C:\Program Files\Microsoft AntiSpyware\DeactivatedItems

[Ewel]

I found more than 6Gb (!) in this folder. AntiSpyware
does not seem to provide a way to delete this.

Unless perhaps that works through viewing blocked events,
which I gave up on after half a day of allowing it to
load the page.

The folder is too big for the recycle bin. Can I just
delete it?

 

[Alice]

I just had the same problem, and yes, you can delete it.
Go to the location of the file (go to start, my computer,
choose the drive, choose program files and find the
file). RIGHT click on the file and choose delete. It will
tell you that it is too big for the recycle bin, but it
should also ask you if you just want to permantly delete
it. Click YES.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Thanks -- I haven't seen this issue firsthand. I'm intrigued about what the
nature of these items is--and how they accumulate--any ideas?

 

[Ewel]

Thanks Alice, I am glad to know that I can proceed to
delete them!

Bill, I have no idea how the files accumulate, but
clearly they do accumulate very quickly.
Before I wrote my post starting this thread, I did not
dare deleting the files permanently but I did rename the
folder to see what would happen. What happened was that a
new folder was automatically created by the original
folder name '\DeactivatedItems'. In the space of two days
that newly created folder has already accumulated 500Mb
of files.

The old (then renamed and now to be deleted) folder
contains 86188 files which all have the extension .asq
and a modified date of 19/04/2003 15:37. Some of the file
names are:
0A0A792A-A589-4F20-ADF8-61BD0B.asq
0A0B02C5-1277-4A39-BA2A-15A790.asq
0A0B3518-1940-4FCA-969A-AA169E.asq
In a separate reply I will reproduce the contents of one
of the files.
The new folder contains 6906 files by the same
description.

It looks like I will have to uninstall the software,
since this is eating away too much space too quickly!

E

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Yours is not the only post with this complaint. I've looked at this folder
on the machines I admin, and always found it empty.

Presumably, you've deactivated or blocked something, and it is coming back
in spades??

Can you tell anything from the file content? If Quarantine is any guide,
these files will have been renamed, but perhaps not otherwise modified.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

Are you running with veritcal taskbars, so that you can't respond to
prompts? Are you really seeing so many events?

I think you can ditch this stuff with the program shut down, but I'd sure
want to know more about what it is and where it is coming from.

 

[hotasheck]

I was having the same problem.

C:\Program Files\Microsoft AntiSpyware\DeactivatedItems

filling up with asq files. 32 Gig of files in 2 days.

I looked at the blocked events by the Security Agent. It took a while to load that screen, about 10 min. I think it was do to the number of times the event was blocked. The file it was blocking was csrss.exe. In task manager I found a file csrss.exe and a CSRSS.EXE both running. I found that there is a csrss.exe that is process which is registered as the W32.Netsky.AB@mm worm. There is a CSRSS.exe that is a windows file.

You can use the microsoft tool as part of the Antispyware
Advanced Tools: System Explorers: Running Processes to Block the process at startup.

You will want to stop the Running Process of csrss.exe as well. (lower case file not the upper) The upper case file was registered as being a Microsoft application and wouldnt allow me to stop it.

This may be your issue as well. Or you have another program that is causing a similar issue for you.

FYI; I had the latest version of Symantec Antivirus running. Symantec didnt see the file as being a virus. However since I blocked that file from the startup Microsoft AntiSpyware has worked great with no issues.

Good Luck.