Spybot S & D ?

[LilBob]

I have a client's laptop that wouldn't boot. She claimed her AV subsription ran out & installed a free one she found online. First problem was the AV app she downloaded was actually a virus. I pulled her HD out & slaved it off my desktop HD to copy important docs. I scanned it using NAV as well as AVG. I then right clicked on the drive & selected Scan using Spybot S & D. That was Sunday night before going for a knee operation. Upon my return Friday, the scan was about 3/4's complete & is still running. It's a 60GB HD with approximately 25GB used. Is this normal for Spybot to take so long & will it save a log of any errors it finds? I plan on copying down all errors just in case but if anyone knows a log will be saved, then I won't bother.

Thanks for any input you can give me, LilBob

 

[cmeagan656]

If you actually open Spybot S&D, update from inside of it, and then run the scan from inside of Spybot there is no way that it should be taking that long. 25 GB on my Acer Travelmate 5200 laptop takes less than an hour and produces an on screen log from which I can select which problems to fix.

I've never right clicked and scanned that way so I don't know if it will produce a log or not when you do it that way.

Cheers.

 

[Johnthephoneguy]

I've never seen Spybot take that long either.

JohnThePhoneGuy

"If I can't fix it, it's not broke!

 

[BadBigBen]

That can happen, when the file system is in disarray...

you should have ran CHKDSK /F (/R) on that drive before hand...

there is also the permission problem, meaning that a lot of files are permissioned only to the admin / user of the installed OS of the laptop, and as a slave drive you do not have full access unless you take ownership of the drive...


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."

 

[LilBob]

Normally, Spybot doesn't take that much time for it to scan my HD which is much larger. This is my 1st attempt at right clicking to Scan with S&D (other than using that method for the NAV & AVG scans which did not take that long to complete). Since S&D was not installed on the client's HD (nor any other legitimate AS app) I chose the right click method. All I get is a Spybot sreen with 2 columns: Filename and Status. Status starts as 'waiting' until that Filename is scanned then I normally get after scanning 'nothing found'. The scren cannot be minimized or maximized. The only options are to click on the x at top or click the close button at the bottom to exit the program. It started scanning originally for malware but is now doing a heuristic scan. I started copying all it finds to a doc file. Will let all know how things turn out.

Thanks for all the input, LilBob

 

[linney]

Sounds like the program is a little bit buggy, but on the other hand what you are using is more of a single file scanner rather than the whole hard drive.

Scan with SpyBot in Explorer's right click?

http://forums.spybot.info/showthread.php?t=30716

 

[wahnula]

Don't forget a lot of spyware/virus writers are putting in blocks to the popular A/S tools out there...Adaware, Spybot, etc...and may be refusing to be analyzed with SpyBot.

I had one infection that would shut down the PC when I attempted to update Adaware (or was it SpyBot )

Anyway I eventually hit on one it had no protection against and cleaned it out, then ran the program that would not run. Try MalwareBytes Anti-Malware and also Super-Anti-Spyware.

Just an observation, but hooking up to a second PC is a questionable practice in my book.

As Ben mentioned, there might be permissions problems, but it might also modify system files that would result in an un-bootable drive...it also could transfer the baddies to the host PC.

You mention a very good point that is becoming a larger problem every day...malware that impersonates legitimate A/V or A/S programs...they're everywhere, and you can't trust the web, as they buy up a couple dozen domains that rate the malware as "excellent".

Trust only the long-timers, or post in forum760 if you or your customers have any questions about what is and is not malware.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[LilBob]

Sorry for not replying sooner but had additional surgery on my knee. All is going good now & am even able to walk without help & hardly any pain. Doctor said I should be good as new in 2 - 4 weeks without any further surgery.

Yes linney, it was doing a single file scan which I finally stopped. I ran chkdsk /r and few others & was finally able to do a repair install. I did run into a permission problem once. The PC I use to slave client's HD's on is a spare tower with no critical data of mine on it. If pests get transferred over, I reformat it & start over (luckily, this has only happened twice). And yes Tony, that is a growing problem with malware disguised as legit AV/AS apps. I recently repaired a PC that was infested with trojans, spyware, etc. by an 'AV program' that she downloaded off the web. To add insult to injury, she paid for it. She inquired how she could get her money back & had to tell her she should chalk it up to a lesson learned. Suggested a few things she could do but the odds of her recouping her money was slim to none at all.

Thanks again all for your input, Bob

 

[G0AOZ]

Bob, glad to hear the knee's getting better - hope you'll soon be running a marathon!

I also had a user who paid for rogue software which I cleaned out for her. I suggested she contact her credit card company, who she later told me were going to "bounce" the debit from the rogue company. If your client paid using a cc, it's worth her inquiring about it...

ROGER - G0AOZ.

 

[LilBob]

Thanks for that tip Roger & the well wishes, doubt I'll be running any marathons though. I'll pass your suggestion on to the client.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Bob