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[SkeeterPE]

@exile

I don't intend to fully take advantage of MBAM in PE. I am looking for a reliable way to clean up enough to boot failed windows installation and then install and run MBAM as originally designed.

MBAM v1.32 registry redirect option??

Most likely that's accurate seeing as MBAM seeks malware specifically based on location and the registry. You can load the registry in a PE environment, but since the PE CD is considered the %systemdrive%, that will be the place MBAM looks for malware and if it is set to full scan, it may not hit on the offline Windows folder, at least not for most of it's detections.

[exile360]

@exile

I don't intend to fully take advantage of MBAM in PE. I am looking for a reliable way to clean up enough to boot failed windows installation and then install and run MBAM as originally designed.

MBAM v1.32 registry redirect option??

Yeah, that makes sense. Honestly though, if a system isn't bootable then you can't even install MBAM on it in the first place, which is a requirement of the PE plugin. Perhaps if MBAM were made more portable so that it didn't require installation on the host system, then that would work. Otherwise, I'd use tools like Avira's rescue CD, Spybot Search & Destroy or (I know it's blasphemy) SUPERAntiSpyware as they are portable and don't have to be installed on the host system before they are run offline.

[SkeeterPE]

Well to be honest, Spybot has to launch, then run, then close, then launch again and then finally update and run again which takes literally forever to scan a 60 or god forbid anything larger! Haven't been able to make RunScanner work with SuperAntiSpyware and MBAM has worked the best for me personally so..... If I can't make these simple tools work I'm not going to be able to successfully configure the virus toos to work properly. Hell I can't even get SysClean to work!

I suppose all my efforts for the longest time has been keeping all the drivers for SATA and NICs there for all the newer machines coming out that supporting newer plugins has not been a huge priority yet.

If anyone has a free working anti-virus plugin.... Zip it, RAR it, 7Zip it, or just plain stuff it in a box and e-mail it or post a link here for me. I have beat my time to death on getting any of these to work right out of the box. I'm done complaining. Really.

Yeah, that makes sense. Honestly though, if a system isn't bootable then you can't even install MBAM on it in the first place, which is a requirement of the PE plugin. Perhaps if MBAM were made more portable so that it didn't require installation on the host system, then that would work. Otherwise, I'd use tools like Avira's rescue CD, Spybot Search & Destroy or (I know it's blasphemy) SUPERAntiSpyware as they are portable and don't have to be installed on the host system before they are run offline.

[exile360]

Yeah, I used to use a Bart's disc myself with a lot of tools on it but it became such a pain to update that I pretty much only use ERD Commander or one of the bootable discs AdvancedSetup mentioned. I do have a couple of links where you can get some plugins and help on using them if you want, but it's probably sites that you are already aware of:

http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showforum=21

http://www.paraglidernc.com/plugins/plugins.htm

[AdvancedSetup]

If anyone has a free working anti-virus plugin.... Zip it, RAR it, 7Zip it, or just plain stuff it in a box and e-mail it or post a link here for me. I have beat my time to death on getting any of these to work right out of the box. I'm done complaining. Really.

The best tool I'm aware of that already has out of the box support for many Virus scanners is Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

List of tools included with Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

[exile360]

The best tool I'm aware of that already has out of the box support for many Virus scanners is Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

List of tools included with Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

[AdvancedSetup]

Yes, one of the best new features of version 3.22 is that it now supports USB removal, re-connect unlike older versions. This allows you to add/remove some USB devices on the fly if needed.

Before if a keyboard, mouse, or other device got disconnected you would have to reboot, now it comes back online.

[SkeeterPE]

The instructions for the MalWareBytes' plugin are unclear and so are the SuperAntiSpyware plugins. Runscanner or no runscanner, registry redirects or no redirects. Can't someone post their working plugins with the contents and edits all ready to go. (FOR PEBUILDER!!!) I don't have the time or room in my toolkit for five CD tools tjust to get rid of Malware. I'm an Admin. Not just an enthusiast of what "PE" has to offer. On the contrary, it has remade how an admin takes a bow to management for all the hard work. Please if you have a "Working Plugin", Please post it for everyone to make use of. I have several working plugins that I will e-mail out if anyone wants them.

All the below are self-authored. If you want them, e-mail this post.

DIY DataRecovery iRecover - full version.

dotnet framework for bartpe

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 8.5 pro

Outlook PST Password Cracker

Smart Driver Backup

The best tool I'm aware of that already has out of the box support for many Virus scanners is Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

List of tools included with Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

[RubbeR DuckY]

Don't forget, Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is free for personal use only. If you use it on any computers other than your owns you are breaking the end user license agreement. Although we do not personally track this we have already sent several cease and desist letters to technicians around the globe for violating this agreement.

