spyware scan with mulitple user accounts

[Steelhead55]

the client has 5 users on the system(XP)& I was
doing a spyware scan.

I'm finding that on XP that a spyware scan appears
to have to be done for each user.

I'll scan under admin find a few things, then under another user and it will find more, etc.

Is there a way to do a single scan for the entire
system?

It does not appear to be a way to just login as administrator and do the full scan.

Is this true or does anyone have any suggestions?

thanks, curt

 

[LloydSev]

You should be able to just log on as administrator, but remember that each user has their own registry "HKEY_CURRENT_USER", and spyware registry settings can be in there as well.

Computer/Network Technician
CCNA

 

[Steelhead55]

so if i do a scan under the administrator account it will remove all the spyware/malware/adware etc on the machine. Only registry settings will be left behind in the registry of the users when they logon? Would the system be considered "clean" w/out scanning the other accounts?

thanks for your reply.

 

[LloydSev]

well if the registry calls up a certain URL or something along those lines then of course it could become infected quite easily again..

But there are just some things you can't access without actually logging on.

Computer/Network Technician
CCNA

 

[Steelhead55]

thanks for the info

 

[iamnotageek]

You don't say which scanner you are using, but according to tech support @ webroot (SpySweeper), their current version will not scan or load the autoprotect when logged on as a limited user. At least one of their versions (might be fixed in the latest/greatest) would only launch the autoprotect if logged on to the user account that was in use when it was installed! I had to go into each user's account and add it into the startup group.

 

[LloydSev]

I had to go into each user's account and add it into the startup group.

Why didn't you just copy and paste the link into the StartUp group under "All Users" ???

Computer/Network Technician
CCNA