View Full Version : Windows Explorer not Working with Spybot
I recently installed Spybot 1.6 on my emachine with an intel motherboard celeron 2.70 ghz WinXP sp2 and discover after fully implementing Spybot that windows explorer will no longer respond at all to open My computer or anything else you click on to open. The system is locked helpless by explorer not being able to function. If i uninstall Spybot - then all works well again including windows explorer. Anyone know how to solve this glitch ???
you are not infected? And that spybot in indeed causing this problem? Is teatimer installed? I know you said that after uninstalling spybot everything works great. Hmm....honestly i am not sure why you are experiencing this....Maybe a team member can give a better solution....
drragostea
2008-07-31, 00:27
There were several issues regarding this problem, I can't find the threads though. It would be helpful if all the topics were merged together, since it's based on the same problems.
It seems that the problem is SDHelper when active "slows" down Windows Explorer.
SS&D User
2008-07-31, 04:52
I recently installed Spybot 1.6 on my emachine with an intel motherboard celeron 2.70 ghz WinXP sp2 and discover after fully implementing Spybot that windows explorer will no longer respond at all to open My computer or anything else you click on to open. The system is locked helpless by explorer not being able to function. If i uninstall Spybot - then all works well again including windows explorer. Anyone know how to solve this glitch ???
This is why I, personally, do not install a new version of any program until it is at least a year old. This gives it's writers, testers, etc. a chance to work on the "bugs" found in the new version and fix them. ;) In the mean time I do keep an eye on the reviews and forums (like this one) to keep up on what people are saying about whatever program version I'm interested in. :D
Why not just use SS&D 1.5.2.0 for a bit longer? In case you never saved the zip file here is a link where you might still find 1.5: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd15/index.html I'd test it for you first (before posting the link) but I'm presently on my Linux computer.:shrug:
I presently have a Windows Explorer slowdown that I have tracked to the SD Helper addon. I get a 3 second delay when opening any folders in Windows Explorer or My Computer - switching off the SD Helper (Resident IE) eliminates the delay. At first I believed it was due to me still running IE6 but an upgrade to IE7 has NOT fixed this problem on the offending computers. I have done a full undo of all protections, uninstall and reinstall of Spybot v1.6 without any change.
TeaTimer is no problem and the new Beta version is a great improvement.
I presently have a Windows Explorer slowdown that I have tracked to the SD Helper addon. I get a 3 second delay when opening any folders in Windows Explorer or My Computer - switching off the SD Helper (Resident IE) eliminates the delay. At first I believed it was due to me still running IE6 but an upgrade to IE7 has NOT fixed this problem on the offending computers. I have done a full undo of all protections, uninstall and reinstall of Spybot v1.6 without any change.
TeaTimer is no problem and the new Beta version is a great improvement.
You were 100 per cent right. I reinstalled Spybot 1.60 and told it to leave out SD Helper and now windows explorer is lightning fast as it should be. This would seem to me to be a bug in SD Helper. Thanks for the help Dude.
drragostea
2008-08-01, 22:21
I heard the developers are working on this issue.
This may not be 100% correct but one Team Spybot members responded in a thread that an update will be released to resolve the issue.
I heard the developers are working on this issue.
This may not be 100% correct but one Team Spybot members responded in a thread that an update will be released to resolve the issue.
drragostea,
Do you have a link for that thread?
I have searched these forums and can find no posts by any Team Spybot member even admitting they are aware of this bug - and there is nothing I can find in the Bug Tracker either. We now have 3 senior forum members posting that they are aware of this problem (the above two plus Terminator) - plus at least five other junior members actually experiencing the bug.
From the many different threads there seem to be two problems with SDHelper - one causes problems in IE7 the other causes a delay in Windows Explorer/My Computer - I have the second but not the first.
The best summary of my observations would be in this post:
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=30943&p=218638
Team Spybot - Please can we have an official response on this issue.
Doug,
Just to clarify my position - I don't have the problem you have described at all. I am running three computers on a home network, 1 with XP-Home SP3, 1 with XP-Home SP2 and 1 with XP-Pro SP3. All have IE7 and one also has Firefox. They all have Spybot 1.6 on them with the Spybot IE browser helper active. Two of them have had the beta Teatimer in use since it was released, and one still has the standard Teatimer from the 1.6 release (for comparison purposes)
Explorer works fine on them all, with or without the browser helper active. I also am not experiencing any significant slowdown in IE7 browsing with it either. For the record all three PC's have Avast AV 4.8.1229 and all three have Zone Alarm F/W version 7.0.483.000.
I asked the question of drragostea because I have been following the various posts about it but hadn't seen anything about an "update will be released to resolve the issue".
