Anyone tried Spysweeper 5.5 upgrade yet?

Discussion in 'other anti-malware software' started by oldshep, Jun 19, 2007.

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  1. Ranger Bob

    Ranger Bob Registered Member

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    I just installed over the previous version after shutting down the application. I have had no problems with either of these two versions other than the port adjustment to run MS Outlook with the new EMail Attachment Shield.
     
  2. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    An update.
    i uninstalled spysweeper 5.5 build 3354
    rebooted.
    i installed spysweeper 5.5 build 3356.
    it rebooted showed a odd yellow screen.
    then windows had a odd screen and said please wait.
    so i rebooted and it loaded up normally.
    the communication shield still has the same problem not loading properly.
    so i disabled all shields and tryed to update.
    it told me i had the lastest defs and to check the IE windows for program updates. but it completely froze my pc.
    so i told spysweeper not to load at startup and im gonna ignore it for now.
    so im just gonna use superantispyware pro for scans for now.
    lodore
     
  3. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Good 11 steps oldshep! I'm going to copy them to my hints folder for future use unless you have them copyrighted! :D

    lodore, I understand your plan to ignore SS.

    But I have a strong feeling that if you followed oldsheps 11 steps exactly in your fairly complex setup SS would work okay. If you did the cleanup alone after uninstalling SS it would probably be okay. Up to you of course.

    Let us know what you decide if you have the time.

    Oh 1 other thing, remember the list we started of the top 50 things? Did you by chance ever keep any of those? I still thought that was a good idea for newbies as a sort of tutorial thread that a lot of old hands here could add and improve upon on an ongoing basis? Like a sort of knowledge base that grew day by day? I think some of those posts are still around.
     
  4. oldshep

    oldshep Registered Member

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    Thanks Escalader. No copyright. After the problem you and I worked through with the Zone alarm - Spysweeper conflict (slow scan speeds), I figure that the extra 5-10 minutes used to go thru that process saves time in the long run.:D
     
  5. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Yes, absolutely!:D

    My scan speed issues went away! I even had better ones with ZA Pro still installed. Both products updated themselves during that nightmare and I removed both at one point or another. So we well never no which was the cause and which was the result. I'm pretty sure I know as you may do as well. But it doesn't matter now.

    BTW, I have just heard from a BD forum guy that he thinks that they just allow the standard ports for email scans in and out. In our terms that means BD hard wired the ports in a bad design call.

    So, for me on BD that means I may turn it off on email scans and let SS do the job.

    In choosing AV's this open port choice thing becomes important for me anyway.

    So does ZA let you choose, I think it did but can't remember ?

    I have another way, just let my ISP gather all my email since it scans them with (NORTON) and move the ones I want to keep to my PC at my convenience. This scheme may have a flaw but I thinking about it.

    See you:thumb:
     
  6. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    Hi Escalader,
    I havent thought of anymore things for the list of 50 for newcomers yet.
    I dont think the lis of things to do for cleaning out spysweeper will work.
    lodore
     
  7. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Hi Lodore:

    I was unclear again. I was not asking for more stuff for the top 50 but when that thread we were in got closed off I lost track of how ever many we had listed.

    What I really was on about was whether it was still a good idea.:doubt:

    On SS, well the steps may not work on yours but only trying will tell? Unless you see something that worries you?

    What is OPen DSS all about in your signature? What is it's purpose?
     
  8. SoCalReviews

    SoCalReviews Registered Member

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    I used the same upgrade method that Ranger Bob explained. I simply shut down the previous version of 5.5 (3354) before I ran the installer for upgrading to 5.5 (3356). I have not had a problem upgrading this way for the SS 5.2x or the 5.5x versions. In the SS program options I have disabled the common ads shield, turned off the email attachments shield, and the key logger shield is also turned off. With my setup everything is running very well at this point in time.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2007
  9. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Hi SoCalReviews:

    Thanks, also smooth here (at the moment) but your post reminds me I now need to review my shields across products again. Eg email in/outs?

    BitDefender hard codes in the scan ports saying they use the international standard, problem is millions of users on my ISP in this country don't use those ports, only the incoming port matches. So I'm turning off the BD outbound and going to try using SS for scanning just outbound. Not sure they will let me! What a pain.

    From BD forum: "Most isp uses the default ports
    that are assigned by the international assigned number authority. This is their
    website: http://www.iana.org/ Here you will find the assigned default ports:
    http://www.iss.net/security_center/advice/Exploits/Ports/"

    What would be wrong though with doubling up on Keyloggers?
    Are these real conflicts we are avoiding or just ones we fear might happen?

    Does 1 suffice or like AV's use one for real time or active and another for on demand to bump up the % detection?

