[IMPORTANT: Web Blocking / RAM Usage]

On 1/27/2018 at 10:34 PM, SawtoothID said:

Looking back in time, I can’t immediately recall instances where other vendors with customer bases in the millions sent out emails to all their customers in events similar to this. Most seem to just put out some select news releases + info on their websites. That should change (at least in events like this)! MB, you have millions of customers. You’re a well-recognized & respected vendor in the industry (for good reason). You could help start a trend in this direction. Put in place an email/text policy going forward & advertise it. Maybe if other companies see the end result of that type policy is more customer loyalty (not less), more firms would start doing the same thing. In this litigious world, I’m sure corporate attorneys would weigh in and muddy the waters, but events like this have & will continue to happen periodically across the IT industry. Most of the damage on events like these are not from the bad code itself, rather all the rabbit holes some users go down erroneously thinking they have a failing hardware component or a virus & need to restore or reformat a drive. For sure there are many users who would benefit greatly by becoming more familiar with the basics of safely handling the inevitable mystery meltdowns that happen, but a policy like this would really help! For the folks who espouse anger & negative dialog to get things done, i totally disagree.

 

[IMPORTANT: Web Blocking / RAM Usage]

23 minutes ago, Asia_Off_Grid said:

In that case two things should be done to sort that.

1. Malwarebytes should generate an email to all consumers, upon successfully purchasing the product, with links to Customer Support, these forums, etc., letting them know what to do in the event of an issue. (I actually find it difficult to believe that Malwarebytes do not do this already.)
2. Customers should use their brains for something besides a hat rack, and do their own research. Finding information on a product, and learning what to do if you have an issue requiring Tech Support, should be the first actions performed before buying said product. There are too many search engines online today, to use the excuse, "I can't find information showing me what to do." 

Both excellent points!!!  Thanks!!! Hopefully once/if MB puts in place a mass email procedure/service, they can test it out by pushing a note out to all current subscribers that this has been one positive result of this event. Maybe some other vendors would pick up on doing likewise in similar circumstances. And yes – spot on with # 2

[IMPORTANT: Web Blocking / RAM Usage]

1 hour ago, Walo said:

Please, folks, please, lighten up on the braggadocio, the chest-thumping, and reaching around your own shoulder to pat yourselves on the back because you were lucky enough to know how to handle what is to the vast majority of users a f'kin disaster. Please stop the self-aggrandizing and arrogant smirking.

Most of MBs users are merely folks who heard this was a great program from someone or some source they trusted then installed it and perhaps bought the premium upgrade. 

Most of MBs users are still lost in the wilderness of tech fog and tech babble; a lot of it from egomaniacal techies suffering an overdose of testosterone. 

They're all FUBAR now. And will continue to be for days while the fix is globally disseminated.

Moreover, by far, most users don't even know and never will know about this forum. 

While repair shops and contractors make a ton of money on this, real people in real world situations are not able to pay their bills that they're increasingly being forced to pay online, they aren't able to communicate with kids away at school, grandparents can't see their grandbabies, and kids who have to use computers for homework aren't learning.

Have some compassion for people. 

You know, since you're so darned good, try calling some folks who you think might be affected and ask them if they are affected, and if they are, ask them if you could go to their site and fix the problem for them. 

Since you're so smart. 

I'll apologize for my rant now. But I won't take it back.

Thanks Walo! You are spot on! I just got my flu ridden carcass out of bed and made a few calls. As to the forum here (where there's MB staff & other techs much brighter than me), I'll just repeat (for whatever it’s worth) the low tech steps (in my particular case) that allowed me to get the MB fix loaded and out of the woods (without uninstalling/reinstalling MB). “ I booted Windows in “Safe Mode” (tapping F8 while booting), pulled up  “Services”, set the MB service (there’s just 1) from Automatic to Manual, then hit the stop button (on the same MB service screen)  & then rebooted again in normal mode.  When Windows came back up, the memory usage had dropped back to normal (because MB didn’t try to auto load on boot) and I was then able to update MB with the fix. The memory leak did not cause any damage or corruption on my workstation, rather it just froze a number of processes consistently and kept me from loading the fix to stop the leak. I haven't read all the 25 pages that have accrued since I posted this earlier today. So, there's probably plenty of more useful info in there than what I have posted here.  But thought I'd throw it out again. Good luck to everyone still weathering this storm (both MB users & MB alike). 

One other comment I always make to myself during situations like this (again for whatever it's worth) is to “document all the steps I’ve tried thus far” (before those steps become a tower of babble in my own head and I can’t remember everything I’ve tried and in what order). Sometimes that info helps me know if there’s anything I need to set back to default (because it didn’t solve the problem anyways) or is useful when seeking advice from techs who know the particular issues in detail. It sometimes gives me an exit out of a wrong rabbit hole I went down and I've been down plenty of them.

[IMPORTANT: Web Blocking / RAM Usage]

From old guy to old guy: Sorry for not getting on to the forum at the beginning. We have a virulent form of flu in the valley here right now and I've been sick as a dog. My wife basically cattle proded me out of bed to fix her workstation earlier and I went back to bed after fixing (with my low tech solution). When I got back up a little bit ago & checked the forum, I felt compelled to say a few good words about MB. It was a duzy of a mistake, but in using them for many years at many clients, I thought  some of the vicious comments were over the top in relation to their overall track record.  In years past, I've seen people like Norton put out techno babble excuses to mitigate a few of their screw ups. MB didn't do that, which I respect. If they have both their heart & ethics in the game (coupled with a good track record), they are worth a second chance in my book. Allot of these software companies have so many hooks into our PC's that their ethics & honesty matter as much to me as their code

[IMPORTANT: Web Blocking / RAM Usage]

I'm an old guy (70) and a network admin for 35yrs. I've used products & services from hundreds of vendors over the years. I can't think of a single major vendor (over a continuum of years) that has not made a few bad mistakes. MB immediately owned up, didn't whitewash or tie it to anything else & got a fix out quickly.  I respect them for that and will not write them off due to a single mistake over many years. I’ve used MB on multiple workstations for many years and their track record is a very good one. Also, I’ve made my share of whoppers. My simple solution before any fix was available was to first look for any application specific clues (in this case MB because the “Real Time Web Protection” kept bombing) and then did a 2 minute Google search for “MB problems with today’s date” (via web on my phone) and was able to confirm the hunch. I then “Booted in Safe Mode (F8 while booting)”, went to Services, set the MB service from Automatic to Manual & rebooted.  The memory usage dropped back to normal and a few hours later MB had a fix. For me, doing some basic “non-it” detective work before starting down rabbit holes that keeps me out of trouble.  MB's been a solid outfit for allot of years and they still have my confidence!