Protection Not Enabled; Firefox

Not withstanding the fact that it takes SpywareBlaster forever and a day to load the protections for Firefox, it seems that I consistently get a message that says "178 protections disabled"...

Can someone give me a clear and definitive explanation for this... I'm using version 4.1.

I also have Spybot S&D (1.6.30) installed but am not using Tea Timer since I don't use IE so I don't see where there would be a conflict unless it occrus when I download new Spybot updates and subsequently immunize; which is done after I download the latest SpywareBlaster updates...

 

Hi,

What version of Windows are you running? And what version of Firefox are you running?

SpywareBlaster should not take long at all to load the Firefox protection. That, coupled with the fact that you have a constant message of partial protection enabled, may mean that either (a) something is interfering with SpywareBlaster, or (b) one or more files in your Firefox profile may be partially corrupt.

If you let me know which version of Windows and Firefox you are running, I can help determine which file that might be.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Thank you for your prompt response...

I'm running WindowsMe and Firefox 2.0.0.18... Cannot upgrade to 3.n because of the operating system...

This poses another question; if there were some corruption in my Firefox profile files wouldn't I know that?

 

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

It depends on what file(s) are affected, and what they're used for.

But in your case, since you're using Firefox 2.0 on Windows ME, the problem is likely being caused by Spybot S & D's Firefox immunization. Spybot writes tens of thousands of entries to a file called "hostperm.1" in your Firefox profile, which wasn't meant to support such a large number of entries.

About 2/3rds of those entries aren't necessary - Firefox blocks them by default. So you can safely remove those parts of Spybot S & D's Firefox immunization without compromising your security - and both Firefox and SpywareBlaster should work considerably faster.

To fix the problem:

1. Open Spybot S & D.
2. Click on the "Immunize" icon on the left side of the screen, once the program opens. Wait for the immunization section to load.
3. Ensure that *only* the following entries are checked:
   -Installations
   -Popups
   for any Firefox profiles.
4. Click the "Undo" button. This will remove just the "Installations" and "Popups" parts of Spybot's Firefox immunization that you checked. This may take a while.
5. Re-check any parts of Spybot's immunization you want to keep, for easy application of updates in the future, but ensure you leave the Firefox "Installations" and "Popups" entries unchecked.

Firefox blocks pop-up windows and add-on installations by default, so those parts of Spybot's Immunization have no net benefit. Removing them will help everything run faster, and you won't be any worse for wear.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Thank you again for your prompt response...

I just have one more question and then I should be ready to act on this: how do I determine which of the Installations and Popups are for Firefox since there appear to be multiples there (i.e., fortune cookie looking icons, half printed pages, full printed pages, etc.).

 

Hi,

The icons should look like the Firefox icon, but you may be experiencing a small Windows ME glitch (where the icons aren't fully displayed in a few programs, including Spybot). If you can only see the bottom half of the icon, or there are strange lines through it, you're looking for an icon that has a curved orange/yellow bottom, with some blue in the middle (where the globe would be in the actual Firefox icon).

Another clue: If you only have one Firefox profile (which is the default configuration, and the most commonly-used configuration these days), they should show up in Spybot S & D's immunization section as:
-default (Installations)
-default (Popups)

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Thank you again!

Sorry to be such a pain but I want to get this right...

When I open Spybot and Immunize there are two pairs of:
- default (Installations)
- default (Popups)

Based on the screen shot I've attached, I believe the first pair to be the ones to 'turn off'. And that the second pair is for IE... Is that correct? Based on your description, the first pair most closely resembles what you've indicated that I should look for...

 

Hi,

Yes, the first pair is what you're looking for.

(The second pair isn't IE - it could be for Seamonkey (the old Mozilla Suite).)

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Thank you for you patience and excellent guidance...

I've followed your instructions and it did appear that the Firefox protections in SpywareBlaster loaded a tad quicker than in the past, as did the Seamonkey protections...

If I was sure that the other pair was for Seamonkey, I turn them off also in Spybot but since I'm not I won't...

This forum rocks!