Malwarebytes does not show up inWindows Task Maager processes

[paamf]

I am running version 3.3.1.2183 in Windows 7 pro. I have three issues. First Real Time Protection, Web Protection fails to start many times and will not start even when I try to change the switch from off to on. 

Secondly unless I manually launch the Malwarebytes program mbam.exe *32 does not appear under the processes in Windows Task Manager but Malwarebytes does appear under the services. This makes me think the application is not running.

The third issue is that Malwarebytes does not appear in the  taskbar, if I expand Notification Area Icons Malwarebytes tray Application is listed and "Show icon and notifications" is selected.

[Porthos]

43 minutes ago, paamf said:

I am running version 3.3.1.2183

Let's try and get some logs first so the team can review them and see if they can tell what may be causing your issues....

1. FIRST: Create and obtain Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) logs
2. Download FRST and save it to your desktop
   NOTE: You need to run the version compatible with your system. You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit
3. Double-click to run FRST and when the tool opens click "Yes" to the disclaimer
4. Press the "Scan" button
5. This will product two files in the same location (directory) as FRST: FRST.txt and Addition.txt
   NOTE: These two files will be collected by the MB-Check Tool and added to the zip file for you
6. NEXT: Create and obtain an mb-check log
7. Download MB-Check and save to your desktop
8. Double-click to run MB-Check and within a few second the command window will open, then click "OK"
9. This will produce one log file on your desktop: mb-check-results.zip
10. Attach this file to your forum post by clicking on the "Drag files here to attach, or choose files..." or simply drag the file to the attachment area

     

[paamf]

mb-check-results.zip

[Porthos]

We've seen some users report some issues with Kaspersky and Web Protection. Can you please add the following exclusions to Kaspersky and also under Kaspersky Settings -> Additional -> Threats & Exclusions, disable the Advanced Disinfection Technology.

https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-1123

[paamf]

Thanks for your help Porthos. I decided to uninstall Kapersky and use another product. Even the uninstall process was not completely successful initially I had to go to the Kapersky site and use an uninstall tool to totally remove the app.  I became dissatisfied with Kapersky over time for a number of issues, this was just the last straw.

[Porthos]

1 minute ago, paamf said:

I decided to uninstall Kapersky and use another product.

Is MB working correctly now?

[paamf]

So far. I have shut down and rebooted 3 times as well as installed a new anti-virus/ Internet security suite app.

[Porthos]

11 minutes ago, paamf said:

as well as installed a new anti-virus/ Internet security suite app.

Just in case add the exclusions to your new AV.

https://support.malwarebytes.com/docs/DOC-1123

[exile360]

On 11/16/2017 at 6:51 PM, paamf said:

Secondly unless I manually launch the Malwarebytes program mbam.exe *32 does not appear under the processes in Windows Task Manager but Malwarebytes does appear under the services. This makes me think the application is not running.

The third issue is that Malwarebytes does not appear in the  taskbar, if I expand Notification Area Icons Malwarebytes tray Application is listed and "Show icon and notifications" is selected.

Just FYI, mbam.exe *32 should only show up when the main UI is open, for example if you have it open running a manual scan or are modifying settings.  The tray process is called mbamtray.exe (or on x64, mbamtray.exe *32).  Protection itself runs through the service and the drivers and DLLs loaded into it.  The tray is where notifications come from and it receives info from the service to display information such as when a threat has been detected, a malicious website blocked or a scan completed where something has been detected.  The service is also used by the main UI during scans and is what does the actual scanning; this is why you see a spike in mbamservice.exe whenever you run a scan rather than mbam.exe.  This is what's known as a service oriented architecture in the security/software industry.  Using services and drivers rather than standard executables for performing these tasks enables our scanner and protection components SYSTEM level/user access which means things like restrictive permissions do not prevent the scanner and protection engine from being able to detect and remove malware from any location on the system, even if the malware is installed in a protected system folder such as the Windows directory or any other system folder.

[paamf]

Thank you exile360 for the great explanation. Moving off Kapersky not only resolved my Malware bytes issues but also appears to have sped up my laptop.

[exile360]

You're welcome

I'm glad things are running smoothly now.  If you do wish to continue running an antivirus alongside Malwarebytes but want something lighter on resources (not to mention free) you could try enabling Windows Defender, or if you're on Vista or 7, you can download and install Microsoft Security Essentials.  Microsoft's AV tends to be very light and gets along well with Malwarebytes.  Just be sure to set Malwarebytes to Never register Malwarebytes in the Windows Action Center under Settings>Application in Malwarebytes if using Windows Defender, otherwise Windows will likely disable Defender because it sees a security application already registered with Action Center to provide protection.

Edited November 19, 2017 by exile360