Windows has blocked sdcleaner.exe

[frankt68]

Hi!
After installing a new vesrion of Spybot - Search & Destroy vesrion 2.4.40.0 on laptop with Windows Vista, I'm getting a warning "Windows has blocked some startup program" when I run my laptop, showing that sdcleaner.exe was blocked. If I understand correctly, sdcleaner.exe needs to run on startup in order to destroys the found items, before they are activated.

So I'd like to know how can I fix that?

Thanx

[Zenobia]

Please see here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930367
You might want to go with Method 3.Ignore the part about uninstalling the program,and just go to the second part:

If you cannot remove the program by using the Programs and Features item in Control Panel, you can remove the program from the startup process by using Software Explorer. To do this, follow these steps:


Click the Blocked startup programs icon that is in the notification area.
Click Show or remove blocked startup programs. This starts Software Explorer in Windows Defender.
Locate, and then click to select the startup program or the startup service that is in Software Explorer.
Click Remove, and then click Yes in the confirmation dialog box.

Look for sdcleaner.exe.

After that,since sdcleaner will no longer be running at startup,try scanning in safe mode instead.There are instructions here:
http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?3922-Spybot-Search-amp-Destroy-FAQs-and-Information&p=23629&viewfull=1#post23629

Please let me know how it goes. :)

[frankt68]

Thank you for your answer, but I was hoping that I will not need to do anything of what you suggested.:sick:
Starting my computer in Safe Mode for each scan with Spybot is not exactly the most elegant solution. :red:
Especially because in older version this problem did not exist.

Anyway, thanks again for your answer.

[Zenobia]

You're welcome.

No,a safe mode scan isn't needed every time you do a spybot scan. :)

To clarify,sdcleaner should only run at startup when a problem in a spybot scan can't be removed,it shouldn't run at startup when it's not needed to.It does that because it's sometimes easier to remove problems before other things have started on the computer.However,Windows Defender stopped sdcleaner from running at startup.The microsoft page I posted above explains why that is probably happening.

A safe mode scan accomplishes close to the same thing that running sdcleaner at startup does,since in safe mode most programs/processes that normally start up with windows don't start.Therefore,the safe mode scan should only be needed one time to try to remove whatever problem found during a Spybot scan couldn't be removed,and if it is fixed,then you'd go back to doing Spybot scans in normal mode.