I have a pretty odd issue. When I start SpybotSD I can see it in the task manager but there is no main window it seems like something is blocking it from fully launching. Any ideas?
I have a pretty odd issue. When I start SpybotSD I can see it in the task manager but there is no main window it seems like something is blocking it from fully launching. Any ideas?
Do you have any symptoms of a spyware infection? Can you try renaming the Spybot desktop icon?
Yes, there was a spyware on the PC which I was trying to fix.
In my view it is a bit pointless to have spyware cleaning software which dies when there is a spyware on the PC
I cleared the problem with SuperAntiSpyware and then SpybotSD started and (obviously) reported no issues
Some Malware blocks Spybot.
Can you remember which one it was? Do you know the name? Are you sure, you are completely free of Malware? Here are some signs:
http://www.virusvault.us/signs1.html
It's always good to have one or two tools in reserve.
Best regards,
-Matt-
There were a few. One was DNS switcher and another Rootkit.Agent...something sorry cannot recall the name.
obender:
I disagree. Just because Spybot was disabled by whatever malware you had, I don't think you should conclude that it is "pointless" to have it.
What if next time you encounter malware and it disables SuperAntiSpyware? Possibly Spybot will be able to detect and resolve the problem.
The situation that you encountered is precisely why it is recommended that you use multiply anti-malware scanners. Evidentially, the "spyware" that you encountered focused on disabling Spybot and not SuperAntiSpyware. That may be because SuperAntiSpyware protects itself better or just because SuperAntiSpyware is less widely distributed than Spybot.
In either case I suggest that you use multiple anti-malware scaners even if you no longer use Spybob because you think it is "pointless".
Getting an answer is one thing, learning is another.
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition running on a 2.40GHz IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 Processor with 512 MB of RAM and a 533 MHz System Bus.
I think you are missing my point. I didn't say having SpybotSD is pointless I said (meant) that it is pointless for any spyware removal tool to be so vulnerable. It must be coded defensively to withstand malware attacks.
obender:
I really didn't think that I was missing the point. You allowed malware into your system that happened to disable Spybot. It could have disabled SuperAntiSpyware or even your entire system.
Malware purveyors target what they feel is most worthy of their effort to achieve their indented purpose. In this case it was apparently Spybot.
If the point of your post is to help improve Spybot and not just to point out that that it is vulnerable to attacks by certain malware, you could detail what malware you eventually found.
Getting an answer is one thing, learning is another.
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition running on a 2.40GHz IntelŪ PentiumŪ 4 Processor with 512 MB of RAM and a 533 MHz System Bus.
The last spyware that prevented Spybot from starting up was Rootkit.Agent.
If that helps to make Spybot more robust I'll be thrilled.
On unrelated note, sometimes getting too defensive is a sign of weakness btw