Discussion:
Spybot
(too old to reply)
SGB
2010-04-17 18:40:45 UTC
Permalink
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search

New problem only the last few days

What to do... any ideas?

TIA!
SGB
SGB
2010-04-17 19:46:26 UTC
Permalink
P.S. Did system restore as well.
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
Heather
2010-04-17 21:35:59 UTC
Permalink
Why not dump it and just use SpywareBlaster for protection and run MBAM
every day or two in the short mode. I dumped S & D a long time ago because
it was getting way too unwieldy and scans were taking a half hour instead of
5 minutes like MBAM.

Tis a thought..........Heather
Post by SGB
P.S. Did system restore as well.
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
SGB
2010-04-17 23:34:34 UTC
Permalink
SpywareBlaster seems like a good program, but I do not see where it will
remove any possible bad guys that may already be lurking in my computer.

What is your opinion about avast!?

Thanks Heather. Thanks Harry.

SGB
Post by Heather
Why not dump it and just use SpywareBlaster for protection and run MBAM
every day or two in the short mode. I dumped S & D a long time ago because
it was getting way too unwieldy and scans were taking a half hour instead of
5 minutes like MBAM.
Tis a thought..........Heather
(snipped to shorten content)
Heather
2010-04-18 01:10:22 UTC
Permalink
SpywareBlaster is simply a *preventative* program........doesn't let bad
stuff land on your computer sort of thing. MBAM is an anti-malware program
and is excellent.

I have used Avast for a couple of years and other than a very yucky
interface (hard to read and figure out), it has served me well and it
auto-updates, etc. Avira is supposed to be quite good as well, but if you
are using WinME, check to see what works with it.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php to download the free MBAM.

Heather
Post by SGB
SpywareBlaster seems like a good program, but I do not see where it will
remove any possible bad guys that may already be lurking in my computer.
What is your opinion about avast!?
Thanks Heather. Thanks Harry.
SGB
Post by Heather
Why not dump it and just use SpywareBlaster for protection and run MBAM
every day or two in the short mode. I dumped S & D a long time ago
because
Post by Heather
it was getting way too unwieldy and scans were taking a half hour instead
of
Post by Heather
5 minutes like MBAM.
Tis a thought..........Heather
(snipped to shorten content)
webster72n
2010-04-18 01:59:02 UTC
Permalink
You are talking two or more different applications, SGB.
Spybot and SpywareBlaster take care of 'spyware' as the name indicates.
Malwarebytes takes care of malware and Avast is an antivirus program, much
more serious, as you can see. The problem is, it no longer supports ME with
current updates, but you can still use it effectively to an extent, meaning
for non-business data.
If you suspect virus problems, you can try Avast and see what happens.
Either you find the culprit(s) or you don't and if you don't find any and
still have problems, you may want to upgrade the system, assuming it is
worthwhile to you.
In case it is not, you can always use ClamWin (see previous post by Corday).
If there are other choices left, someone else may want to contribute, I
can't think of any at the moment.

Harry.
Post by SGB
SpywareBlaster seems like a good program, but I do not see where it will
remove any possible bad guys that may already be lurking in my computer.
What is your opinion about avast!?
Thanks Heather. Thanks Harry.
SGB
Post by Heather
Why not dump it and just use SpywareBlaster for protection and run MBAM
every day or two in the short mode. I dumped S & D a long time ago
because
Post by Heather
it was getting way too unwieldy and scans were taking a half hour instead
of
Post by Heather
5 minutes like MBAM.
Tis a thought..........Heather
(snipped to shorten content)
HRH The Example John Smith
2010-04-18 07:59:38 UTC
Permalink
Spybot S&D is useful for the potentially-preventative Immunize feature, but
as for removing serious threats it is not very good. I too stopped using it
on WinMe a long time ago because it took so too run - though as this is in a
Virtual PC .vhd it may have a specific incompatibility with that rather than
WinMe per se.

SpywareBlaster does not scan or fix but is a very good prophylactic.

Both MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware do a better job than Spybot S&D at
removing serious threats.

Given the problem with Spybot you're posting about, I suggest you give up on
it. None of them are needed with a modicum of good sense surfing the net and
installing stuff anyway rather than the blind panic that seems to be what
motivates the typical anti-malware advice poster here.

However, with an officially supported Windows version I would still say,
yes, use MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware for the occasional scan, because
you can. But neither run on any 9x version.

