Scan and Shutdown

[snugthejoiner]

I would like to suggest that Malwarebytes incorporate in its SCAN function a button which would read something like SCAN AND SHUTDOWN.

 

It would be a very useful function where the Malwarebytes would scan and then shutdown the computer. Really useful when the user has a large number of files on his/her computer drive, and needs to leave the computer to do its thing. I would do this for example when going to bed.

 

JPG attached.

 

Snug

[AdvancedSetup]

Thank you for your input. The Team reviews all input for possible additions to future program updates. I cannot say if it will or will not be added but all ideas are logged for review.

 

Thank you again

 

Ron

[rlg118]

+1 and a hearty "amen" on that.

 

I just replaced my "other" anti-malware program (SuperAntiSpyware) with MBAM, and, after shelling out forty bucks for a two-year subscription, I am somewhat surprised to find that there is no "scan and shut down" option for scheduled scans, which I consider important. I did not use the Trial version first; I just assumed it was there. My bad. I don't see these schedules in the Windows Task Scheduler, so they must be self-contained?  I have had issues with WTS, so I'm never sure.

 

Can I run MBAM in a batch file? That might help.

 

Something else you could use is a "no scan" time period. I would turn off automatic scanning from, say, 0200 to 0500 so that backup could run with no interference. I will find out tonight whether MBAM's running will cause problems with the Acronis TrueImage backup.  I could just turn it off before running it, but I want to find out if it's necessary.

 

Later.

[daledoc1]

Hi:
 
Until @AdvancedSetup returns...
 

Something else you could use is a "no scan" time period. I would turn off automatic scanning from, say, 0200 to 0500 so that backup could run with no interference. I will find out tonight whether MBAM's running will cause problems with the Acronis TrueImage backup.  I could just turn it off before running it, but I want to find out if it's necessary.

 
The key protection feature of MBAM Premium is the realtime protection to help PREVENT malware infection.  Scans are really just a "second opinion" to catch things that may have gotten past both MBAM and your AV and other security components. So it's not required to run frequent, scheduled scans.  The Threat scan is the default and recommended scan type; it should only take a few minutes. Routine, full, "custom" scans of the entire system are neither necessary nor recommended -- it's a task better suited to your anti-virus.
 
Having said all that, you can edit the default tasks (update checks and scheduled scans) in the automated scheduler to run any time you want them to, so that they don't conflict with other tasks and chores.

 

And having said all THAT, I'm sure the product team will welcome your suggestion about a "no scan" time.

More info about v2.2.0 HERE
Version 2.2.0 Release History HERE
User Guide ONLINE
User Guide PDF
FAQ: Common Questions, Issues, and their Solutions

If you need additional help with the scheduler or other features/settings, I suggest that you might want to please start a new topic in the MBAM support section HERE.

We'll be happy to assist you.

 

Cheers,

[rlg118]

You're right, of course - having the real-time protection is like having that big, mean dog on a chain in your front yard. But, as long as the full scan is available (and every program seems to have them), why not run it when the system is otherwise unoccupied? And why not have the system shut down when it's done to save a bit of energy?

 

Truth be told, I would just as soon do it in a batch file, but I understand that the command-line switches are no longer supported. Reinstating those would take care of the problem quite nicely.

 

My overnight batch job would include

 

1. Junk file cleaner;

2. Virus & malware scan;

3. Defrag/optimize (every week or so);

4. Registry backup;

5. Full system image backup;

6. Shut down.

 

Later,

 

Rob G

[daledoc1]

Hi:

 

Excellent points and a comprehensive plan, to be sure.

 

It's just the case that, for MBAM, the Threat scan is the default and recommended scan type -- it looks in places live malware may hide. Full system scans are neither necessary nor recommended and will be rather slow; they are unlikely to find anything other than "dead" remnants; they could cause excessive wear on your drive; and they are better suited to your antivirus.

{{Aside: If it's a SSD, one should not defragment it, but I presume you know that and refer to a spinner.}}

 

You are correct - command-line switches are not currently supported for the Home version of MBAM.

 

Anyway, I think the "no scan times" idea is already covered by the ability to configure the automated scheduler.

As for the "scan and shutdown" idea, I think it was already conveyed to the product team.  It'll be up to them as to whether or not to implement it.

 

We will need to wait for additional input from the staff.

