Spybot 1.6.2 update and Runtime Error 216

David12846 said:
...I removed SpyBot entirely. I then shut down my PC, and re-downloaded SpyBot. When I started SpyBot, I did NOT accept the updates. The update screen showed the following were available (but I did not download them):

- - - - -
1) Advanced detection library 1.6.3 ( 784KB - 2009-07-29 )
2) Immunization database ( 546 KB - 2008-11-05 )
3) Tea Timer update 1.6.6 ( 1011 KB - 2009-03-11 )
4) English descriptions ( 281 KB - 2008-09-10 )
- - - - -

I then ran 3 tests (Firefox running, not running, running but closed during SpyBot scan) , re-booting the PC between each test. The 216 error did NOT appear after each test.

I then re-booted, ran SpyBot and checked for up-dates. The 4 updates listed above were available. I accepted all 4 of them. I then ran SpyBot and only "Checked for Problems". SpyBot reported no problems. I then closed SpyBot.... and the 216 error appeared !!
Click to expand...

As someone else said, they doubt FireFox is to blame :bigthumb:. I tend to agree. To me, it appears as if one of the updates in the list above is the culprit.

Maybe someone else (a SpyBot guru?) could/would run through my senario of reloading SpyBot without accepting the updates then execute SpyBot to be certain the 216 error does not appear (Maybe execute it 2 or 3 times to be sure... programs have an uncanny habit of making changes). Then accept the updates one at a time and execute SpyBot after each update to see whether the 216 error appears (again, run it 2 or 3 times between each update just to be sure) . Maybe "we" can narrow it down to a bad update :oops: .

While I'm here posting, I also use "Primary Response SafeConnect" (by Sana Security). It checks for programs that change behavior. A few times recently when I boot-up, it alerts me that TeaTimer has changed the way it behaves :confused:. Before the 216 error, the "program change for TeaTimer" alert did not appear.

David
 
Another Firefox User

To add to the data gathering process:

I started getting the 216 message a few weeks back. Spybot runs every night. Most nights I leave Firefox windows open.

As a test, after getting the 216 message this morning, I closed Firefox and ran Search & Destroy again. No error message. (No intervening reboot.)

I'm running:

XP Home SP3 all fixes to date installed,
Firefox 3.5.2 all fixes installed, Adblock Plus 1.1, AVG Safe Search 8.5

Also, for what it is worth, this version of Firefox is crashing a lot and having problems re-opening all its windows / tabs when it re-starts.

Not blaming Spybot nor Firefox but there seems to be a connection. Just happy it is not a hardware problem.
 
I don't think it's caused by Firefox as I didn't install Firefox on my PC. I am using IE7, running on WinXp SP3. I started to have the error 216 problem since early this month. :confused:

The only thing I can do now is disable "MalwareC.sbi" in the setting, and the problem is gone. I don't know why would this happen and still looking solution for that.

Sam
 
Those of you stating that Firefox isn't the 'problem', you're missing the point. Firefox is simply the only currently known item that is clearly known to be able to cause the situation on some systems. It may not be the fault of Firefox itself, which is why I specifically indicated that Firefox 'aggravated' the situation in my post above.

For those who don't have Firefox installed, do you have any browsers installed other then Internet Explorer? What we're looking for is most likely a core component of the browser, not the actual browser itself and most of the other third-party browsers share the same core Mozilla components.

If not, then something else on your PC (and possibly even ours) may be involved. The only thing that a few of us know for certain is that we can turn this problem on and off like a switch based on whether we open Firefox or not during a scan.

My own guess is that a change in the new Advanced Check Library is interacting with certain core components of Firefox and possibly other programs in an unintended way, resulting in the error message sequence occuring upon exit after a scan. The fact that those testing specific SBI modules are also finding differing results points to the probability that several different combinations of programs might be involved as symptoms along with Firefox.

The fact that several Windows Updates were also released in this same time period including some related to significant changes in the ALT Libraries which are also reflected in multiple other vendors recent updates simply confuses the issue even further.

If you really are tryng to help, then find the specific program contributing to your particular situation, those of us with Firefox have already done that. We understand fully that this doesn't appear to be the issue in your case, so what is?

Bitman
 
Another piece of data

Ras1974 said:
when i abort the scan at say 545000 checked items the error will not occur.
Click to expand...

I'll let those of you more technically knowledgeable about spybot to decide if this is relevant. Tonight, Firefox was open when spybot started. I closed Firefox when spybot was 550,xxx / 574,xxx thru processing. When spybot finished a little while later, I was able to close it with no errors.
 
@ all

Thanks for posting all these information. As some users are getting the error message although there has not been no FireFox installed so far, please test the following two files. Please download the old include files and the old advcheck.dll and restart your system after the files have been installed. Subsequent please run a scan. Thanks!
 
Finally, I've done the following:
1. Uninstalled the Spybot, delete all Spybot create folders and clean up the registry.
2. Reboot the system and install the Spybot 1.62 again.
3. Uncheck "Download update immediately" in the middle of the setup dialog.
4. Finished installation, reboot and run Spybot to check, not successful, it ask me to do update first as no system files can be found.
5. Check for update and update those available updates one by one, according to their release date.
6. Perform a Spybot check after each update, no error 216 anymore.
7. Do the "Advanced detection library 1.6.3" update finally, then perform Spybot check again, error 216 comes out.
8. Download the old advcheck162.zip and run the exe file inside.
9. Check the advcheck.dll file inside the "Spybot - Search & Destroy" folder under "Program Files", the advcheck.dll still 1.6.3.17.
10. rename the "advcheck.dll" file, run the exe file inside the advcheck162.zip again.
11. Check advcheck.dll again, version is now 1.6.2.13.
12. Run Spybot check again, no error 216 message.