Also there is A-Squared (being renamed Emisoft AntiMalware - or something
along those lines) but it won't run on 9x either - and does not seem 100%
Windows 7 compatible, for what that is worth.

You could run the portable version of SuperAntiSpyware from a USB thumb
drive, but one would ideally want USB 2.0 as well as a high speed drive. And
the portable version does not autorun (of course) nor does it update (you
have to download a fresh copy which includes the latest definitions:
http://www.superantispyware.com/portablescanner.html).

Shane
Post by SGB
P.S. Did system restore as well.
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
Peter Hnnurrtner
2010-04-18 08:31:56 UTC
Permalink
Also a-squared can be run from a usb stick:
http://download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip (as indeed can Spybot and
SpywareBlaster - you just copy their program files contents over less
certain components, such as uninstall information or in Spybot's case quite
a bit more. If interest is shown I'll post a list of the files required to
run SpywareBlaster and Spybot from a usb thumb drive).

Shane
Post by HRH The Example John Smith
Spybot S&D is useful for the potentially-preventative Immunize
feature, but as for removing serious threats it is not very good. I
too stopped using it on WinMe a long time ago because it took so too
run - though as this is in a Virtual PC .vhd it may have a specific
incompatibility with that rather than WinMe per se.
SpywareBlaster does not scan or fix but is a very good prophylactic.
Both MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware do a better job than Spybot
S&D at removing serious threats.
Given the problem with Spybot you're posting about, I suggest you
give up on it. None of them are needed with a modicum of good sense
surfing the net and installing stuff anyway rather than the blind
panic that seems to be what motivates the typical anti-malware advice
poster here.
However, with an officially supported Windows version I would still
say, yes, use MalwareBytes and SuperAntiSpyware for the occasional
scan, because you can. But neither run on any 9x version.
Also there is A-Squared (being renamed Emisoft AntiMalware - or
something along those lines) but it won't run on 9x either - and does
not seem 100% Windows 7 compatible, for what that is worth.
You could run the portable version of SuperAntiSpyware from a USB
thumb drive, but one would ideally want USB 2.0 as well as a high
speed drive. And the portable version does not autorun (of course)
nor does it update (you have to download a fresh copy which includes
http://www.superantispyware.com/portablescanner.html).
Shane
Post by SGB
P.S. Did system restore as well.
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
SGB
2010-04-18 19:12:45 UTC
Permalink
I want to thank all of you who made suggestions.
I completely uninstalled Spybot, again.
My problem with many of these software programs is I am running Windows ME.
My computer is about 9 years old.
I am not ready to purchase a new computer yet.
So, I really would like a program that will protect my machine against
malware, spyware, adware, keyloggers, trojans, hijackers, viruses and such.
OMG! Yes, I know I am asking for a lot, but all I want to do is protect what
has served me so well since April of 2001.

This group is awesome.
You are so very helpful and have been throughout the years.
I have much appreciation for your knowledge, effort and time with every
message I ever posted.

SGB
Post by Peter Hnnurrtner
http://download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip (as indeed can Spybot and
SpywareBlaster - you just copy their program files contents over less
certain components, such as uninstall information or in Spybot's case quite
a bit more. If interest is shown I'll post a list of the files required to
run SpywareBlaster and Spybot from a usb thumb drive).
Shane
(snipped to shorten content)
Peter Hrunrhrhnim
2010-04-18 20:52:38 UTC
Permalink
Whether anyone wants this info or not I'm gonna post it anyway!

To run Spybot S&D from a thumb drive you need

Spybot S&D/aports.dll
Spybot S&D/blindman.exe
Spybot S&D/Default configuration.ini
Spybot S&D/DelZip179.dll
Spybot S&D/messages.zres
Spybot S&D/OptOut.ini
Spybot S&D/SDFiles.exe
Spybot S&D/SDMain.exe
Spybot S&D/sqlite3.dll
Spybot S&D/Tools.dll
Spybot S&D/Update.exe
Spybot S&D/Updates/*.* (minus the zips)
Spybot S&D/Plugins/*.*
Spybot S&D/Languages/*.* (minus the language files you don't need)
Spybot S&D/Includes/*.*
Spybot S&D/Dummies/*.*

Some of these files will be optional but it is so long since I set it up I
don't remember the details! But if you put said files on a USB stick you can
run Spybot by double-clicking SDMain.exe, and run Immunize, Update (updating
the correct, thumb drive installation - manually deleting the zips in the
Updates folder when the update is complete if space is at a premium), run
scans, and fix identified problems, without installing it on the computer.