If you are interested in a technician's license, please contact corporate licensing.

[Richard Jordan]

@Skeeter...

Sorry, I have been offline for a bit. Are you running XPE? If not, that may be key.

[AdvancedSetup]

registry redirects or no redirects. Can't someone post their working plugins with the contents and edits all ready to go.

I don't have the time or room in my toolkit for five CD tools

Well hopefully this is the last I'll post on this subject since no one seems to read it anyways. It has EVERYTHING in the World to do with Registry Reads and has been discussed and pointed out that it does not work that way and there are better tools if you have to run from an WinPE CD because Windows won't boot. So anyone writing code to make it operate on Windows PE is pretty much wasting their time, but by all means please waste all the time you feel you have, though you say you don't have time. I've provided links for tools that already work enough to get Windows operating to the point it will boot into Windows Normal mode where you can then run MBAM normally as discussed.

So, let the time wasting begin and as Marcin pointed out you need a

Technician License

to be running this on any machine except your own personal computer, whether that be in normal mode or WinPE.

[nosirrah]

This is getting out of hand so lets get a few things out in the open .

MBAM is not antivirus software and as such does not use the same techniques as antivirus software . Some of our best heuristics take into account multiple factors including registry reads . If you do some research around the Hijackthis help forums you will see MBAM used frequently . This is because the way we look for and remove malware is so different from antivirus software that we have a high success rate where antivirus software fails . MBAM is also one of only a few tools that actually works better from regular mode than from safemode for many of the same reasons that make it so different than antivirus software . All of this is intentional for the main purpose of helping the average Joe/Jane user , not for experts that build boot disks .

MBAM is a free removal tool for home users and it is illegal to make $ in the process of using MBAM without owning the appropriate license . I hope that people using it for commercial use have bought an appropriate license because I'm sure that you don't work for free . I was a tech for 7 years before researcher for MBAM and spent around 3K on software over that 7 years to keep everything on the up and up .

MBAM has a quick scan that can detect malware that has the ability to enter memory at the same level as the full scanner can . The only thing the full scan has any extra ability to detect is a few stray traces and malware in system restore (if you are doing a cleanup that should be cleared anyway) . The time it would take to boot up a boot disk and run a MBAM quick scan from it would be about the same as doing the same quick scan from their actual desktop and on top of that detect far less malware .

[SkeeterPE]

Yes. XPE fully operational.

To the posters that have given us the plugins. I didn't intend to upset the community with my aimless frustrations, but I have not been able to make these plugins work with the configurations that are in the help file instructions. I'll get over it, though. My sincerest apologies to those who have tirelessly worked to continually improve this invaluable community!

Respectfully,

SkeeterPE

@Skeeter...

Sorry, I have been offline for a bit. Are you running XPE? If not, that may be key.

[Richard Jordan]

Point #1 - The Tech License

Not an issue for this plug-in. For all intensive purposes, it is intended to be put on a BartPE installation. How it is used... well the author will have to address those on a case by case basis, I suppose. No disrespect intended to the author, BTW.

Point #2 - Completely useless?

While you do not have the registry scan capability, used in combination with a virusscan utility, this has saved me trouble on my computer. The fact of the matter is after I ran this on my computer that would not run MalwareBytes, I was able to successfully able to run it under XP afterward. Does is have full function under PE? Likely not. No argument there. To say there is a complete waste of time? No, it certainly is not. To those that have been rude in trying to make a point of this, get over it. To those that were not rude about it, thank you for your perspective.

Point #3 - @Skeeter

Feel free to send me a private message with a way to contact you. I will assist you to see what is going on with the plug-in. It does not appear that this will be the place for further discussion. Once we resolve the issue, we can update the plug-in or give clearer instructions.

[RubbeR DuckY]

There was no direspect meant, and I know you guys are just doing these tests experimentally and do not intend to actually use them on customer computers (if you are technicians, just making assumptions).

[smbober]

There was no direspect meant, and I know you guys are just doing these tests experimentally and do not intend to actually use them on customer computers (if you are technicians, just making assumptions).

As a member of a company who has paid for technician licenses, I would kindly request a BartPE compatible plugin for Malwarebytes so that we can scan offline.

Sean

[RubbeR DuckY]

Sean,

Feel free to e-mail me and we can get something setup to make your job easier. However, we do not offer a BartPE plugin on PURPOSE. We know our product inside out, we coded it, believe us when we say it loses a ton of power in PE mode. Here is the power of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware in an easy diagram.

Normal Mode > Safe Mode > PE mode

[basskozz]

However, we do not offer a BartPE plugin on PURPOSE. We know our product inside out, we coded it, believe us when we say it loses a ton of power in PE mode. Here is the power of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware in an easy diagram.