    What do you think?
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2007
  10. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    Hi Escalader,
    I think the 50 things is still a good idea.
    the list of 11 things to do to install spy sweeper seems a bit extreme.
    I never turn off KIS7.0 and never see a reason to.
    in my signature its opendns
    read about it here
    http://www.opendns.com/
    lodore
     
  11. SoCalReviews

    SoCalReviews Registered Member

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    Escalader,

    The few SS shields that have been been disabled were done so to improve functionality and compatibility with the other security programs I use. The SS common ad sites shield has caused problems with popular web pages (i.e. cnn.com) loading on my system since SS v5.2x so I had to disable it.

    I have the key logger shield disabled simply because I think that was the default SS setting after the installation on my system. I have key logger protection in my other security programs.

    The email attachment shield flat out did not work on my system and caused glitches and lockups. I read in the SS notes that it should disabled if you are using secure connection ports (SSL) for your incoming or outgoing mail in Outlook or OE. I do use SSL so that is a documented recommendation to turn the email shield off. I let my other security software such as ZASS (which has email attachment protection) and NOD32 (email attachment scanning protection) handle incoming and outgoing mail threats. I have the active KAV engine in ZASS v7 disabled and use it for on manual demand scanning once in a while. I use ZASS instead of ZAP because I was interested in some of the other features only available in ZASS while the KAV engine is a nice addition in version 7.

    I have nothing against having any of the shields enabled if it works on anyone else's system. I just have found that this is what works well along with my other security programs. Computer security is always a balance of effectiveness and functionality. The programs I use along with their settings seem to provide the maximum level of system security without using up too many resources. You can see in my signature most of the security programs I use on my main desktop but I don't have a problem with system slowdown, web browsing problems, connection issues or any of those problems.

    I didn't want to get away from the main thread topic of the latest SS 5.5x by discussing system hardware but these system specs might provide a good reference. My main desktop home built system hardware is only an AMD Athlon XP 2600+ (using a low voltage notebook CPU running at 2 Ghz), MSI main board, 1GB DDR system memory, and a NVidia 6600 video card w/256MB DDR. I am still running the original Windows XP Pro installation done in mid 2002. I have installed all the Windows XP security updates including SP2. I can play many of the latest resource intensive PC games with the game settings toned down a bit but I don't need to shut down any of the security software I use.

    I am not recommending that my security software setup would be best for everyone's needs. You need to evaluate whether the software you use provides the level of protection you want without compromising the system performance that you need. If you can't find that balance with your current PC hardware and software setup then it might be time to consider changing your security software or upgrading the PC hardware.
     
  12. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    SoCalReviews

    Interesting setup you have, looks strong!

    My ISP indicates outbound SMTP authorization required, nothing in manual on SSL. So at the moment I have SS checking the unique port numbers 110 and 587 but Bitdefender won't let me change from the standard! So it only checks incoming since users can check in , out or both. On SS you can change the port numbers but if you try to blank out one to avoid double scanning it won't let me.

    But I wanted to ask you, in your NOD32 can you change port numbers and allow SSL or Not and have say in or out only checking?

    If this question is OT I could start a separate thread on the various email scanning options by different products.
     
  13. SoCalReviews

    SoCalReviews Registered Member

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    Escalader,

    Your ISP probably requires a secure password authentication which is different than SSL which is a secure connection. I would recomend you contact your ISP tech support for specific information about your email service.

    NOD32 has a separate email module specifically for MS Outlook called EMON. There is also an "internet monitoring" module called IMON that has configuration settings for inbound POP3 email checking. Besides port 110 there is a space and description for entering other the ports that are used. Since I am still relatively new to using NOD32 this would be a great question to post in the NOD32 section of this forum for more information.

    It would be an excellent idea to start a separate thread in the AV area on email security, how different AV programs scan incoming POP3 and outgoing SMTP email and how to configure the security settings for common AV programs for use with the more popular email programs.
     
  14. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    can someone remind me what i have to press to access the spysweeper secret menu.
    it seems that for some reason quicktime is crashing along with opera.
    all i was trying to do was watch the darn safari video.
    didnt happern before i installed lastest spysweeper thou.
    lodore
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2007
  15. ratchet

    ratchet Registered Member

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    No problem with install or running (S S anti-spy only). I disabled the email scan since I also have NOD32. Besides, my email goes through PopTray and K9 which may complicate things, but my set up never affected the NOD scans.
    The setup!
     
  16. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Hello again:

    I'll work on this thread idea a bit and report back later. :cool:
     
  17. Chubb

    Chubb Registered Member

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  18. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    DONE! SEE thread:

    https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=178498
     
  19. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    thanks Chubb
    i see that once you disable sps it stays disabled.
    but its very unlikely some malware will disable the service so i will let spysweeper.exe run but turn sps off so i can stop the service whenever i want.
    lodore
     
    Last edited: Jun 26, 2007
  20. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    What follows is the promotional email I got as a SS customer. I already installed it a few days back.

