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Did MBAM Pro actually break Mcafee? (or Norton)


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Hello all,

First of all apologies if this is a duplicate question, I've read a lot of the posts on running MBAM with other AV software but I think this is slightly different.

I installed MBAM Pro last December alongside Mcafee Security Centre, I didn't do any of the stuff with exclusions that's mentioned in the forums here. I ran a scan and it just found a few registry keys related to the Marketforce adware so I removed them.

Things seemed ok with the PC other than it was very slow, then I noticed that the Windows issue centre thing (with the flag) had reported "McAfee Security centre has stopped working properly" and advised me to re-install Mcafee. I did this and of course the installer insisted on removing MBAM.

Has anyone else had this problem? I've seen reports on the various forums of running MBAM with other products causing slowness and conflicts, but can a double install like this actually break one of the AVs permanently? I doubt Mcafee was broken by Malware as I hardly ever use the PC.

I'm asking as my friend has Norton and I advised her to install and run MBAM free. However she's not too technical, so if there's been any permanent damage to Norton from MBAM I'd need to go over and try and figure out the re-installation myself if needed.

I understand that the free version doesn't have the real-time element that causes conflicts, but I noticed MBAM started bundling a trial of the Pro version with free installs, so she may have had pro running for a couple of weeks. In fact if anyone knows when these pro trials started that would be great, so I can see if she would have got it when she installed.

Thanks everyone!

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Hello thebooboo and welcome to MalwareBytes' forums.

There's several points needing addressing here. So I'm hoping to get the major highlights.

It is not unusual for security programs (such as Norton or Checkpoint Zonealarm products, for example) to complain about the pre-existence of other security apps.

One needs to have just one active anti-virus app and if one has more than one anti-malware, one has to use reasonable measures to see they behave well between themselves.

In the vein of latter, if you have MBAM, it is suggested you insure that "trust settings" are set for MBAM & in the other apps.

Please see (as appropriate) the MBAM FAQ as regards your particular setup.

See http://forums.malwar...showtopic=10138

Always be specific in stating the Windows version that you (or in your case, your friend's) and the version number of the other security app(s).

You mention

Windows issue centre thing (with the flag)
Can you be more specific?

Is it Security Center (in XP or Vista)?

Is it Action Center in Windows 7 ?

Does "it" show either of anti-virus or firewall as OFF ?

Also, there can be malware issues that are causing your McAfee (or other app) to stop working.

Was there another antivirus installed on the pc before McAfee?

If so, was it properly de-installed?

Is McAfee with a current license? (ie, license not lapsed)

Or was it a free trial that came with the pc from factory?

The MBAM trial feature has been around for a version or two, so it is not new. But the user has to explicitly consent to "Start Trial" in MBAM.

It is not turned on automatically. And if it is accepted, it can be turned off.

I would suggest that your friend sign up at our forum (free membership after all) and post here in MBAM General so that she can get direct one-on-one free expert advice.

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Hello, it was Windows 7 32-bit action centre, I've posted the exact message here:

https://community.mcafee.com/message/225718#225718

Does "it" show either of anti-virus or firewall as OFF ?

I don't believe so, I've re-installed Mcafee now though so the settings have been re-instated.

Also, there can be malware issues that are causing your McAfee (or other app) to stop working.

Yup, it's a possibility, although Quick Scans with Mcafee and MBAM this afternoon came up clean. I'll run a full scan at next opportunity.

Was there another antivirus installed on the pc before McAfee?

No

If so, was it properly de-installed?

N/A

Is McAfee with a current license? (ie, license not lapsed)

Or was it a free trial that came with the pc from factory?

The license is current.

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as regards, the topic at Mcafee:

It is highly unfair to claim that MBAM would in any way touch Mcafee or cause it to somehow be inactive.

The detail you show on McAfee forum tends to indicate your friend's pc did not have the most current McAfee version / product update.

Solve a problem with McAfee VirusScan

McAfee VirusScan has stopped working properly.

A newer version of this software is available for download that addresses this problem. McAfee, Inc. recommends updating to take advantage of security and stability improvements.

Do provide the full-version number of McAfee product & related components.

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Hello again,

Sorry, I can't provide the version number from the time of the issue as I downloaded the latest Mcafee and re-installed after the alert.

In any case, I've remembered another issue I had with Mcafee which pieces the puzzle together a bit more, I've also posted this in the thread on Mcafee.

On 11th December 2011 I ran a full scan with Mcafee Security Centre, with MBAM Pro active in the taskbar as well. The scan crashed part way through. The Mcafee software itself didn't crash, there was just an error message along the lines of "Sorry, there was a problem with your scan. Please try your scan again". I restarted the scan again and it completed. So whether the crash was due to a conflict with MBAM we don't know.

Presumably this threw an error into the bowels of Windows 7 and it got logged by the action centre, which checked the Mcafee website for a newer version of the software. This was odd however as Mcafee was set to auto update itself in any case.

However I think it's safe to say that this was the cause of the message in Windows Action Centre as it was dated for the same day.

One final question - after I re-installed MBAM free it still set it up as the pro edition, presumably because my authorisation for Pro was still in the registry or on the disk somewhere. If I go to protection and stop the protection module from starting with Windows, I take it this will give me the other benefits of Pro without causing a conflict with Mcafee?

Many thanks

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My view is this: There should not be a conflict between MBAM & Mcafee as long as trust settings are in place, along the lines of Section E of the MBAM F.A.Q.

link here --> http://forums.malwar...ndpost&p=162098

The same principal of trust settings would apply for any other of brand anti-malware/anti-virus/firewall apps.

To your last question, yes you can turn off MBAM protection module and have benefits of on-demand scanning. Same if you have accepted Start Trial option.

But if you have purchased an MBAM license, I suggest this needs follow-up & so then contact Malwarebytes Support for direct assistance.

One final note (and I hope it does not over-confuse):

Some rogues are known to effectively disable the Windows firewall service and that will lead to "alarms/alerts" in Security Center / Action Center.

That is because the Win firewall service (and all it's dependent services) needs to be "enabled" (but not the main monitor) even though you have McAfee or any other 3rd party firewall. Thus my notation on insuring that any system be free of malware when troubleshooting.

HTH

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