Spybot Crashing upon invocation

[W9TZ_]

All:

I've used Spybot for a while with great results and am proud to say I am a supporting donor!

Recently, the program crashes the computer when I attempt to run a scan. This occurs, now, after I have downloaded the latest update that includes detections for trojans, etc.

I am right to presume that the latest update is causing this, and if so, does anyone know a workaround solution?

Thanks.

[md usa spybot fan]

Recently, the program crashes the computer when I attempt to run a scan.

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "… crashes the computer …"?

[W9TZ_]

By crashing, I mean Shutting down. The instant I invoke the program it reboots the computer. This happens also in the safe mode.

I am suspicious about this because the latest updates are for trojans and other nasty programs. It makes me wonder if I have a trojan file running in place even other all of my other detection programs (many) show nothing.

Thanks.

[md usa spybot fan]

If you believe that a Trojan or other malware is the cause of the problem, consider posting in the Malware Removal forum and having someone take a look at your system. Follow the instructions here (without the Spybot scan):

• "BEFORE you POST" -Preliminary Steps and scanning with SPYBOT-S&D
  http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=288

Then post in the following forum:

• Malware Removal
  http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22

Personally I would look through the system Event Viewer and see if there anything recorded that indicated the source of the problem:

• Click Start and Control Panel.
• If you are running Windows XP and the Control Panel is in category view, click Performance and Maintenance.
• Click on Administrative Tools.
• Double-click on the Event Viewer.
• Click on "Application" in the left-hand column (pane).
• Now, in the right-hand side of the window, look for any event which shows "Spybot" in the Source column
• Double-clicking on an event will open the Event Properties which shows the details of the event.
• Click on "System" in the left-hand column.
• Now, in the right-hand side of the window, look for any event at the time of the failure.
• Again double-clicking on an event will open the Event Properties which shows the details of the event.

I would also try to you uninstall and reinstall Spybot-S&D.

Download sites for Spybot-S&D 1.4:

• There are four (4) here:
  • Mirror Selection – The home of Spybot–S&D!
    http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Uninstall Spybot-S&D 1.4:

• Go into Spybot > Immunize
  • Click "Undo" button (at the top)
  • Uncheck (if checked) the following:
    "Enable permanent blocking of bad addresses in Internet Explorer"
• Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced Mode > Tools > Resident
  • Uncheck (if checked) the following:
    Resident "TeaTimer" (Protection of over-all system settings) Active.
• Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced Mode > Tools > IE Tweaks.
  • Uncheck (if checked) any of the following "Miscellaneous locks":
    • Lock Hosts file read-only as protection against hijackers
    • Lock IE start page setting against user changes (current user)
    • Lock IE control panel against opening from within IE (current user)
• Go into Spybot > Mode > Advanced Mode > Tools > Hosts file
  • Click the "Remove Spybot S&D hosts list" button (at the top)
• Exit Spybot-S&D
• Make sure that TeaTimer is not running by checking for the TeaTimer System Tray Icon. If the icon is there:
  • Right click Spybot's TeaTimer System Tray Icon > click Exit Spybot-S&D Resident. TeaTimer should close.
• Go to Windows > Control panel > Add or Remove Programs > Locate "Spybot – Search & Destroy 1.4" > Remove.
• Using Windows explorer, verified that the following folder has been delete. If not, delete it:
  • C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy
• Recommend - If you want to make sure that all the registry entries that Spybot-S&D added during installation are removed, there is a .reg file available on the safer-networking.org WEB site that can do that. See the following article as this very small fix:
  • FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
    How to uninstall?
    http://www.safer-networking.org/en/faq/27.html
  • The direct download link is:
    remove-spybotsd-settings.reg
  • Download the file.
  • Double click on it
  • Answer Yes then OK
• Recommended - Delete the Configuration.ini file
  • The Configuration.ini file is stored in one of the following folders:
    • Windows 95 or 98:
      C:\Windows\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy
    • Windows ME:
      C:\Windows\All Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy
    • Windows NT, 2000 or XP:
      C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Spybot - Search & Destroy

Reinstall Spybot-S&D 1.4:

• Execute spybotsd14.exe download above.
• Do not change the default installation path of:
  • C:\Program Files\Spybot - Search & Destroy
• Make sure that you update using the integrated update facility before attempting to scan.