Hi, all.
So many of you have recommended installing only the free version of Malwarebytes, because that version, unlike the full version, doesn't provide real-time protection, something that might conflict with the real-time protection that Norton provides.
Questions:
1) When running the free version of Malwarebytes, should I turn any part of Norton off?
2) Is the free version that the link below redirects to the recommended vesion?
http://www.malwarebytes.org/free/
Thanks in advance!
Hi, all.
So many of you have recommended installing only the free version of Malwarebytes, because that version, unlike the full version, doesn't provide real-time protection, something that might conflict with the real-time protection that Norton provides.
Questions:
1) When running the free version of Malwarebytes, should I turn any part of Norton off?
2) Is the free version that the link below redirects to the recommended vesion?
http://www.malwarebytes.org/free/
Thanks in advance!
Thanks, Krusty13.
So remove the check mark from "Trial", but leave the other two boxes checked?
Inquirer wrote:
So remove the check mark from "Trial", but leave the other two boxes checked?
Hi Inquirer:
I'm not certain which two check boxes you're refering to, but Malwarebytes has posted MBAM installation instructions here that might help.
I seem to recall that the the pop-up asking you if you`d like to try the 14-day trial version comes at the end of the installation. Even if you accidentally accept the trial version, you can uncheck the options on the Protection tab as shown below to disable MBAM`s real-time protection for the duration of the trial period.
EDIT:
I just tried the official download link at http://www.malwarebytes.org/free/ and was pleasantly surprised to see that the installer was downloaded from mbamupdates.com. I live in Canada so I don't know if Malwarebytes is hosting the MBAM installer on their own servers in every region, but I'm pleased to see that they finally stopped redirecting users to CNET's download.com site. I normally use the FileHippo site for downloading MBAM updates and it's an excellent choice if you're looking for a reputable mirror site for free software.
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MS Windows 32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox 27.0.1* IE 9.0 * NIS 2013 v. 20.4.0.40 * MBAM PRO 1.75.0.1300
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo CPU T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3.0 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Inquirer wrote:Thanks, Krusty13.
So remove the check mark from "Trial", but leave the other two boxes checked?
The other two boxes are to update the definitions and open the program, so if you are going to run a scan straight away you can leave them checked.
Hi, Inquirer. Many of us on the forum use and recomment MBytes as a back up scanner, as it tends to concentrate more on things like pups and puas as well as genuine malware..
If you have any questions re settings, don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks, guys, for all the helpful info!
Krusty13,
I'm curious, if I don't have to turn off Norton when running a Malwarebytes scan, wouldn't that conflict with Norton's background scan? Of course, I don't really want to turn Norton off. Just curious. Thanks.
And a question for Imacri. So should I download the free version from Malwarebytes' own website directly then? Thanks.
Thanks, F4E, if the settings confuse me, I'll definitely be back here to ask more questions! 
I have never had an issue scanning with MBAM. Norton shouldn't start a scan while your CPU is busy anyway. Just don't manually start a scan with both at the same time. 
Thanks, again, guys!
I'll download and install it on my dad's computer tomorrow, since it was recently infected with adware. Although Norton Auto-Protect blocked it and a Full System Scan found nothing, the adware folder still had to be manually deleted. That's why I wanted to run a Malwarebytes scan to see if there are remnants of the adware lurking somewhere on the machine.
I run a Quick Scan, once a day. I'll only run a Full Scan, if I have a concern.
Inquirer wrote:I'm curious, if I don't have to turn off Norton when running a Malwarebytes scan, wouldn't that conflict with Norton's background scan?
Hi Inquirer:
Just out of habit, I try to remember to turn on Norton's silent mode when I'm running a MBAM full system scan, but not because I'm concerned about a conflict. I have an older 32-bit Vista laptop with a 1.83 GHz CPU and 3 MB of RAM, and if any Norton idletime background tasks happen to launch while my MBAM full scan is running those Norton tasks tend to consume my limited system resources and can increase the time it takes for my MBAM full scan to complete by 10 or 15 minutes.
