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Thread: Will Not Immunize Hosts File

  1. #1
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    Default Will Not Immunize Hosts File

    After installing today's updates, I closed Spybot (1.5.1.14), restarted it, went into Immunize.

    Immunize ran until it go to the Windows Global (Hosts) area, whereupon it stopped, with 425 entries not immunized.

    Closed Spybot, repeated process, again Hosts file not completely immunized.

    Tried once more, gave up, posted this message.

  2. #2
    Member of Team Spybot PepiMK's Avatar
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    Does the function in the Tools section (Tools -> Hosts file) work, or doesn't that work either?
    Just remember, love is life, and hate is living death.
    Treat your life for what it's worth, and live for every breath
    (Black Sabbath: A National Acrobat)

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    Quote Originally Posted by PepiMK View Post
    Does the function in the Tools section (Tools -> Hosts file) work, or doesn't that work either?
    I don't know: I decided to run Immunize once more, while I was eating breakfast. When I returned to the computer room, I found that the process had, finally, finished, and now I have everything immunized.

    It only took four tries....

    So, as everything is immunized, I cannot test the Tools > Host file function for you.

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    Since you also had problems with full Firefox immunization, what other security applications do you have running? Might there be another security app blocking this?
    Just remember, love is life, and hate is living death.
    Treat your life for what it's worth, and live for every breath
    (Black Sabbath: A National Acrobat)

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    Quote Originally Posted by PepiMK View Post
    Since you also had problems with full Firefox immunization, what other security applications do you have running? Might there be another security app blocking this?
    That's something I've been wondering about (and meaning to ask about here.)

    I'm using Spyware Blaster, Spy Sweeper, and McAfee Security Center. Neither Spy Sweeper nor McAfee has "complained"; that is, neither program has popped up any messages while I've been immunizing Spybot.

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    Doesn't Spy Sweeper have a HOSTS file protection?

    Try removing all of Spybot's entries from your HOSTS file, and then re-immunize. If it gets blocked, then start disabling security software one by one (starting with Spy Sweeper), and re-try the immunize after disabling each software. That should help you figure out what's blocking Spybot's HOSTS file immunization.

    You can also check the logs from Spy Sweeper and McAfee, and see if they mention anything about the HOSTS file.
    Last edited by GT500; 2007-08-29 at 18:08.

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    Yes, Spy Sweeper has a form of Hosts file protection, but I doubt that that is causing any problems with Spybot. As I wrote earlier, when trying to run Spybot's Immunize function, Spy Sweeper is not giving me any on-screen indication of anything that Spy Sweeper does not trust, which is what Spy Sweeper does when it does detect possible problems.

    From the Spy Sweeper help file:

    "Monitors the Hosts file for any changes. Some programs will add or change the IP address for a Web site in the Hosts file. When you try to go to the added or changed Web site, you will really go to a different Web site, such as an advertising site. This shield ensures that programs do not change an IP address without your knowledge. "

    You can also edit the Hosts file through Spy Sweeper, but that's not relevant here. The Spy Sweeper log file is for sweeps, so it would not show anything for today. Spy Sweeper is set to sweep automatically at 2000 Mondays.

    Your suggestion about removing Spybot entries from the Hosts file is intriguing. When I feel up to fighting with the entire known world, I just may try that, thanks.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Always Confused View Post
    ...

    Your suggestion about removing Spybot entries from the Hosts file is intriguing. When I feel up to fighting with the entire known world, I just may try that, thanks.
    If you have made no customizations to your HOSTS file, then it's not very difficult to remove Spybot's entries. Just remove everything below the first entry, which should read something like: 127.0.0.1 localhost

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    Quote Originally Posted by GT500 View Post
    If you have made no customizations to your HOSTS file, then it's not very difficult to remove Spybot's entries. Just remove everything below the first entry, which should read something like: 127.0.0.1 localhost
    Yes, I know that. What I meant was that, if the first trial does not work, then I'll have to follow more of your directions and, if necessary, keep on testing, something I'm not quite ready to do at this time.

    That's because I've done enough fiddling recently with other programs, styles, colors, the Internet stopping while I was writing this,etc.

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    Understandable.

    Just make sure to explore it at least a little bit before the final version of Spybot comes out. If it's not a compatibility issue, and winds up being a bug, then it's best that the Spybot team know about it before they release v1.5 as a final product.

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