 

Thanks for your excellent feedback,

[rlg118]

Yes, I know about flash memory (NAND gates, if I recall correctly) - they don't get defragged; only trimmed. Windows does this weekly unless you change the schedule. I do it on my Android phone, as well.

 

A clarification of terms may be in order: by "full scan" I meant "Threat Scan". I note that the default is to run it every hour, which is a bit much, then, perhaps? After all, there is real-time protection in the licensed version. I run a full scan about once a month with Avast Internet Security on all four partitions and the external drives. I've never felt a need to do it more than that, because that one runs in real-time as well - two big dogs guarding the gates.

 

The compromise I came up with was this: I run a Threat Scan every night at midnight and I run updates every six hours. That gives me a window of opportunity to run Acronis unmolested, and last night, while I was busy studying the insides of my eyelids, it did just that.

 

Later,

 

Rob

[daledoc1]

Hi:
 
Actually, out of the box, the default setting for scheduled scans is DAILY.
 
There is a "bug"/"glitch" in the automated scheduler such that, when creating a *new* scheduled scan task, the default setting is HOURLY.
The devs were notified of this a long time ago, shortly after version 2.0 launched -- with any luck, it's on the list for a fix with an upcoming build.

In the interim, yes, you can (and probably should) change that in the scheduler, so that you are NOT scanning every hour.
 
So, scheduled update checks should be HOURLY, with a frequency/interval of every 1 to 4 hours.  Database updates are pushed 8 to 10 or more times daily.  A schedule to check every 6 hours is "OK", but we suggest a more frequent interval, in order to stay abreast of zero-hour threats.

 

And scheduled scans should be a Threat scan; DAILY is more than sufficient for those under most conditions. These normally take only a few minutes. So, it ought to be simple to schedule these so as not to conflict with your other tasks.
 
>>For the record: unless they are scheduled "realtime", update checks will be randomized +/- 15 minutes to balance server load.
>>If you enable the setting for your scheduled scans to "check for updates before scanning", your scheduled scan times will also be randomized.
>>If you want your scheduled scan to run at the exact scheduled time, just disable that setting.

More info about v2.2.0 HERE
Version 2.2.0 Release History HERE
User Guide ONLINE
User Guide PDF
FAQ: Common Questions, Issues, and their Solutions

As this is "Comments and Suggestions" forum and as we have pretty much hijacked the thread, off-topic, from the OP, I suggest starting a new topic here, if you need more help configuring and running MBAM.

 

Thanks!

[rlg118]

If you want to make a new thread out of this stuff, feel free.

 

Once Acronis starts running. the C: part is locked down, so I don't want to be attempting updates during that time. It runs when I go to bed, which is anywhere between midnight and 0300, and takes a couple of hours.

 

Rob

[exile360]

If you want to make a new thread out of this stuff, feel free.

 

Once Acronis starts running. the C: part is locked down, so I don't want to be attempting updates during that time. It runs when I go to bed, which is anywhere between midnight and 0300, and takes a couple of hours.

 

Rob

It should be OK to simply stop Malwarebytes Anti-Malware's mbamscheduler service just prior to your backup event taking place. This can ensure that no scheduled updates will take place during your scheduled system backup. You can then restart the service once the backup event is completed. This can all be accomplished via the Windows Task Scheduler or from a batch file (though such a batch file does require administrative privileges, of course).

[rlg118]

Here's what I came up with:

 

 

rem Optimize C and Back Up
 

net stop MBAMScheduler

"C:\Program Files\CCleaner\CCleaner64.exe" /auto

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Tweaking.com\Registry Backup\TweakingRegistryBackup.exe" /auto

"C:\Program Files\MyDefrag\Scripts\OptimizeWeeklyC.MyD"

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Acronis\TrueImageHome\TrueImageLauncher.exe" /script:9C00E439-9422-45DB-A699-5FF9697BE02F

exit

 

 

Some notes:

 

1) This is the "weekly" job. CCleaner actually runs when Acronis kicks in - it's part of the pre-execution command. This one (line 2) is included so that I'm not optimizing junk which is going to be deleted anyway. The "daily" job does not include the CCleaner and MyDefrag lines (lines 2 & 3).

 

2. There is no net start MBAMScheduler instruction because the backup also contains a Shutdown post-execution command, so it would never run anyway. Since that service is set to Automatic, it restarts at next boot.

 

Later,

 

Rob