I think the problem solved after roll back to advcheck162.

My PC is running WinXP SP3, IE7, and AVG8.5. No IE8, Firefox or Chrome been installed before.

I have a notebook that running WinXP SP3, IE7, and AVG8.5 as well. This notebook installed IE8 and Chrome before, but not Firefox, both IE8 & Chrome been uninstalled a couple months ago. This notebook do not have the error 216 problem.

I hope the above information is useful. Anyway, it's a great relief that it's not a trojan or hardware problem, cause it bothers me for weeks!

Thank you for all of you and I will keep following this thread.:thanks:

Sam
 
Buster said:
Hello Sam,

thanks for reporting! Let's see if this also fixes the issues on other systems.
Click to expand...

I just done some combination and found the following:
1. use advcheck.dll 1.6.2.13 + enable all sbi files in File Sets
result: no error
2. use advcheck.dll 1.6.3.17 + disable MalwareC.sbi in File Sets
result: no error
3. use advcheck.dll 1.6.3.17 + enable all sbi files in File Sets
result: runtime error 216
Does this test mean something to you?

Sam
 
Thanks for testing this. :bigthumb: Yes it has a meaning to us. :) There is one more test I would like you to do. Please disable the hijackers.sbi and enable the malwarec.sbi once again.:thanks:
 
Just done the test, disable hijackers.sbi and enable malwarec.sbi with advcheck.dll 1.6.3.17.
Result: no luck, runtime error 216 again.:sad:

Sam
 
Finally got something to work for me. After Samtso's post, I decided to try the advcheck162.exe file again and see if I could get it to work. I unzipped the file, and ran the executeable. To save time, I ran only the file sets that gave me the error:

trojans.sbi
spyware.sbi

Upon exit, I received the errors. Then I checked the spybot directory to find the version of advcheck.dll used for the scan. I couldn't find it, so I went to folder options and selected to view hidden system files. Afterwards, I located the file and checked the version. It was still listed as 1.6.3! No wonder it never worked for me. Following Samtso's advice, I renamed advcheck.dll to advcheck.dll_old, and re-ran the executeable. Afterwards, I ran a spybot scan on my trouble file sets. Upon exit, NO ERROR! I think enabled all file sets and ran a scan. Once again, upon exit, no error.

BTW, I had firefox 3.5.2 open the entire time.

So now the question is, can I continue to run with the 1.6.2 version? I usually run a scan overnight, and perform the updates and immunizations then. Will the computer load the 1.6.3 version if I enable the auto-updates? And is there a way to just load the new definitions, etc... without updating the engine?
 
Hello TerminalMan,

I just manually do an update and don't see the advcheck163 available :D:, I think the update log already show this been updated, so it will not bother to come up again. You may do a manually update to test it.

Sam
 
To confirm what others have reported —

advcheck.dll was renamed advcheck.dll_old before installing advcheck162.exe.

I then scanned for problems with Firefox 3.0.12 open, and upon completion closed Spybot without any error messages.

Thanks for finding a solution to this problem!:bigthumb:
 
Need a little clarification. Are you saying the problem is solved? I, for one, am not comfortable altering program files that I know nothing about. I would expect the fix would come down in an update and resolve the problem. Am I wrong?
 
I personally feel the same as the previous poster. As a matter of fact I have
not updated since July 23 and don't want to do it unless I know this problem
has for sure been taken care of. Can somebody that really knows confirm that this is fixed, without guessing. I will wait about 7 to 10 days more for a fix, if
its not done by them I will , with a broken heart, uninstall Spybot. When the July 27 update was ready and I started reading about this run time issue with
that particular update I decided to wait before updating. If I felt that only a
small percentage of users were having this problem I would have updated but
all I have read this past month here and in a couple places elsewhere is a lot of guessing and extremely wrong advice. The first suggestions here and elsewhere
was that this problem was a virus.Incredible.
I thank Spybot for what has meant but I dont want to waist my machine if this is a guessing game forever.
Bo
 
Workaround, not solution

I too agree that this is not yet fixed but it seems to have been narrowed down to a particular update. I trust that the Spybot folks are hard at work figuring out exactly why spybot & firefox are not playing nice.

I am continuing to leave firefox open each night, updating and running spybot. The error keeps occurring each morning when I close spybotg but I am ignoring it for now. I assume that when spybot figures this one out, there will be an update and the error will go away. I just hope that I remember that when the absence of error occurs, I remember to post that it is gone.
 
Yes, the problem is not solved yet, it's just a solution to temporary get rid of the runtime error 216. I think Spybot Team already know where the problem came from and will fix it soon.

Sam
 
Of course the errors are irritating but they come up after you`ve already done everything you wanted to do with SpybotSD. So there is no loss in functionality because of this errors. Because the SpybotSD team cannot reproduce this error they are suggesting several tests. But they are working on a solution.

So please don`t give up on SpybotSD. It has been a defence against nasties for as long i can remember.
 
That's right, all of the testing many of you have performed is helping to narrow down where the real issue lies. Everyone else is simply wasting their breath, since complaining won't help provide a solution any faster. They appear to have an idea which files are involved, but may still need to determine exactly what portions of these processes or detections are creating the issue itself.

And as also mentioned, this doesn't appear to affect any true functionality, it's just an annoying error message that shouldn't be happening, so its priority will be something less than critical.

Typically, an update will be released the Wednesday following any true 'fix' that is discovered. Expecting anything else in this situation is just wishful thinking.

Bitman
 
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