Microsoft Anti-Spyware Beta Due 6th January

[DukeNukem]

Found Searchsquire in my registry.

I wonder how that got there?

[neal62]

Toadbee, as a matter of fact I do have Irfanview installed.

[toadbee]

  Sorry Neal - If I had more time here I would have posted my general opinion of
Only Quarentine!!! With this here tool!
 

[PigDog]

The Searchsquire registry entry being picked up is not the same one that other Spyware programs use to identify it.  That one is not present on my system.


Don't know if this is a false positive also.

PigDog

[bob3160]

toadbee
Selecting removal of Brilliant Digital doesn't seem to have affected Irfanview. 

[toadbee]

I'm guessing all it did was remove the "open file type" preference from pointing to Irfanview.
But I've never scene a B3D file in my life so you should be fine.

If you want to check it out - try going into Irfanview --> options --> set file associations an see if
"BD3" is now deselected. Try reassociating it with Irfanview and run another scan.
(even if it is selected, i would unselect and reselect)

[neal62]

The B3d file WAS still selected.

[neal62]

Ran another full scan and this time Brilliant Digital wasn't detected.
I deselected B3D and reselected that option before running this last full scan.

[toadbee]

@Neal -
Well - I'm certain its an FP - just not sure how/where/and why Irfanview is putting the references to B3D in the registry.

Here is what you cleaned off

BrilliantDigital Adware  more information...
Details: BrilliantDigital provides the ability for adware to be displayed using multimedia methods.
Status: Ignored
Elevated threat - Elevated threats are usually threats that fall into the range of adware in which data about a user's habits are tracked and sent back to a server for analysis without your consent or knowledge.

Infected registry keys/values detected
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.b3d
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.b3d IrfanView.b3d

[bob3160]

HERE's another review.

I like what the author of the review said:
 
"My suggestion / plan? Stop using any other antispyware programs for two
weeks, making sure Microsoft AntiSpyware is active the whole time. Then,
run your regular programs. If they find anything MS-AS missed, keep `em.
Otherwise, we've got a new front-runner on our hands."

[Eddy]

Filetype : B3D
3D Builder
BDE Multipath Movie Digital Viewer
Blitz3D Texture or Mesh File (Blitz Research Ltd.)
Boso View Express Structure Mesh Diagram (Mackoy)


During installation I selected
- not to schedule any scan
- not to load when windows starts

Still both where enabled in the options.

I also noticed it only "removes" tracks from MS products, not from any other. And even for the MS products it did a horrible job. I still could find many things which the application claimed that it had them removed.

Sofar I would say there is still a lot of work to do for MS on this application.

[DukeNukem]

Regarding SearchSquire.
I think I have discovered the cause for this.

Run Spybot search n destroy

immunize IE

close spybot

run microsoft anti spyware

remove searchsquire

now run spybot and click on immunize. Spybot will say that 1 product can be immunized.

The registry key being picked up by microsoft antispyware is created by spybot s&d as part of its imunization process.

BooHoo!

[PigDog]

Duke

I just tried to take the Searchsquire object out of quaratine due to your last post and it won't work.  Some areas of the software are now telling me it's still quaratined and others are saying nothing is quaratined.  I've given up trying to sort it out now. 

Anyone else having problems with the quarantine process??

PigDog

[DukeNukem]

Just run spybot s&d and immunize your system again to put the registry entry back.

edit: i quarantined searchsquire and was able to un-quarantine it.

[Eddy]

I already did mention some issues. Now I found some more.
Even if you have it disabled in the options. MS-AntiSpyware still places itself resident as soon as you start it. If you close it, it still stays resident.

Also removing it is a lot of work. Not only doesn't it remove all files, it also leaves 34(!) unneeded registry keys behind which you need to remove manually or with a decent registry cleaner.

My honest opinion about this beta version:
It still needs tons of work before it is something we really can use in a decent way.
The question also remains..... Will the final version still be free?
At the moment I would say: Stay with Ad-Aware, Spybot S&D and HijackThis and drop the MS one.