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  • Thread starter Thread starter Dave Silvia
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Dave Silvia

The Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1) reports after a scan of
my system:

1666 memory locations scanned
24897 files checked
8663 registry locations checked

with no items detected. Isn't that wonderful news!

Wait!!

My system has:
88234 files
195069 registry keys
363962 registry values

That means that Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1):
checks 28.2% of files
checks 2.4% max of registry values
checks 4.4% max of registry keys

hmmm...
How can this be effective? Maybe the news isn't so
wonderful after all!

C'mon Microsoft, I know you like to be secretive,
non-disclosive, close-to-the-vest, keep your own counsel,
etc., but can't you share with us? Let us in on the
secret. What do you know that we don't? Why should we
trust this software? Especially when well reputed software
from other well reputed sources says you're missing some
things, i.e., you're full of crap! There's spyware on my
system and I know it!

Sincerely,
D. E. Silvia
 
The Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1) reports after a scan of
my system:

1666 memory locations scanned
24897 files checked
8663 registry locations checked

with no items detected. Isn't that wonderful news!

Wait!!

My system has:
88234 files
195069 registry keys
363962 registry values

That means that Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1):
checks 28.2% of files
checks 2.4% max of registry values
checks 4.4% max of registry keys

hmmm...
How can this be effective? Maybe the news isn't so
wonderful after all!

C'mon Microsoft, I know you like to be secretive,
non-disclosive, close-to-the-vest, keep your own counsel,
etc., but can't you share with us? Let us in on the
secret. What do you know that we don't? Why should we
trust this software? Especially when well reputed software
from other well reputed sources says you're missing some
things, i.e., you're full of crap! There's spyware on my
system and I know it!

Sincerely,
D. E. Silvia
Click to expand...

Have you used Full system scan or just Intelligent quick scan? If the second
one - try the first one (change scan options).

Besides - it's not necessary to look for spyware in .txt files ;-)
 
Restart in safe mode, on scan page choose Scan Options > Full System Scan
(check boxes below) > click "Run Scan Now".

Also send in some Suspected Spyware Reports about the items detected but not
removed:
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/boot_failsafe.mspx

Get HijackThis.exe from
http://tomcoyote.org/hjt/hjt199//HijackThis.exe

Save it to C:\hjt (new folder) then Run it and select
Scan and Save Log. Note where you saved the log then
send it to me as an attachment. Put Hijack in the subject
so I'll know it's not spam.
 
-----Original Message-----
The Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1) reports after a scan of
my system:

1666 memory locations scanned
24897 files checked
8663 registry locations checked

with no items detected. Isn't that wonderful news!

Wait!!

My system has:
88234 files
195069 registry keys
363962 registry values

That means that Microsoft AntiSpyware (Beta 1):
checks 28.2% of files
checks 2.4% max of registry values
checks 4.4% max of registry keys

hmmm...
How can this be effective? Maybe the news isn't so
wonderful after all!

C'mon Microsoft, I know you like to be secretive,
non-disclosive, close-to-the-vest, keep your own counsel,
etc., but can't you share with us? Let us in on the
secret. What do you know that we don't? Why should we
trust this software? Especially when well reputed software
from other well reputed sources says you're missing some
things, i.e., you're full of crap! There's spyware on my
system and I know it!

Sincerely,
D. E. Silvia
.
Click to expand...

Yup! It was a full scan. Nope! I don't have that many
text files.

You mean I've got to start up in safe mode to use this
software effectively? C'mon, give me a break!

Anyway, what about all the registry that's not evaluated.
And even if they are text files, the software at least
looks to see that they are, therefore, it has processed them.

I think you guys are guessing. I'd rather hear it from the
horse's mouth.
 
-----Original Message-----

Have you used Full system scan or just Intelligent quick scan? If the second
one - try the first one (change scan options).

Besides - it's not necessary to look for spyware in .txt files ;-)

--
Pozdrawiam serdecznie / Kind regards
Mikolaj Kaminski
MS-MVP, Poland

.
Click to expand...

About not having to look for spyware in .txt files:

I had something happen when there was embedded code in
the .txt file and the miscreant changed the extension
to .exe and ran it - Voila! an instant Remote Access
Trojan. Be careful. It took a while to track this one.
 
Yup! It was a full scan. Nope! I don't have that many
text files.

You mean I've got to start up in safe mode to use this
software effectively? C'mon, give me a break!

Anyway, what about all the registry that's not evaluated.
And even if they are text files, the software at least
looks to see that they are, therefore, it has processed them.

I think you guys are guessing. I'd rather hear it from the
horse's mouth.
Click to expand...



Do you have a real problem with that, or are just you trying to create one?

Antispyware, the same way as antivirus, uses patterns (signatures) to detect
harmful software, so it is not necessary to scan all registy keys, all files
and locations - only those, that are "useful for spyware". Why, for example,
should it look for spyware in your desktop resolution settings in the
registry and other "unuseable" registry keys like this? This way is more
efficient than scanning everything in the system..
This is why you have more registry keys/values in the system, than those
checked by MSAS.
It is not guessing, it is common sense..

And by the way - starting system and scanning it in a safe mode is just a
more efficient way to removing spyware (and viruses, too), because they are
unable to load at startup and hang somewhere in the background of running
system.
 
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