware that targets it. Some malware looks for known antispyware apps and prevents them from starting.

[Lurch]

OK thanks. That's probably what's going on here. I'll try that. Much oblige.

[Lurch]

Update :

I got SAS started from the files, and here's a copy of the stuff it removed. (I edited the report to remove my last name). Does this sound like I'm scanning for the right kinds of stuff?

SUPERAntiSpyware Scan Log
http://www.superantispyware.com

Generated 08/17/2009 at 02:44 PM

Application Version : 4.27.1002

Core Rules Database Version : 4059
Trace Rules Database Version: 1999

Scan type : Complete Scan
Total Scan Time : 00:37:32

Memory items scanned : 387
Memory threats detected : 0
Registry items scanned : 3459
Registry threats detected : 0
File items scanned : 16880
File threats detected : 9

Adware.Tracking Cookie
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph\Cookies\i@specificmedia[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\j@yieldmanager[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph\Cookies\jose@interclick[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\joseph_@richmedia.yahoo[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\joseph_i@bravenet[1].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\joseph_@a1.interclick[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\joseph_@clickbank[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph \Cookies\joseph_@serving-sys[2].txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Joseph Cookies\joseph_@bs.serving-sys[2].txt

[YeOldeStonecat]

That's nothing.

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by YeOldeStonecat

That's nothing.

Can you be more specific? Am I doing it wrong?

[Sava700]

Originally Posted by Lurch

Can you be more specific? Am I doing it wrong?

cookies that its showing you are nothing.. very simple and won't hurt a fly

Looks like your good and clean

[Lurch]

Originally Posted by Sava700

cookies that its showing you are nothing.. very simple and won't hurt a fly

Looks like your good and clean

Oh, OK.

I was having problems this AM though. I could not get here or to many of the sites I often visit. I'd get the "This page cannot be opened" sign, or something like that. I'd push the "Diagnose Connection Problems" button and was found to have an OK connection. So, I freaked out for a bit, then thought things over more carefully.

I tried to run Kaspersky Free AV scan at their site but it would not update properly.

I ran Malwarebytes again, updated it, and it found nothing.

Then I managed to open SAS again, and saw the upgrade to SAS Pro is only $9.95 today so I got it, installed it, updated it, and ran it. It has more features (Real Time Protection, FWIW) and it seems to have fixed my issues somehow by resetting default settings that spyware may have changed on me. SAS Pro might solve the problem of not being able to open properly and has a built in scheduler/updater.

My Broadband seemed real slow the last day or two. I got HiJackThis again and will post my results of that again. Sorry if I've been asking a lot of questions lately.

Lurch

[Sava700]

Originally Posted by Lurch

My Broadband seemed real slow the last day or two. I got HiJackThis again and will post my results of that again. Sorry if I've been asking a lot of questions lately.

Lurch

it might not be a issue with your comp.... have you tried running some trace routes and ping tests to see if your having issues? Pingplotter.com has a good free tool to use..just set to 1 second intervals and pick a site or IP# to test on and see if your having packetloss or something else.

[Lurch]

Thanks Sava7000. It's now running pretty good since I reset some settings to default with SAS Pro. So, I guess that was worth the $9.95.

I can't complain the way it's running now.