Why?
Published on March 8, 2005 By Bichur In Personal Computing
For quite a while now SpyBot S&D and AdAware have peacefully coexisted in my system. I'd get the old compatibility warning from SpyBot about AdAware whenever I ran it, but no problems. Until now.



I downloaded the newest definitions from AdAware, then had it check my system. This time, I had it do a deep scan (which I have been doing every so often) and it came up with 3 criticals. The name on all 3 was 180solutions and it said one item was a data miner and the other 2 (registry) where browser hijackers. So I deleted them. SOP. At the exact point in time I clicked delete, my left brain remember what my right eye saw. The 1st item was located at c\programs... spybotsd13.exe.



It was too late. AdAware ate SpyBot. What happened? Has anyone else had this happens? They used to play so well with each other. I would expect this from the MS Antispyware. or one of the SpyBot rips. but AdAware? When did SpyBot become a data miner? AdAware gave it a TAC of 8.



Anybody got any ideas?



*Update 3/9/5 @21:03 TX time*

Downloaded Spybot S&D 1.3 again. Ran AdAware - nothing. Installed Spybot, ran updates, ran AdAware. Nothing. not even a hint of impropriety. Nothing about dataminers, 180solutions and Spybot. This is just weird. Had been running both about a year, even ran them at the same time with no problems. Yesterday, SpyBot became SPYbot. Today, back to normal. Is it possible it was a driveby & 180 slid itself into Spybot somehow? The answer is beyond me.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Mar 08, 2005
After reading this I did a full system scan with AdAware7 pro. And nothing turned up. I have the most recent updates (today for adaware) too. Do you have scan archives checked. Maybe it is something in there. I have mine turned off on both programs. The Data Miner may be something in Spybot's archive that you removed and forgot about.
on Mar 08, 2005
No. The only 3 that came up were the 2 registry items and the exe itself.
on Mar 08, 2005
Hmmm. I don't know what that is. I have had both progs for several years, and this has not happened. I have seen so many strange things go on with the computers and such, I just take it in stride. The exe is the strangest part of it all. Maybe you should remove what's left of Spybot and re-download it and scan again. You might wan't to go the the LavaSoft web sight and see if anyone has had this happen. Maybe email them and ask. I sure would like to know what it is. Good Luck.
on Mar 08, 2005
Yeah. I have it downloaded. Just have to restart to wipe the previous traces before it will install. Just didn't feel like loggin off and restarting yet. Since I switched to dayshift (18yrs nights) it get harder to stay up to do that stuff. Will probably wait til tomorrow.

It was the 1st time it happened too. Looked up 180solutions, wonder if SpyBot is teamed with them at all?
on Mar 08, 2005
it's been a while since I was at home to run these but I know one of them warns about the other (as a possible false positive) when you install. I just can't remember if it is SpyBot warning about AdAware or vice versa.
on Mar 08, 2005
SpyBot warning about AdAware picking up the archive or backup file. Nothing about AdAware calling Spybot a dataminer for 180solutions.
on Mar 08, 2005
Well, this surely is a mystery. I wish I could have been some help. If it happens to me I will let you know. I'll keep my eye on the thread in case you, me or anybody finds out what this is.
on Mar 08, 2005
Your problem is with the 180 solutions spyware, not with Adaware or Spybot S&D.
We have been trying to clean up some machines at work that got that crap on them. It's a real pain to remove it from an unpatched system. (Windows updates breaks some proprietary software)
The removal of Spybot is probably just another of its dirty little tricks. Try reinstalling Spybot, and running the Microsoft Spyware beta.
on Mar 08, 2005
Okay. I'll update or post tomorrow the results of a new deep scan by AdAware.
on Mar 08, 2005
tjesterb... how did 180 associate itself with the spybot exe? That's where adaware said it was, and that's what adaware deleted. I do run the beta, hadn't yet today, did get an update though/ now running quick scan.
on Mar 08, 2005
Anybody know if 180 solutions is tied into yahoo in anyway? I remember spybot asking if i wanted to install it, i didn't.
on Mar 09, 2005
Here is the most information I found on 180 Search assistant in one place. http://www.sawtoothdistortion.com/Articles/Uninstall180Search.html
Apparently none of the popular spyware progs remove it. Trying to uninstall from the Add/Remove progrms menu only takes you to their website-it does NOT uninstall their crap!
We had people get it on work PCs just by browsing shopping, travel and game sites. Once it was behind our firewalls, it got somehow spread to a couple other computers.
Those people now have no more internet access at work.
on Mar 09, 2005
on Mar 09, 2005
I ran Spybot for awhile Bichur and if I remember correctly it instructs the user to turn off certain scans that Ad-Aware does due to the very thing that happened to your version of spybot.

It's been awhile, I didnt care for spybot and got rid of it as soon as Ad-Aware SE came out.
If you re-install spybot, skim through the user instructions, the answer may be there.

Zero.
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