    My question (dumb one I know :oops: ) is

    Is this "Enhanced real-time protection" and the "Behavior-based spyware removal" the same as what a HIPS does? If not as I suspect what in lay terms is the difference. ?

    "Now Available: New and Enhanced Protection with Webroot Spy Sweeper with Antivirus 5.5

    You use Webroot Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus to keep your computer free of harmful spyware and viruses. Now, update to Webroot Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus 5.5 FREE, and receive the complete product benefits:

    * NEW! Scans inbound and outbound email attachments
    Automatically quarantines files containing spyware

    * Enhanced real-time protection
    Proactively blocks activity that may be damaging to your computer

    * Behavior-based spyware removal
    Identifies changes in spyware programs and removes them from your computer

    If you're not using the latest version of Webroot Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus, you're not fully protected. "
     
  21. GDev_111

    GDev_111 Registered Member

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    I've had good results with prior versions, was last using whatever version was current in early Jan. '07, which I ran with no problems until recently. Builds 3354 and 3356 have been disastrous for me. Lots of sudden, inexplicable hangs when doing routine things, like trying to navigate folders in Windows Explorer, or open Control Panel, or even Shut Down. Trying to get out of the hang with Task Manager just leads to a blank white screen and that's it. Hardware Reset becomes the only option. I wrote Webroot and sent them program generated Bugreport Logs over a week ago, and have heard nothing back from them. (A veteran consultant told me that many companies these days drop that stuff immediately into the circular file. He also said that SS is kind of notorious for having a couple of really bad builds each year, even though he recommends the product overall.)

    Another possibility is that this is now another product that is no longer supported for Win 2000. (I'm running 2K at SP4.) Or maybe it was a big mistake on my part to install the recent 5.5 builds over top of the prior version, even though this never seemed to be a problem in the past.

    Should I be using the Cleanup Tool -- even though the KB page says it is for the +AV version, which I don't use -- with an Uninstall first ?

    I may have saved an installer for the 1/07 version that worked fine for me, so I could go back to that. But if this problem persists, I will not be renewing my subscription when it comes due, because I will have switched to something more reliable in this category.
     
  22. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    I am not on W2K so I have no direct knowledge of how SS gets along with S2K.

    That said I would remove / uninstall SS 5.5 asap. Also I would run the cleanup product. I only hope that that tool works with W2K! There are uninstall tools but you need one that works on w2K.

    If you move back to 1/07 that may be the last working SS version. All efforts by vendors now is to vista issues. They view W2K as past tense.

    Why not move to XP sp2 or even vista so you can at least upgrade to new versions of all software.
     
  23. oldshep

    oldshep Registered Member

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    Hi GDev_111. Sorry to say... me too! My issues were some slowdown of web page loading and some lock-up of IE7 after reboot (intermittent). I called SS support, and they instructed me to disable the "SPS - self protection" shield and the "e-mail" shield. I did this, rebooted, with the tech on the phone and all was well. The next day when I started my PC, IE locked up again. So I uninstalled and reloaded my last good version (5.3.2.2361). I then sent a support request via the web and haven't heard back yet. I figure its probably some conflict with my other security apps but that's just a guess.

    I believe you can use the SS cleanup tool with W2k - from the Webroot support site: "(NOTE: This utility is for Windows 2000 and XP users only. Not compatible with Windows Vista)" I have used it several times with no apparent issues. But your mileage may vary! There is some risk that it will change some registry entry on some program that fouls up the works.

    If you are going to change apps, you may not need the cleanup tool - that is just uninstall SS and be done with it. Many others who have posted here never run the cleanup tool. I found that it helped a conflict with Zonealarm on my PC, so I have used it several times.
     
  24. lodore

    lodore Registered Member

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    hey oldshep,
    the self protective shield comes back on after reboot.
    i found this out when i disabled the self protective shield.
    then i shutoff the process in task manager.
    and stopped the service in services.
    then i left spysweeper service to start automatically at startup and one rebooted the service was protected again.
    lodore
     
  25. Escalader

    Escalader Registered Member

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    Hi Shep et al:

    Glad to here the cleanup tool works with W2K. A client of mine has that!

    Last nite I finally moved from IE 6 to IE 7 and got the 6 months of fixes for it that accumualated since it was released. (my super safe method of continuing the beta test in the real world :cool: )

    Right now with XP Sp2, SS 5.5, IE 7, FF 2.0.0.4, CFW 2.4, BD 10 I have no slow downs on anything.

    The thing I did need was to set the shields in SS so as not to overlap with other software eg BD10 on email scanning.

    One thing that worries me is if Nod32 is part of the problem you are experiencing?

    Since I am considering switching to it to follow my own advice in the AV selection methods thread.

    BTW can you guys contribute to my email scanning thread? Another poster suggested it yet no posts? Here is the link.

    https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=178498

    See you later
     
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