I've had a paid version of MBAM PRO since July 2009 and believe that the dangers of running Norton and MBAM PRO together in real-time protection mode are sometimes overstated in this forum. I recently ran the full set of Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) tests here running both NIS and MBAM PRO together in real-time protection mode and test results were identical (i.e., malware detected on all 5 tests) compared to when NIS was my only real-time protection.
That being said, I currently have my MBAM PRO real-time protection disabled as shown in message # 4, but I might reconsider that decision if Symantec doesn't start doing a better job of detecting some of the nastier PUPs and zero-day infections that most users can't (or shouldn't) clean off their system without the help of a malware removal specialist. Malwarebytes will be moving to a new annual subscription model when MBAM PRO 2.0 is officially released (see elsewhere's post here) so anyone who thinks that it's worth paying the current $24.95 lifetime license to get the extra PRO features like flash scanning, automatic virus definition updates and automatic scheduling of quick and full scans should consider buying MBAM PRO in the near future.
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MS Windows 32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox 27.0.1* IE 9.0 * NIS 2013 v. 20.4.0.40 * MBAM PRO 1.75.0.1300
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo CPU T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3.0 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Thanks a lot for the detailed info, Imacri!
Okay, so even with real-time protection turned on in both MBAM Pro and Norton, you noticed no problems. The only reason you turn real-time protection off in MBAM Pro is to reduce the consumption of your computer's system resources. My understanding correct?
BTW, since they will be switching from lifetime license to an annual subscription model for the Pro version, will that affect the free version as well? In other words, will they stop offering the free version?
MBAM 2.0 will have a Free version and a Trial version just like 1.75. This week MBAM released RC-1 for beta testing and expect the final in about 2 weeks. The 1.75 Lifetime License will transfer to 2.0. Check the web for discounts on the current version (1.75) as resellers are dumping stock. I am running the 2.0 RC-1 with NIS with realtime protection as I have for years and no problems.
Jim
Inquirer wrote:
Okay, so even with real-time protection turned on in both MBAM Pro and Norton, you noticed no problems. The only reason you turn real-time protection off in MBAM Pro is to reduce the consumption of your computer's system resources.
BTW, since they will be switching from lifetime license to an annual subscription model for the Pro version, will that affect the free version as well? In other words, will they stop offering the free version?
Hi Inquirer:
Consumption of system resources is one reason I don't have my MBAM PRO real-time protection enabled, but not the only reason. I firmly believe that users should never run more than one full antivirus program like Norton or McAfee in real-time protection mode and concede that there are a few isolated cases where having both Norton and MBAM PRO (which I consider to be anti-malware, not antivirus software) appear to have caused a conflict and allowed a users system to be infected, but I think every individual has to weigh the risks vs. rewards on their own system.
In my case, I'm very careful about my browsing and downloading habits. I always download software from the manufacturer's official website, always click the Advanced button when I'm installing software to see if there are any hidden toolbars or adware bundled with the installer, and don't install illegal software that requires a key generator to crack the program. Between my NIS firewall / real-time protection and daily automated NIS and MBAM Quick Scans, I think I'm well protected and currently feel that adding MBAM PRO real-time protection at this time is overkill that would just slow down my system.
That doesn't mean I might change my mind and enable my MBAM real-time protection at some point in the future if the reports of PUP and zero-day infections continue to rise in this Norton forum. I ran NIS and MBAM PRO together in real-time protection mode for almost two years (back in 2009 and 2010) and never had a single malware or PUP infection that evaded my security, but that might have more to do with my careful browsing habits than anything else.
The announcement on the Malwarebytes site here states that "scanning for and removing malware will be free in version 2.x and beyond" so this supports PhoneMan's comment that Malwarebytes is planning to continue offering both the free and PRO versions of MBAM 2.x.
