Conflict with HOSTS secure

[bitman]

besafe: Since Spybot S&D works exactly as md usa spybot fan explained, my guess would be that Hosts Secure is causing the problem. I can change the Read-Only status of Hosts using either Windows Explorer Properties or Spybot S&D and see the other change, though I must refresh the Spybot Tweaks page to see the change since this isn't dynamically updated.

Here's something from the Hosts Secure Web Page that mentions how it also locks Hosts while the program is running, something Spybot S&D doesn't do.

Thursday, November 24, 2005 @ 4.18AM
Sorry about the lack of updates recently, school just started and I'm really busy. School's in 4 hours time and I've been up all night. Alright, enough whining. New version!

Changed the way the HOSTS file is locked. Instead of setting it to just read-only (which malicious software can easily un-set), it now locks the HOSTS file as long as the program (HOSTS Secure) is running.

If, as md usa spybot fan mentioned, you have another program that monitors the hosts file I'd be looking there for the conflict.

Bitman

[Rosenfeld]

When I go into explorer and manually change the attributes of the HOSTS file, it has no effect on the setting of Spybots IE tweak. If I have checked the lock the hosts file box or if I have left it unchecked, it remains the same no matter what I manually do to the HOSTS file properties.

It does not work like that for me. I think that you were not giving spybot the chance to refresh the IE tweak window, to let it update its setting. To do that you must move out of the IE tweak window (e.g. by opening some other window in Spybot, or closing/reopening Spybot) and then going back to the IE Tweak window.

I also use the mvphosts file, though I update manually.

I tested the following, with Windows Explorer and Spybot both open.
Starting of with the HOSTS file in Windows Explorer showing as read only and the lock hosts file box in Spybot IE Tweaks window checked:

1. Uncheck the lock hosts in IE Tweaks window.
2. Look in Windows Explorer, Hosts/properties shows read only unchecked.
3. Set HOSTS to read only in Windows Explorer.
4. Move out of the IE tweaks window in Spybot then back in, the lock HOSTS file box is checked.
5. In Windows Explorer uncheck read only on HOSTS properties.
6. Allow Spybot to refresh its IE Tweaks settings by moving out of the IE Tweaks window and back in: lock hosts is unchecked.

Conclusion: the lock HOSTS file setting (checked or unchecked) in IE Tweaks in Spybot does reflect the setting of the read only property of HOSTS file and vice versa. Changing the read only property of the HOSTS file in Windows Explorer or in Spybot are completely equivalent. They are just two places to achieve the same ends.
Since setting it to locked in Spybot does not prevent a user (at least one with admin rights) from changing it manually in Windows Explorer, I can't see how the setting in Spybot could affect an app's ability to change the read only property, unless somehow Spybot can sense the difference between an app doing it and a user doing it manually in Windows Explorer. For that it would need to be actively monitoring who or what is trying to change the read only property of the HOSTS file. As far as I know, teatimer is the active monitoring part of Spybot, the rest is passive. I don't use teatimer, so don't know if that is the cause of your updating problems. Or it could be some other active monitoring software, if you have any (windows defender or some security suite).

Sorry Bitman to repeat some of what you said: I must have been typing while you posted.

[md usa spybot fan]

bitman:
Rosenfeld:

Thanks for verifying my observations. I had even gone as far as running Sysinternals Filemon to insure that my observations were correct concerning Spybot's actions in setting, unsetting and displaying the read-only attribute on the HOSTS file before posting – but that’s the way it goes.

besafe:

What options do you have checked within HOSTS Secure?
What other anti-sypware (internet security) programs are you running?

[besafe]

bitman:
Rosenfeld:

Thanks for verifying my observations. I had even gone as far as running Sysinternals Filemon to insure that my observations were correct concerning Spybot's actions in setting, unsetting and displaying the read-only attribute on the HOSTS file before posting – but that’s the way it goes.

besafe:

What options do you have checked within HOSTS Secure?
What other anti-sypware (internet security) programs are you running?

The options I have checked in Hosts Secure are:

1. Auto unlock before update
2. Auto lock after update
3. backup hosts file before update
4. Auto lock after recovery

The security programs I runs are:

Nod32, Zone Alarm Free (soon to switch to Comodo Firewall), Spysweeper, Snoop free, Ewido (only the scanner) and spyware blaster.

At the same time that I posted in this forum, I also emailed the Host Secure site as I figured that the problem could be from their end.

But to answer a previous posters question, I was giving spybot a chance to register the property changes made manually to the host file. In fact, I completely closed Spybot before manually manipulating the HOSTS file, then opened spybot afterwards. Still, the changes made to the host file did not imapct Spybots IE Tweak settings.

Oh yeah, I also use CCleaner and JV16 powertools. Not sure what is causing my conflict, but one definitely exists somewhere!