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Is MWB 3.5.1 stable?

wendivad
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wendivad

wendivad

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I ask this question because I have had more issues with this release of MWB than in several years of having MWB.

I have an ongoing open support ticket and have been asked to try all sorts of things including uninstall/reinstall, adding various MWB files and folders to Norton exclusions or ignore list entries (odd since I never had to do this on previous versions and didn't have any errors) and most recently switch on the ability to download to beta updates.

All to no avail. I regularly get the dreaded red exclamation mark in the systray MWB icon and the warning message the Realtime Protection is switched off.

Each time a new fix is applied, this can be good for anything between an hour and a couple of weeks but eventually like a bad penny it comes back to me.

 

I am beyond frustrated and "Jérémy" must be as tired of working this with me as I am with him. I am about ready to toss the product out but thought I'd see what others' experience is.

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Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes

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dcollins

dcollins

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Thanks for that. I realize this has been asked a lot, but as of the last set of logs you've uploaded, there's been a newer version released that actually has a lot of stability fixes in it. Please go to Settings -> Application and click Install Application Updates to install the latest version of Malwarebytes. Note that there is a bug impacting a very small number of users where Malwarebytes will not open after this update. If this happens to you, you can download the latest full version from https://downloads.malwarebytes.com/file/mb3 and install it directly over top of your current installation.

As for your issue if your real-time protection turning off randomly, I think this is a known timing issue. Essentially what happens is that when you get a database update for Malwarebytes, we bring down the protection modules for a few seconds to reload the databases, and then we bring them back up. If this process takes longer than expected (I don't know our exact length of time, but it's fairly short), then we throw a message that the protection isn't running. However by the time you open Malwarebytes, you'll see the dashboard shows everything as enabled properly, because it's already caught up. We have adjusted the timing a little bit in the latest version, so I'm curious if this will resolve your issue since you seem to get this somewhat consistently.

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wendivad

wendivad

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18 minutes ago, dcollins said:

Thanks for that. I realize this has been asked a lot, but as of the last set of logs you've uploaded, there's been a newer version released that actually has a lot of stability fixes in it. Please go to Settings -> Application and click Install Application Updates to install the latest version of Malwarebytes. Note that there is a bug impacting a very small number of users where Malwarebytes will not open after this update. If this happens to you, you can download the latest full version from https://downloads.malwarebytes.com/file/mb3 and install it directly over top of your current installation.

As for your issue if your real-time protection turning off randomly, I think this is a known timing issue. Essentially what happens is that when you get a database update for Malwarebytes, we bring down the protection modules for a few seconds to reload the databases, and then we bring them back up. If this process takes longer than expected (I don't know our exact length of time, but it's fairly short), then we throw a message that the protection isn't running. However by the time you open Malwarebytes, you'll see the dashboard shows everything as enabled properly, because it's already caught up. We have adjusted the timing a little bit in the latest version, so I'm curious if this will resolve your issue since you seem to get this somewhat consistently.

Thanks for your suggestion. I have clicked on the Install Application Updates and it says that none are available. In About, I have MWB Version 3.5.1.2522, Component package version 1.0.42, update package version 1.0.6461

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wendivad

wendivad

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47 minutes ago, wendivad said:

Sure - the ticket # is 2371225

FYI, I have just gone through and done everything suggested in this thread on top of all that I have done so far:

 

Please see my earlier post. I used recommendations in this thread to get to where I am now so this version has only been up and running for about 45 minutes :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
wendivad

wendivad

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On 8/22/2018 at 8:54 PM, dcollins said:

Ahh ok. Keep an eye on it, and if you have issues again, please respond to either this forums post or your existing ticket and we can work on it from there.

Hi dcollins,

Looks like my problem is back again. Same symptoms.......................

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lmacri

lmacri

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Hi wendavid:

Did the latest component package v1.0.441 solve your problem, and if not what is your Windows OS and what is the name and version of your Norton product (open Norton and go to Help | General Information | About)?  I'm having problems running Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 and Malwarebytes Premium v3.5.1-1.0.365 together in real-time protection mode on my 32-bit Vista SP2 machine (see my post # 6 in jniffen's thread Mbamtray.exe Doesn't Start in Windows) and I was wondering if component package v1.0.441 solved your problem with your MB real-time protection timing issue.

If you have a Win 8.x or  Win 10 OS, ensure that the Fast Startup power option is disabled (see peterweb's thread Windows 8/8.1 or 10 and Fast Start Feature in the Norton forum) and then re-boot your system a few times after this setting is disabled.  This Fast Startup feature can interfere with product updates and loading of Norton (and Malwarebytes) services at boot-up and result in all sorts of odd glitches and unexpected behaviour on Win 8.x and Win 10 computers.

If you're still having problems and Fast startup isn't the cause be sure to run the Malwarebytes Support Tool as instructed in post # 2 and attach the mbst-grab-results.zip file to your next reply for dcollins.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

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wendivad

wendivad

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2 hours ago, lmacri said:

Hi wendavid:

Did the latest component package v1.0.441 solve your problem, and if not what is your Windows OS and what is the name and version of your Norton product (open Norton and go to Help | General Information | About)?  I'm having problems running Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 and Malwarebytes Premium v3.5.1-1.0.365 together in real-time protection mode on my 32-bit Vista SP2 machine (see my post # 6 in jniffen's thread Mbamtray.exe Doesn't Start in Windows) and I was wondering if component package v1.0.441 solved your problem with your MB real-time protection timing issue.