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MS Windows 32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox 27.0.1* IE 9.0 * NIS 2013 v. 20.4.0.40 * MBAM PRO 1.75.0.1300
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo CPU T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3.0 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
Thanks, Imacri and PhoneMan!
Finally installed the free version and ran a full system scan on my dad's computer. It found 5 items that I opted to delete immediately (see screenshot).
I'm curious though, right now these items are listed under Quarantine. If I click either of the delete buttons, will those five PUPs be finally totally removed or does that simply mean that the record of their existence will be removed?
This reminds me of how it works in Norton, where you can also delete the quarantined items. I've never been sure what that really meant in Norton, either.
Screenshot
Hi, Inquirer. Waiting for the screenshot to be approved.
If the items are quarantined by either program, they can't access any part of your computer.
Only delete them if you're sure they're not needed files, and they shouldn't be !
If files are deleted they will remain on the drive and can be recovered by sophisticated programs if required, but to all intents and purposes, they're gone.
Okay. Thanks, F4E.
Inquirer wrote:Thanks a lot for the detailed info, Imacri!
Okay, so even with real-time protection turned on in both MBAM Pro and Norton, you noticed no problems. The only reason you turn real-time protection off in MBAM Pro is to reduce the consumption of your computer's system resources. My understanding correct?
BTW, since they will be switching from lifetime license to an annual subscription model for the Pro version, will that affect the free version as well? In other words, will they stop offering the free version?
One way to avoid scanner- resource issues is to run the scans overnight, or at a time when your PC is idle.
I wakup the PC's with Windows Task Scheduler a couple of minutes before 1:30am, then MBAM and N360's scheduler setttings do their jobs.
I run the N360 Full Sys Scan and the MBAM Quick Scan overnight with MBAM's scan starting at 1:30am and Norton's Full scan starting at 1:45am. Since the MBAM's Quick Scan duration, on my PC, is about 5 minutes, I setup the Norton Scan to begin about 10 minutes after the MBAM scan has completed. Upon Norton's scan completion, it returns the PC's to sleep mode with the pull-down options provided within Norton's Scheduled Scan setup screen.
The requirement with MBAM is that you'd need to purchase the Pro version as it includes the Scan Scheduler tool. That's one reason I bought MBAM Pro for my 2 PC's. I've been running daily (overnight) scans this way since in Sept 2012 when I purchased and installed MBAM Pro.
The Pro version worked without issues simultaneously with my previous AV software with my 2 Win 7 x64 PC's and also is working ok with N360.
Inquirer wrote:I'm curious though, right now these items are listed under Quarantine. If I click either of the delete buttons, will those five PUPs be finally totally removed or does that simply mean that the record of their existence will be removed?
Hi Inquirer:
As F4E stated, quarantined items are rendered inert and can't harm your system - see Dave Lipman's post here in the MBAM forum for more details. I normally leave quarantined items that I don't recognize in quarantine for a month or so (just in case it's a false positive for a file I actually want to keep on my computer) and then permanently delete them from quarantine to prevent me from accidentally clicking the Restore button and restoring them to my computer. There is an MBAM FAQ page at https://helpdesk.malwarebytes.org/forums that includes a few how-to videos on using the quarantine if you're interested.
The only registry key modification that I don't recognize as a potential risk is for the partial CLSID (unique software ID number) shown in your screenshot. If you enter the full CLSID indentifier (i.e., {D824F0DE-3D60-...}) on the CLSID tab at SystemLookup it might provide you with details about the filename, manufacturer, and status for this toolbar / browser extension. The full list of CLSID status codes on SystemLookup (X = known malware or PUP; L = legitimate program, etc.) can be found here.
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MS Windows 32-bit Vista Home Premium SP2 * Firefox 27.0.1* IE 9.0 * NIS 2013 v. 20.4.0.40 * MBAM PRO 1.75.0.1300
HP Pavilion dv6835ca, Intel Core2Duo CPU T5550 @ 1.83 GHz, 3.0 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS
