Malwarebytes disappeared, now won't download

[Sandie320]

Malwarebytes has disappeared from my Windows10 laptop.  I used the mb-clean tool, re-booted, and waited for the prompt asking if I wanted to download the program, however it won't download.  Attached is the mb-clean report.  Laptop is running very slowly, my Windows Mail program has started to shut itself down intermittently.  Suspect maybe something malicious has infected it?

Thanks in advanced for any help you can give me.

mb-clean-results.txt

[Malwarebytes]

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[Sandie320]

Attached is the requested log file.

mbst-grab-results.zip

[exile360]

Greetings,

I'm sorry that you're having trouble, but hopefully we can get your system fixed up and in proper working order again.

First, please try downloading the latest version of Malwarebytes from here and see if it will install.  If it won't, then please try starting your system in Safe Mode with Networking via the instructions on this page and see if Malwarebytes will install and run there.

If you still have trouble then please follow the instructions in this topic to see if that special build of Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit is able to run.  If so, then scan with it and have it remove any threats it finds, restarting your system if prompted to complete the threat removal process.

If you are still seeing issues after that, try running ADWCleaner and likewise have it remove anything it finds then restart if prompted to complete the removal process.

Once all of that is done, try running Malwarebytes again to see if it works now.

If you are still having trouble getting Malwarebytes to work and/or your PC is still showing signs of infection and poor performance then please read and follow the instructions in this topic and then create a new thread in the malware removal area containing the requested information along with the logs from any of the scans that I recommended that you were able to run by clicking here and one of our malware removal specialists will assist you in checking and cleaning your system of any remaining threats as soon as one becomes available.

[Sandie320]

Thank you.  The download of Malwarebytes was successful this time, using the link you provided.  I've run two scans... two because the first didn't scan for rootkits, even though I have that option enabled.  I've had that issue before, in fact, where Scan for Rootkits only seems to work if I turn the option off and then back on... any ideas on why that occurs, please?  Anyway, the second scan did include rootkits and no threats were detected.

When Malwarebytes loaded back up, all my settings were still in place, as was my product key, which I assume means the mb-clean tool didn't work.  Is that anything I should be concerned about?  Also, would you recommend running ADWCleaner anyway, just to be on the safe side?  Apologies for the questions... I'm a novice when it comes to this stuff ?

Thanks again for your help, and the quick reply 

[exile360]

I'm not sure why rootkit scanning is doing that.  It does have to load an additional driver so perhaps that's the reason.  Maybe it has an issue the first time you toggle it on but then loads properly the second time.

Your license key doesn't get cleared out by MB-Clean I don't think, however your settings should.  It looks like some of the files were left behind during the clean uninstall but as long as it's working now I wouldn't worry about it.

Yes, you may run ADWCleaner if you wish.  It is capable of detecting certain PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) like adware etc. that Malwarebytes doesn't and PUPs are a very common cause of slow system issues so it definitely wouldn't hurt.

[Sandie320]

Quote

 

OK, thanks... will run ADWCleaner, just to be on the safe side.  And what about the special build of Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit... no need to bother with that, now that Malwarebytes is working OK again?

[exile360]

No, there's no need to run Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit now that you got Malwarebytes 3 up and running.  They're both capable of detecting and removing the same threats, it's just that the special build of MBAR is useful against certain infections that try to block Malwarebytes from installing or running which is why I suggested it to you when you were having trouble getting it installed.

[Sandie320]

Ah, OK.  Well I've downloaded and run ADWCleaner, and it found the following (see attachment).  All now cleaned and reboot done.  So fingers crossed all will be well, but if not I'll do as you instructed and request help from the malware removal area.

My thanks for your advice, and best regards

Sandie

[exile360]

Be sure to scan with ADWCleaner a second time now that you've rebooted just to make sure they're gone for good (I seem to recall that with certain browser based PUPs, particularly in Chrome, that sometimes ADWCleaner has trouble).

Hopefully everything is resolved now, but yes, if you still notice your PC not behaving properly then go ahead and follow those instructions and one of our malware removal specialists will take a look and assist you.

[Sandie320]

Second ADWCleaner scan has been run, and laptop rebooted, no threats were detected ?

[exile360]

Excellent, I'm glad to hear it

How is your system running now?  Is it still slow or is it better now?

[Sandie320]

Still a bit slow to boot up, but I think that's just because the laptop is getting a bit old (like me!) ?  But otherwise it's pretty good, thanks.  Applications, files, etc. are opening quite quickly, so I think it's fine now.

I really appreciate your help.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Sandie320

[exile360]

This might help things a bit with regards to your system's speed.  It helped me a while back when I was having issues (I have a really powerful system but it was running sluggish for some reason and this fixed me right up):

Click START and type cmd and then locate cmd.exe which should be listed at the top of the START menu now and right-click on it and select Run as administrator then click Yes to the User Account Control prompt.  In the command window, enter each line below one at a time and press enter after each one:

"%WINDIR%\SYSTEM32\lodctr.exe" /R

"%WINDIR%\SysWOW64\lodctr.exe" /R

Once the last one finishes, go ahead and restart your system and hopefully things will be running a bit faster/smoother for you.  There's no guarantee, but it is at least possible that it could help and doing so shouldn't hurt anything at all.

[Sandie320]

Thank you, exile360!  I followed those instructions, shut down the laptop, and when I started it back up found that it does seem to be working faster than it has been ?  I certainly got to the desktop faster!  Very kind of you to provide that extra info.