Normal Mode > Safe Mode > PE mode

But if you have a computer that can NOT boot into normal mode or safe mode, then MalWareBytes is useless

I have a computer that won't even boot into safe mode, and I've come across a few of these senarios and I've had to use other utilities (SBS&D, Super Anti-Spyware, etc...) because there isn't any support for MalWareBytes

So why completely alienate the users who can't get windows to boot?

[exile360]

I don't think it's quite so much a matter of trying to alienate users. It's simply the way that Malwarebytes' works. Even if a PE plugin was made, Malwarebytes' wouldn't be too effective in that environment because of the way it detects malware, meaning it probably would detect very little.

More info about how MBAM (Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware) detects malware and the reasons it won't work very well under a PE environment can be found here: http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9978

Although it would be possible to make MBAM work under PE using a plugin, for it to be effective it would have to be completely re-coded and would lose a lot of what makes it so light on resources, quick to scan with, and effective against new infections.

[basskozz]

ok, sorry, I jumped the gun when I posted that... I understand now, if MalwareBytes isn't going to work properly in a PE environment, then it's probably not worth the effort making it work in PE in the first place.

Thanks for clarifying exile360 (I was lazy and didn't read the whole thread ;-P)

[exile360]

No problemo. By the way, just for future reference (and for situations where scanning offline is necessary) one of the best scanners/removers out there is the Avira Rescue CD: http://dl.antivir.de/down/vdf/rescuecd/rescuecd.exe

It's a bootable ISO that is updated frequently and lets you scan for and remove infections offline.

[SkeeterPE]

I have to ask..... Any immediate plans to make a MBAM PE Edition? A portable or lite version that uses a more effective detection practice in this environment? I have alot of experience with infected machines and at some point scanning machines and even installing anti-malware software doesn't always completely install or launch. Some of it is so bad that it prevents installation of the tools out there. (Initials are SASW) Anti-Virus XP 2009 liked to have destroyed a machine only 2 years old. (Thank God for 3 year warrantys) User data was dead with the hard drive though.

I guarrantee the MBAM popularity would explode with a PE version! Just curious....

No problemo. By the way, just for future reference (and for situations where scanning offline is necessary) one of the best scanners/removers out there is the Avira Rescue CD: http://dl.antivir.de/down/vdf/rescuecd/rescuecd.exe

It's a bootable ISO that is updated frequently and lets you scan for and remove infections offline.

[Raid]

I have to ask..... Any immediate plans to make a MBAM PE Edition? A portable or lite version that uses a more effective detection practice in this environment? I have alot of experience with infected machines and at some point scanning machines and even installing anti-malware software doesn't always completely install or launch. Some of it is so bad that it prevents installation of the tools out there. (Initials are SASW) Anti-Virus XP 2009 liked to have destroyed a machine only 2 years old. (Thank God for 3 year warrantys) User data was dead with the hard drive though.

We have no current plans to convert MBAM to run in a PE environment. There's several options which have been discussed several times now to help users in situations where MBAM cannot run due to the infections already present. While we realize some people do want PE support, PE discs aren't often built by home users, We still do not support it in PE environments. It wasn't designed for it, and PE provides no real benefits to you in this case.

I suppose we should place this question in a FAQ someplace.

[SkeeterPE]

I know I'm probably beating a dead horse but it works so well that my enterprise level IT dept would buy whatever licensing we needed to be able to fix users' screw-ups without having to install more software. The images already come with so much. I'll knock it off though. Thanks for listening!

We have no current plans to convert MBAM to run in a PE environment. There's several options which have been discussed several times now to help users in situations where MBAM cannot run due to the infections already present. While we realize some people do want PE support, PE discs aren't often built by home users, We still do not support it in PE environments. It wasn't designed for it, and PE provides no real benefits to you in this case.

I suppose we should place this question in a FAQ someplace.

[onduty]

I know I'm probably beating a dead horse but it works so well that my enterprise level IT dept would buy whatever licensing we needed to be able to fix users' screw-ups without having to install more software. The images already come with so much. I'll knock it off though. Thanks for listening!

Hey SkeeterPE,

Thank you for your efforts! I just bought 3 corporate licenses and I think I will be returning them (haven't installed them yet). I have used malwarebytes at home and I works well. I work at a university and have over 1000 machines in my department alone. I had my eyes set on making these three licenses work on BartPE to address severely infected machines. However, not being able to use this in a PE environment makes this product not cost effective for use at a university that is currently laying off staff left and right. We are moving over to McAfee antispyware solution soon as we are already one of their million dollar customers on the antivirus 8.7i side.

BTW,

I have Malwarebytes test installed on BartPE with VBrun installed to handle the VB needs. However, I get and error code when trying to scan #718...