MS AS and the Recycle Bin

[Dutiful Don]

I have been using MS AS for a week since my IE got
hijacked. AS detects a Possible Host File Hijack file,
says it removes it, but an immediate re-scan shows the
culprit to be back. If I run the scan in SAFE MODE, it
finds the hijacker, removes it and subsequent scans are
clean. However, as soon as I return to normal mode, the
hijacker returns.

ALSO, my Recycle Bin is acting strangely. In normal mode,
the icon shows items in the bin, but if I open the bin
nothing shows up. I can, however, use the Empty Recycle
Bin option, confirm the delete and 'hear' the files (that
aren't there) being deleted. The icon still shows items in
the bin, though. If I go to SAFE MODE, the bin icon shows
empty and I do not have the option to Empty Recycle Bin.

Any ideas?

 

[Andre Da Costa]

Disable System Restore before you do a scan in Safe Mode.

 

[Bill Sanderson]

You've got a bug still in place which isn't getting cleaned by Microsoft
Antispyware I believe.

I think the Recycle Bin thing is not too unusual behavior. I see this
occasionally myself, and I don't see it as related to Microsoft Antispyware.

The usual fix is to trash something. At that point, emptying the bin should
reset the icon to empty and it should work right for a while.

Now--about that bug. It's probably help to hear what bug Microsoft
Antispyware says it is.

You've done the only step I would normally advise--scanning in safe mode, so
I think we need some more effort on this one.

I'd recommend going to the antispyware forum of your choice, and posting a
HijackThis log, along with the name of the bug as Microsoft Antispyware
defines it.

One good place to do this would be www.aumha.org

You can click in the left column on Freeware, click again in the left column
on HijackThis, and download HijackThis. Read the details in the explanatory
stuff to the right of the download links, including the rather small link to
the forum where you can post your log.

HijackThis creates a log of startup and other items of interest in your
machine--largely the same items the System Explorers look at in Microsoft
Antispyware. And, it creates an easy and reasonably safe to use interface
for removing particular items as advised by folks monitoring the forums.