MalWareBytes Automatically Uninstalls - WHASSUP?

[BobH]

Sunday evening I was fooling around with my iPad (can you say jailbreak?) which required that I use my Windows laptop. The laptop started behaving strangely - taking far too long to open or close apps, slow screen transitions, mouse freezes and disappearances, generally like a rootkit was at work. There was no cable or wifi connection between the two devices, no bluetooth active, only the iPad wifi connection to the wireless router.

I could find nothing with avast! or with AdAware (paid editions) running full scans. Eventually I thought to run MalWareBytes but was surprised that I could not find it amongst the installed apps. Thinking that I must have uninstalled it at some point and failed to install it again, I downloaded and installed the free version and ran a quick scan which revealed 17 pieces of malware which I then quarantined. I also ran CCleaner on both the hard drive and the registry with no significant clean up warnings.

Yesterday, the laptop starting performing slowly again; so I looked for MWB to run another quick scan only to find that it was no longer installed on my computer. DL'd and installed and ran it again. Today, out of curiosity, I looked to see if it were still on the laptop. GONE AGAIN!

Do I have some self-protective malware at work, or is this normal behavior for MWB? I don't recall it happening before. I've reinstalled it and started a quick scan while typing this query.

If there is something noxious afoot here (besides myself, of course), I don't know what else to do to find and fix it. I would appreciate suggestions for diagnostics and diagnostic tools. The system seems to be running normally today without the strange delays and mouse effects.

TIA

[ChrisGreaves]

The system seems to be running normally today without the strange delays and mouse effects.

NTIA necessary, pal!

FWIW I resolved a "sluggish mouse" problem a week ago.
Ever since I fell into this Notebook, end of December 2010, I've been plagued by occasional sluggish mouse AND keyboard responses.
I am ashamed to say that on two occasions I have slammed the mouse down, hard, on the desktop in anger and frustration.

I've dis-assembled the mouse at least half a dozen times looking for grit, cat hairs, sandwich crumbs etc.
I've rebooted.
I've RevoUninstalled Grisoft AVG, then MSE, then both, then re-installed them one by one for smooth running for a week or two, only to have the rodent go on strike again.
Typical example: Navigating through panes in Windows Explorer. Both the mouse and the keyboard are slow to respond to movements, so I figure it's not really the mouse, but there again ...

Six nights ago I shut down the Notebook and unplugged everything; took it to bed. Keyed in raw text for 20 minutes then shut it down and slept the night away.
The next morning I plugged it in and they ran like greased lightning - the mouse and keyboard.

I wondered whether it was a heat problem, so jacked up the front of the notebook an extra centimeter, and haven't had a problem since!

IMG_5051.JPG

[BobH]

Thanks, Chris!

I use a Logitech laser mouse with a laptop (had to disable the blasted touch pad that failed). It is wireless. I have used it for years and have kept the sensor clean. I've yet to find a way to disassemble it - which is probably a damned good thing with me.

I'm reasonably certain that the mouse issue was not a mouse issue but a system issue with some malware operating.

What puzzles me most is why MalWareBytes keeps uninstalling itself. It completely disappears. CP/ADD-DELETE_PROGRAMS shows not trace of it nor does Start/All_Programs. I don't uninstall it; it just disappears. The downloaded install file remains in my download folder, but the installed app simply vanishes.

[ChrisGreaves]

What puzzles me most is why MalWareBytes keeps uninstalling itself.

One more time:
How do you know that "MalWareBytes is uninstalling itself"?
What makes you think it's not something else that is uninstalling MalwareBytes?

If you suspect rogueware, how about
installing MSE, and running a full scan (overnight)
then the next night
installing the Free version of Grisoft AVG, and running a full scan (overnight)?

Or any two malware programs recommended by the Good Guys here.

[BobH]

Hi Chris!

You are correct. I have no evidence that Malwarebytes is uninstalling itself. I only have evidence that it is being uninstalled without my doing it. It is the possibility that there is some rogue software that is doing this is what prompted my post. I'm just not a good topic writer - or any kind of writer for that matter.

I've run a full avast! scan, a full AdAware scan, a full Malwarebytes scan without finding anything beyond the initial findings from the first Malwarebytes quick scan. I'll have to look into MSE. I thought this was Win7 software. If so, I'll have a problem because I'm still running WinXP Pro. I haven't tried Grisoft AVG. Several months ago, I found this application giving problems (at least the problems disappeared when I removed it). I'll look into it too.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[ChrisGreaves]

I'll have to look into MSE. I haven't tried Grisoft AVG.

Try thm both.
I sometimes think that it is cheaper to set aside, say, six hours to do a thorough job than spend days/weks struggling to understand what's going on.

What if you

• made a System restore point,
• installed and ran AVG for the report
• restored from the System restore point,
• installed and ran MSE for the report
• restored from the System restore point.
• And then took stock.

I suspect that there is memory-resident software out there that would signal when a file condition changed.
You might set it up to monitor MalwareBytes.exe (I just made that up, but you know ...) and then wait to see when the alarm goes off?

[HansV]

I'll have to look into MSE. I thought this was Win7 software.

From the system requirements for MSE:

Operating System: Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3); Windows Vista (Service Pack 1, or Service Pack 2); Windows 7.
For Windows XP, a PC with a CPU clock speed of 500 MHz or higher, and 256 MB RAM or higher.
(...)

[BobH]

Thanks for the tips, gentlemen.

I uninstalled my AVG and MWB and AdAware and installed MSE.

We'll see.

[StuartR]

If you are still worried about whether you have something lurking on this disk, you could try removing the disk and moving it to a different system to scan. This will enable you to do a complete scan without any possibility that a root kit or other nasty is concealing things.

[tedshemyers]

I would load MalwareBytes onto a flash drive, boot into Safe Mode and run from the flash drive from safe mode. See if this will work.

[BobH]

Good ideas, both!

The HD is in the only laptop I have. I'm unsure how it might be installed in a desktop (the only other computer available).

I like the flash drive idea. I think I'll give that a try.

[BobH]

Following earlier suggestions, I downloaded and installed MSE.

I can launch the program and see a screen that offers update and other capabilities, but how can I tell if it is actively running? I see nothing in a Task Manager listing that I can identify as this process(es) running.

[HansV]

Have you turned on realtime protection in the Settings tab of the MSE window?

In the Processes tab of Task Manager, you have to display processes from all users.
MSE is MsMpEng.exe, and its interface is MSSeces.exe.

[BobH]

Thank you, Hans!

I looked at MSE again and found that its panels tell me that MSE is operating and is providing realtime protection. I had not noticed that information before. I looked in Task Manager and couldn't identify a process with MSE. That's why I asked.

Now that I see that the program says its active and working in real time, I'll use it exclusively.

My op about Malwarebytes seems to be moot, now. I purchased the license and installed that and it remained installed and active. I removed it before installing MSE and now run only MSE. We'll see if any of the problems return.

Thanks again!