This application has been changed...

[Uncle Ovid]

Has anyone else run into this?

"This application has been changed since it was created.

Since Spybot-S&D does not change itself, we recommend you check your system for malware and viruses instantly!"

Yikes. Okay, no problem. Ran S&D, cleaned the malware it found, updated, immunized, and ran it again. Looks clean. Ran my antivirus (Computer Associates Security Center), and it found a couple things, which I cleaned. Updated that, ran it again, and it came up clean.

Today, I checked Spybot again, and I got the same message, but nothing seems wrong. Should I be worried?

[md usa spybot fan]

re:

This application has been changed since it was created.

Since Spybot-S&D does not change itself, we recommend you check your system for malware and viruses instantly!

That message has been caused in the past by failing memory (RAM) and I suggest that you consider running a memory diagnostic program. If your system didn't come with diagnostic routines including a memory test there is one here:

• http://www.memtest.org/

__________________

From:

• This application has been changed since it was created
  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=258

I'll be damned. I've been receiving this very error message myself occasionally. And sure enough, I ran that memory tester and one of my DIMMs was bad. I went ahead and not only replaced the bad DIMM but also took the liberty of doubling my RAM from 500MB to 1GB. So far, so good.

One thing I find disturbing is how the computer seemed to work OK 99.9% of the time. I would have thought that having bad RAM would cause constant crashing but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Anyway, thanks for the information. It looks like this may have actually fixed the problem.

From:

• Error message "Spybot S & D has changed..."
  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=10606

Downloaded both memtest86 v3.2 from http://www.memtest86.com and memtest86+ v1.7 from http://www.memtest.org. The latter is an updated version of the original memtest86 v3.2 which has not been updated since some time in 2004.

Results were clearly bad. In a little over an hour's testing, my one 256MB ram module racked up over 2000 individual errors. Time for a visit to the local computer store. Well, at least this gives me a chance to upgrade to a greater amount of memory. Since my Iwill cube only has one memory slot, I'm getting a 1GB module.

I have other information to pass on after I upgrade the memory and rerun the test.

Cheers,
Jeff