PDA

View Full Version : Spybot has stopped finding things



NoCode0680
2011-10-02, 08:27
I've been using Spybot S&D for a long time now, and in that time I've always run it at least once a day. And one thing I've noticed is that it would ALWAYS find something. Even if it was just cookies, but it would always find at least 6-7 things, and sometimes it would find 20 things.

But I've noticed in the past 2-3 weeks it hasn't once found a thing. That's almost unheard of for me. 2-3 weeks of daily runs and I always get the green checkmark saying there's nothing there. After a couple of years of it finding stuff all the time, I don't know what to make of this. I haven't installed any other virus/spyware software that would suddenly be getting the job done better, I haven't changed any of my browsing habits, and I know a few of the stores use cookies. But Spybot isn't picking anything up.

To be honest I don't mind that it's not picking up the harmless cookies that I don't mind, but it just makes me wonder if there are actual serious threats now that aren't being detected. Is it possible that there's a virus or something that's messing with Spybot?

By the way, it is up to date. I usually check for updates twice a week.

Zenobia
2011-10-04, 02:21
If the scan is also much quicker,it's possible not all file sets are activated for the scan.If you'd like to check,then:
If your operating system is Windows 7 or Windows Vista,please rightclick Spybot and select Run As Administrator.(If you're running XP or below,just doubleclick Spybot.)Click Mode up top,then select Advanced Mode,Settings,then file sets.Somewhere in the window to the right,rightclick and select Spyware check only,if it doesn't already have a checkmark beside it.

NoCode0680
2011-10-04, 10:37
I think it takes about the same time to run. But I checked the file sets anyway. All of the file sets have a check mark except for Usage Tracking. I have no clue what that is, but everything else is checked.

Zenobia
2011-10-05, 02:10
Here's an explanation of what tracks are:
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/dictionary/usagetracks.html

If all file sets are checked except for Usage Tracking,it sounds like Spybot is still searching for what it should. :)

Open Spybot,select Mode up top,then Advanced Mode.Click Settings,then Ignore Cookies.Are there any cookies on that page that are listed in the colour red?

NoCode0680
2011-10-05, 05:33
Yes, I don't know how long that list is, maybe a couple hundred, but about 50 of them are red. None of these boxes are checked, whether they be red or black.

By the way, thanks for the replies.

NoCode0680
2011-10-05, 08:15
OK, I decided to uninstall and re-install Spybot. I ran it prior to doing so and it said I was clean again, but after doing the install I ran it and it found 41 "problems", so I guess something had been causing it to find nothing these past few weeks. But whatever that is has been remedied by re-installing.

Zenobia
2011-10-06, 09:36
Good,glad everything's ok now. :bigthumb: