Spybot-S&D can't remove the problems it found

[columbianna]

Spybot won't get rid of the problems. First, I get this message: This action may not be perfomed since you are not an administrator. If you want this performed for all users, please run this application elevated as na administrator. I am the administrator. Next error message: Unexpected error in fixing problems. (Cannot create file "C:Windows\winnit.ini". Access is denied.) I click OK and get the same message again. I then get the message that "Some problems couldn't be fixed; the reason could be that the associated files are still in use (in memory). This could be fixed after a restart. May Spybot-S&D run on your next system startup? I click Yes. I installed Spybot because I suspected a problem somewhere and wanted to cover all my bases. The problems started after I disabled Windows Defender and installed AdAware-the free version (to try cleaning any spyware that Defender had not gotten, which Defender never found anything, anyway). So I uninstalled AdAware after a couple of weeks of it not finding anything significant (tracking cookies, mostly) and I try to reenable Defender and I can't. This was about 2-3 weeks ago. I had also tried to change my Startup programs and got the error message Windows Defender: Application failed to initialize: 0x80070002. So then I went to Microsofts User Discussion forums, ad saw somewhere on there Spybot and decided to give it a try and now this. I have tried setting a restore point to last month but cannot because I have Vista Home Basic. I went ahead and tried a System Restore anyway (I had installed Spybot previous to this) and of course it was not there or didn't seem to be after the system restore so I downloaded it again. I have to say that it did work fine before I tried System Restore but I encountered problems with Spybot S&D after the System Restore. I have posted my problem about Defender on Microsoft's User Discussion groups. Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to make sure I covered everything.

[spybotsandra]

Hello,

Which version of Spybot do you run?
Did you download the latest updates?
Did you already tried a scan in safe mode?

Best regards
Sandra
Team Spybot

[129260]

if vista, you need to right click spybot icon and click run as administrator. If you don't have vista, or that doesn't work, try performing a scan in safe mode. To boot in safe mode: reboot (restart) your computer. when windows starts to load, hit f8 on your keyboard until a menu appears....select safe mode with you arrows on the keyboard, and hit enter. then try to perform the spybot scan again. :cool:

[columbianna]

Thanks to the person who gave the suggestion to right click on the Spybot icon and run as administrator. It worked! I do have Vista and all my troubles began when I "upgraded" ! Anyway, thank you very much, the problems that Spybot found are now fixed and since I changed to advanced mode or advanced user (whichever it was) I was also able to stop some of the programs that I didn't want to run at Startup thanks to that very nifty little feature. And thanks to Spybot, but it would have been nice for the info to be in the tutorial about running it as an administrator and how to do it.

[129260]

Because of Vista being a nut when it comes to security, it needs you to run a program as an administrator on any program that removes infections, such as antiviruis, antispyware and the like. So any time your antiviruis or something cannot delete a infection, do what i said above and it should work just fine for you. :) glad to help!

[tashi]

Hello,


but it would have been nice for the info to be in the tutorial about running it as an administrator and how to do it.
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/42.html

Best regards.