If you have a Win 8.x or  Win 10 OS, ensure that the Fast Startup power option is disabled (see peterweb's thread Windows 8/8.1 or 10 and Fast Start Feature in the Norton forum) and then re-boot your system a few times after this setting is disabled.  This Fast Startup feature can interfere with product updates and loading of Norton (and Malwarebytes) services at boot-up and result in all sorts of odd glitches and unexpected behaviour on Win 8.x and Win 10 computers.

If you're still having problems and Fast startup isn't the cause be sure to run the Malwarebytes Support Tool as instructed in post # 2 and attach the mbst-grab-results.zip file to your next reply for dcollins.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

1.0.441 temporarily solved the problem for about 1 week. I am using Windows 7, Norton Internet Security 22.15.0.88

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lmacri

lmacri

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Hi wendivad:

Is your MB v3.5.1 real-time protection still switching off since you updated to component package v1.0.441 (i.e., since your last incident on 31-Aug-2018)?  If so, is MB Customer Support  still working with you on your support ticket, or do you need dcollins to check the mbst-grab-results.zip file you posted on Tuesday?
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

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wendivad

wendivad

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It was still switching off up to my repeating the clean installation again this morning. Support are working with me and stated that my version is out of date. This begs the question why/how as I have automatic updates and beta updates switched on to automatically download.

Something ain't right here, guys!

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lmacri

lmacri

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3 hours ago, wendivad said:

It was still switching off up to my repeating the clean installation again this morning. Support are working with me and stated that my version is out of date. This begs the question why/how as I have automatic updates and beta updates switched on to automatically download....

Hi wendivad:

I recently learned that when you manually check for updates from the dashboard or system tray icon (or if you have an automatic updates scheduled in MB Premium) that MB v3.x only checks for updates for the malware definitions database but does not check for application updates.  MB v3.x tries to run a background check for application updates every hour, and if it connects to the update server and an application update is available the update is only metered out to a set percentage of users (i.e., the server will randomly choose who receives the application update in a lottery).  I've never received an application update via one of these background "lotteries" since upgrading to MB v3.x and the only way to make sure you have the latest application updates is to go to Settings | Application | Application Updates and click the Install Application Updates button.  The versions of your main Malwarebytes product,  Component Package (which includes the modules for anti-exploit, anti-ransomware, etc.) and Update Package (a.k.a. the malware definitions database) are listed at Settings | About | Versions.  See post # 4 of luddy's thread Program Itself NEVER Updates for further details.

I'm not a trained malware removal specialist and I'm not qualified to interpret the logs in your mbst-grab-results.zip file, but I did take a quick look at your Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) logs and noticed that you have a lot of outdated software installed (Adobe Flash Player, Java RE, etc.) and a large number of programs that automatically load at boot-up and consume much of your 4 GB of RAM, including an old version of Spybot Search & Destroy v2.1.21 (the current version is 2.7.64) that could be causing a conflict with Malwarebytes. I don't want to interfere with the troubleshooting that MB Customer Support and MB employee dcollins are doing and don't advise that you make any changes to your system unless they specifically ask you to do so, but a good system clean up might be in order after you've figured out what's causing your MB real-time protection to switch off.

If your MB real-time protection continues to switch off after you update to Component Package v1.0.441 (double-check your version at Settings | About | Versions), be sure to run the Malwarebytes Support Tool and attach a new mbst-grab-results.zip for dcollins.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

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wendivad

wendivad

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26 minutes ago, lmacri said:

Hi wendivad:

I recently learned that when you manually check for updates from the dashboard or system tray icon (or if you have an automatic updates scheduled in MB Premium) that MB v3.x only checks for updates for the malware definitions database but does not check for application updates.  MB v3.x tries to run a background check for application updates every hour, and if it connects to the update server and an application update is available the update is only metered out to a set percentage of users (i.e., the server will randomly choose who receives the application update in a lottery).  I've never received an application update via one of these background "lotteries" since upgrading to MB v3.x and the only way to make sure you have the latest application updates is to go to Settings | Application | Application Updates and click the Install Application Updates button.  The versions of your main Malwarebytes product,  Component Package (which includes the modules for anti-exploit, anti-ransomware, etc.) and Update Package (a.k.a. the malware definitions database) are listed at Settings | About | Versions.  See post # 4 of luddy's thread Program Itself NEVER Updates for further details.

I'm not a trained malware removal specialist and I'm not qualified to interpret the logs in your mbst-grab-results.zip file, but I did take a quick look at your Farbar Recovery Scan Tool (FRST) logs and noticed that you have a lot of outdated software installed (Adobe Flash Player, Java RE, etc.) and a large number of programs that automatically load at boot-up and consume much of your 4 GB of RAM, including an old version of Spybot Search & Destroy v2.1.21 (the current version is 2.7.64) that could be causing a conflict with Malwarebytes. I don't want to interfere with the troubleshooting that MB Customer Support and MB employee dcollins are doing and don't advise that you make any changes to your system unless they specifically ask you to do so, but a good system clean up might be in order after you've figured out what's causing your MB real-time protection to switch off.