Edit: Perhaps it might be interesting to see whether there is anything in common with those experiencing the 3 second delays and pronounced slowdowns, like perhaps the use of the same add on toolbars, or the same AV system, or some other 3rd party software, maybe IE plugins present that might be reacting with the helper.
Terminator
2008-08-02, 18:20
My System Spec is:
Intel Pentium Duel CPU E2140 1.6Ghz
1 GB Ram
Intel Intergerated Graphics Card
Realtek Intergrated Sound Card
Vista Home Premium SP1 (Fully Updated)
Avast! 4.8.1229
Zone Alarm for Vista 7.1.248.000 (Slightly out-of-date)
Windows Defender
Spyware Blaster 4.1
AnalogX Script Defender 1.3
Google Toolbar 4.0.1602.1060
C Cleaner 2.10.618
Spybot 1.6.0.30 with Tea Timer and SD Helper Disabled
Foxit Reader (Latest Version)
md usa spybot fan
2008-08-02, 19:18
Terminator:
By posting your system specifications in this thread are you indicating that you are encountering a problem with Windows Explorer similar to rkhwulf (http://forums.spybot.info/member.php?u=45371)'s problem?
I was aware that you were having problems with Windows Internet Explorer but not Windows Explorer. From this post (http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?p=218621#post218621):
When can we expect another version of The SD Helper as it is causing random crashes within IE 7 (Vista version) and the only way to stop the problems (in my case at any rate) is to turn of the SD Helper which isn't ideal I know but what else can I do:sad:?
Terminator
2008-08-02, 20:39
My problem is with IE 7, Apologies If i've double posted:oops:.
When Grayfox asked "Perhaps it might be interesting to see whether there is anything in common with those experiencing the 3 second delays and pronounced slowdowns, like perhaps the use of the same add on toolbars, or the same AV system, or some other 3rd party software, maybe IE plugins present that might be reacting with the helper." I though I give my specs in case it helped solve the problems other people have reported:red:.
Under XP SP2 I had no problems with Spybot so in my case I'm thinking theres something within Vista it's self thats causing the problem.
drragostea
2008-08-02, 21:39
drragostea,
Do you have a link for that thread?
I think I might be wrong about it. My apologies.
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=31546
Spybotsandra's post #5.
Greyfox, I was only saying that a number of senior members were AWARE of the problem - not that they were experiencing it.
However at least five other members have described experiencing the 3 second delay in Windows Explorer and several have confirmed that SDHelper switches the delay on and off.
Most installations do not show any evidence of an SDHelper bug and there must be some special factors that trigger the problems.
I myself have not experienced any IE7 related slowdown problems.
I have experienced the Windows Explorer 3 second delay with the following configurations:
XP Pro with XP2 and XP3 - Using both IE6 and IE7.
I run a very lean setup with only 22 processes showing in the XP Taskmanager.
The only memory resident applications I run are AVG Free v8.0 and TeaTimer.
AVG Free is installed without Linkscanner (and Toolbar) or Office Plugin.
I use the XP Firewall and have SpywareBlaster v4.1 installed.
Applications installed with IE addons:
Java JRE 1.5.0_15
Acrobat Reader v5.0.5
Adobe Flash v9
Apple Quicktime QTPlugin v7.1.3
I do not run any addon IE toolbars
Applications with Windows Explorer integration:
Treesize v1.72
Agent Ransack Search v1.73
Winzip v6.3
I have found the following members posting reports about the Windows Explorer delay in different threads:
Geraud and meftmeft - http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?p=218638
rkhwulf - http://forums.spybot.info/showpost.php?p=218903&postcount=6
jmj713 - http://forums.spybot.info/showpost.php?p=213184&postcount=9
tubular031 (plus jmj713) - http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=31119
Add another to the list:
Guingion - http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=30943
So far I see no common cause from the configs posted - but more users keep seeing the same problem. As Guingion states it is not an obvious linkage - a delay in opening folders in Windows Explorer and Spybots SDHelper resident module. I suspect there may be far more users suffering who have not associated the delay with Spybot as yet.
I am tempted to post another thread with the new title:
Delay Opening Folders caused by SDHelper
Just to see how many new cases it raises - good idea / bad idea?
deejag94
2008-08-12, 12:50
Just to let you know I too have downloaded the latest V 1.6 and it stops my Internet Explorer from starting, FireFox seems fine!! I did have the same propbem with the previous version (1.5.2) so reverted to the great version 1.4.
I have found that by turning OFF SD helper in latest Version then my IE6 works fine... ???
I have found various other threads with very similar problems, so it seems a common fault.