# Spybot messed up my computer - help!



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

I've read the suggestion several times on here to download Spybot. So I did. Big mistake! I'm running Win 7, IE 9. The pages started loading very slowly, and each time I went to a web site I'd get the error message that the webpage had stopped working and IE would close. This has happened probably less than a half dozen times in the past year, so since the only item I changed to was download Spybot, I decided to uninstall it. 

Part of the uninstall process was a button to see what the program had done. So I clicked on it and found that it had moved IE into quarantine (or perhaps immunization?). I moved it back out and restarted the computer. The webpages loaded a bit faster but I still kept getting the error message about the pages stopping working. I completely uninstalled Spybot, hoping that would fix the problem. It has in that the webpages aren't stopping working any more. 

But the computer seems to still running slow and one feature I like about Win 7 has been messed up. I like the fact when I click on a new tab my most used programs are displayed. But it's always been the opening page which I could click on. Now it is the last page I've visited within that site. So, for example, instead of Homesteading Today main page, when I click on it I go to the last thread I've read. 

Unfortunately I had not set a restore point before downloading Spybot. Who thought a security program would mess me up so thoroughly? So the only restore point I had was last Tuesday when Windowns downloaded an update. So I've reset for that date and figure Windows will flag me to re-download the updates. But that hasn't fixed the new tab dilemma. I don't want the websites I visit to to change to the last page I've been reading. How can I fix it back the way it was? 

I'm so mad I'm about spitting nails right now.


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Really, the only risky part of Spybot is that it can edit the registry. I've found it to be safe. I'm not so sure the culprit was Spybot.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Well, I uninstalled it and the web pages are no longer freezing. With it installed, I could not read any webpages without them freezing and closing after 30 seconds. So if not Spybot, why would taking it off almost fix things? AND why on earth would it have moved IE into quarantine, or whatever it is called?


----------



## Sonoran (Mar 16, 2013)

Spybot has a resident agent that may have been causing your pages to freeze.

Here's a few suggestions:

Run ComboFix as opposed to Spybot: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/combofix/dl/12/


Upgrade to Google Chrome instead of IE. If you seriously dislike Chrome, you can use FireFox. IE is a poor choice of browser.


If you are running any anti-virus you will need to fully disable it before running ComboFix. Remember to right click ComboFix and "Run as Administrator". The computer will need to reboot after running ComboFix.


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Spybot has a companion program called Tea Timer that is supposed to immunize you against threats. Never Never EVER install it, it messes up your computer by doing exactly what you reported happened.


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

mnn2501 said:


> Spybot has a companion program called Tea Timer that is supposed to immunize you against threats. Never Never EVER install it, it messes up your computer by doing exactly what you reported happened.


I don't happen to use Tea Timer, but it's my understanding that Tea Timer is Spybot's realtime malware blocking feature. I believe that the immunization feature is a separate function. I use Spybot's immunization and it seems to work well.


----------



## Belfrybat (Feb 21, 2003)

Well, I think I figured out at least partially what happened to the links on the new tab. Spybot apparently wiped out the "history" on the new tab feature and it is having to build the most frequented sites all over again. So I'm visiting the sites I want displayed several times a day to built up the "memory" of those sites. It seems to be working except for one that is just not registering. But I learned my lesson not to download even well recommended programs that have the ability to change items in the guts of the computer.


----------



## Sculkrusha (Feb 10, 2013)

Yeah, thats interesting, I have run spybot for years without an once of trouble. I do know that you have to be so careful these days when you download .......anything. Maybe you accidently invited something else in ? 
I hope you get it sorted.

Cheers........Scul


----------



## wogglebug (May 22, 2004)

There is of course the fact that you are running Internet Explorer. If SpyBot quarantined that, it probably did a GOOD THING. IE is as full of of security holes as anything can get if it's not an Adobe or Java product, or a MS Operating Sytem. Anyone who is not disabling IE and running Firefox instead (or an alternative, but the alternatives come laden with ride-along products) ought to rethink their position.


----------



## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Or even Safari would be better then IE, especially on XP as you can't get the latest IE version. The newest one is IE version 10 but those that have XP can only get to IE8 and no further.
So those that are still using XP have not been able to Update to a more secure version.


----------



## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Of course some people just dislike MS products too.


----------



## Idum (Oct 29, 2011)

Yep, if microsoft ever makes a product that doesn't suck, it'll be a vacuum cleaner.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

If you want to repair your IE use the Fix it program at microsofts web site. As far as Spybot and tea timer, I run them both with IE with no major issues.


----------



## wannabechef (Nov 20, 2012)

You main problem is using IE...


----------



## WhyNot (Jun 21, 2011)

A lot of the time, if you have Avira or AntiVir antivirus installed, weird things also will happen if you have or install either spybot or malwarebytes. I have seen this start to happen with the new releases (updates to) of Avira and AntiVir. And in the case of Malwarebytes, the incompatibility and weirdness issues seem to start when both MBAM and the antivirus programs are updated...not the definition updates but the actual updated version of the programs.

Not sure if that is what happened here...but a heads up. I was at a place yesterday where they all had the new version of MBAM and then renewed their license for Avira 2013...previously they had MBAM's updated version and Avira 2012....soon as they updated to Avira 2013 every single computer at the place (20 of them) all went bonkers...and when I say bonkers...I really mean all sorts of crazy. I was there almost all day fixing the craziness...which was nearly completely different on all machines.

Job security LOL


----------