If your MB real-time protection continues to switch off after you update to Component Package v1.0.441 (double-check your version at Settings | About | Versions), be sure to run the Malwarebytes Support Tool and attach a new mbst-grab-results.zip for dcollins.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

That is some very useful information fro which I thank you! I guess one question to ask is why Adobe Flash Player, JAVA RE, etc. don't automatically update but perhaps this might not be the place to ask. I know on my work laptop, I always seem to be getting Java updates. Also, is there any value on having Spybot still installed? I have always had it out there before I had MWB and perhaps it is now redundant if MWB does all that it does (and probably more).

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lmacri

lmacri

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2 hours ago, wendivad said:

...I guess one question to ask is why Adobe Flash Player, JAVA RE, etc. don't automatically update but perhaps this might not be the place to ask....Also, is there any value on having Spybot still installed? I have always had it out there before I had MWB and perhaps it is now redundant if MWB does all that it does (and probably more).

Hi wendivad:

I haven't used Spybot Seach & Destroy for several years but my own opinion is that it's now redundant and probably doing more harm than good if you already have Norton Internet Security and/or Malwarebytes Premium running in real-time protection mode.  Please don't make any major changes to your system, though, before you check with dcollins and the other Malwarebytes employees who are trying to help you troubleshoot and confirm it's okay to proceed.

Just an FYI if you do eventually uninstall Spybot S&D.  I can't see any evidence in your FRST Addition.txt file that you've used the Immunize feature of Spybot S&D to passively "immunize" your IE browser and Hosts file (see the section titled Spybot Immunization in the article Protect your Windows from Spyware - Using Spybot-Search & Destroy), but if you did, be sure to undo this immunization (Start Center | Basic Tools | Immunization | Undo Immunization) before uninstalling Spybot S&D from the Control Panel.

I don't know what programs you've configured for automatic updating so it's impossible for me to say if this is a general problem on your system.  I did notice you have Mozilla Firefox v35.0.1 (rel. Jan 2015) while the current version is v62.0.0 (rel. Sep 2018).  It looks like Chrome is your default browser but if automatic updating is turned on in Firefox (in newer versions the setting is at Tools | Options | Advanced | Update | Automatically Install Updates) I'm not sure why Firefox isn't updating.  Go to Help | About | Check for Updates and see if a manual update check detects a newer version.  Just be warned that updating Firefox might disable any old/unsupported browser plugins and extensions that are no longer compatible with the new Quantum engine in Firefox v57 and higher.  Even better, just uninstall Firefox if you don't need it.

There are a large number of recent Event Log errors listed in your FRST Addition.txt log (including several Application Errors related to your Nero BackItUp software and System Errors related to "Local Activation permission for the COM Server" for multiple application CLSIDs) but as I said before, I don't have the technical expertise to be diagnosing these types of problems.  However, I wouldn't be surprised if some of these errors are related to outdated/unsupported software.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

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lmacri

lmacri

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8 hours ago, lmacri said:

...I don't know what programs you've configured for automatic updating so it's impossible for me to say if this is a general problem on your system...

Hi wendivad:

Just another quick thought about your software updating problems and other glitchy behaviour.  I'd also suggest uninstalling (not updating) your outdated µTorrent v2.0.4 (the current version is v3.5.4) and see if that helps.
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32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox ESR v52.9.0 * Norton Security Premium v22.15.0.88 * MB Free v3.5.1.2522-1.0.365

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exile360

exile360

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I saw mention of Java so I thought I'd post this just in case it is relevant.  If you don't absolutely require Java for something really important, UNINSTALL IT.  Not to be rude with the bold/red text, but it is that serious.  Java is by far one of the most notorious web facing plugins/applications for being frequently exploited and prone to vulnerabilities, and yes, while it does receive updates frequently, new security holes are always found within it and this I believe is primarily because of its very nature and purpose as a tool designed to execute active code and applications through a web interface, something that can very easily be turned to a malicious purpose by the bad guys.

I have more info about this as well as links and info for more easily managing and maintaining Flash Player updates in my topic here.  It includes a link to an article that details info on why removing Java is a good idea unless you absolutely must have it for some web based app that you use on a regular basis and can't do without (like an application for your work or even some addictive web based game that requires it; something I can totally understand if that's the case).

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exile360

exile360

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By the way, Oracle plans to kill Java soon anyway according to the following sources (and many more if you do a web search for "Oracle Java discontinue" or anything similar):

https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/27/oracle-java-plug-in-death/
https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/28/10858250/oracle-java-plugin-deprecation-jdk-9
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/oracle-says-it-is-killing-the-java-plugin-795547
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/01/oracle-deprecates-the-java-browser-plugin-prepares-for-its-demise/

Oracle themselves have posted info on the JavaSE EOL (End of Life) roadmap here.  I assume this is what the other articles above were referring to.

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