To run SpywareBlaster from a thumb drive copy over:

SpywareBlaster\ckdatabase.dtb
SpywareBlaster\MSCOMCTL.OCX
SpywareBlaster\rsdatabase.dtb
SpywareBlaster\sbversion5.txt
SpywareBlaster\sbdatabase2.dtb
SpywareBlaster\sbdatabaseinf.dtb
SpywareBlaster\sbdatabaseinf2.dtb
SpywareBlaster\sbhelp.chm
SpywareBlaster\sbinfo.dtb
SpywareBlaster\license.txt
SpywareBlaster\readme.txt
SpywareBlaster\spywareblaster.exe
SpywareBlaster\SQLite3SB.dll
SpywareBlaster\sbdatabase.dtb
SpywareBlaster\customblocking.txt (if in use)

and it too updates the thumb drive installation no problem. I'm not aware of
any functions that do not run from a thumb drive.

Shane
Post by SGB
I want to thank all of you who made suggestions.
I completely uninstalled Spybot, again.
My problem with many of these software programs is I am running
Windows ME. My computer is about 9 years old.
I am not ready to purchase a new computer yet.
So, I really would like a program that will protect my machine against
malware, spyware, adware, keyloggers, trojans, hijackers, viruses and
such. OMG! Yes, I know I am asking for a lot, but all I want to do is
protect what has served me so well since April of 2001.
This group is awesome.
You are so very helpful and have been throughout the years.
I have much appreciation for your knowledge, effort and time with
every message I ever posted.
SGB
Post by Peter Hnnurrtner
http://download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip (as indeed can Spybot and
SpywareBlaster - you just copy their program files contents over less
certain components, such as uninstall information or in Spybot's
case quite a bit more. If interest is shown I'll post a list of the
files required to run SpywareBlaster and Spybot from a usb thumb
drive).
Shane
(snipped to shorten content)
webster72n
2010-04-19 01:03:39 UTC
Permalink
You'd be well advised to follow Shane's suggestions in his last post, SGB.
Otherwise you just may have to 'upgrade'.
On the other hand your risk of infection is low with ME and can be
controlled fairly successful by exercising 'Safe Hex'.
What you are asking cannot be accomplished with only one program.
Best of luck,

Harry.
Post by SGB
I want to thank all of you who made suggestions.
I completely uninstalled Spybot, again.
My problem with many of these software programs is I am running Windows ME.
My computer is about 9 years old.
I am not ready to purchase a new computer yet.
So, I really would like a program that will protect my machine against
malware, spyware, adware, keyloggers, trojans, hijackers, viruses and such.
OMG! Yes, I know I am asking for a lot, but all I want to do is protect what
has served me so well since April of 2001.
This group is awesome.
You are so very helpful and have been throughout the years.
I have much appreciation for your knowledge, effort and time with every
message I ever posted.
SGB
Post by Peter Hnnurrtner
http://download1.emsisoft.com/a2usb.zip (as indeed can Spybot and
SpywareBlaster - you just copy their program files contents over less
certain components, such as uninstall information or in Spybot's case
quite
Post by Peter Hnnurrtner
a bit more. If interest is shown I'll post a list of the files required to
run SpywareBlaster and Spybot from a usb thumb drive).
Shane
(snipped to shorten content)
webster72n
2010-04-17 23:06:34 UTC
Permalink
It's up to you to 'dump it', SGB, but it has new definitions only once a
week (Wednesdays), and there is no need to run it every day on auto pilot.
That's where SpywareBlaster comes in.
Do it manually once a week and you'll be all right.
Cheers,

Harry.
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
Noel Paton
2010-04-18 19:57:19 UTC
Permalink
A bit late to the party on this one - I've been checking with a couple of
contacts.
Unfortunately, They've never seen that error message either :(
However, they did suggest that you might want to post to the Spybot help
forums -
http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=4
and ask for assistance there - make sure that you emphasise that you're
using ME!!

HTH
--
Noel Paton
CrashFixPC

Nil Carborundum Illegitemi
www.crashfixpc.co.uk
Post by SGB
Hopefully you folks have an answer
Spybot starts daily at 1:00am
Recently, still running 8-9 hours later
Click 'Stop Check'
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)"
I uninstalled and reinstalled it deleting any leftover registry keys
Ran task
Stopped task about 10 minutes later
Reads - "Thread Error: The parameter is incorrect (87)
Could not find a good answer doing a Google search
New problem only the last few days
What to do... any ideas?
TIA!
SGB
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