Disinfecting PC's Without the Need for Tedious Security Software

I

illumination

bo.elam said:
In there you see a list of more than 60 security or privacy programs including Emsisoft, Norton, Avast, Avg and Avira. Do you know what being in that list mean? Do you know why Tzuk created those settings for?

Yes, yes i do. Tzuk is also the same person that on his web page recommends one to run an anti-virus with sandboxie. With this in mind, one would think that the creator recommending this must feel it is safe enough to do so. Just my logic anyway.

bo.elam said:
Each of those programs have a known conflict with SBIE, those settings were created to make Sandboxie and those programs work better. Using the setting doesn't guarantee that the conflict is really fixed. If you think about it, there can be unknown conflicts and those are the worst kind

I have used sandboxie in the past, and utilized the "list" to side step conflicts, of which i never seemed to find any..

bo.elam said:
For example, if I was using an AV along SBIE, while browsing, the antivirus could detect something and while I attempt to delete the sandbox, the AV keeps a lock on the file that was detected and the sandbox is not allowed to delete.

How should I respond to the anti-virus detecting a virus?
A. Your anti-virus should tell you where the virus was identified. If the virus was identified within the sandbox (typically, in the SANDBOX folder in drive C), there is little cause for alarm. You can immediately invoke the Delete Sandbox command, or you may direct the anti-virus to delete the virus file, or move it to quarantine.
Quoted from:Sandboxie Faq Virus

bo.elam said:
Also, I like my sandboxes to open and close fast, no delay. Now, I don't know how many antiviruses you have used since you been using SBIE but even though I don't use any, I can tell you that some allow SBIE to delete and open faster than others. Since I open almost all programs that I use in a sandbox, this is important to me.

This i understand, as your preference. What works for you, will not work for others though. Me personally, i have not had an infection in over 3 years either, it is not due to using the same product, i have tested many, and with the many, still no infection, one might chalk that up to experience at this point. As stated though, what has worked for me, will not work for everyone. So if an average Joe were to ask me if they should use an anti virus with sandboxie, i would tell them yes, it is better to scan and know, then to "assume" you are clean. I hope you understand.
 

Exterminator

Community Manager
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Oct 23, 2012
12,527
I have to agree with illumination here.I have not had an infection as long as I can remember,well over 10 years.I have always used either a stand alone AV with a firewall or a Security Suite.I also make use of Sandboxie and Shadow Defender.I have used SBIE since back when it was first released.This is what works for me.There are great arguments for both sides, we should give our opinions that is what a forum community is all about.At the same time we cannot force our opinions on anybody.

Points have been made for both sides but it seems now we are just beating a dead horse.I know a comment was made about common sense as just being talk.I think common sense plays a big role in staying clean and illumination hit the nail on the head "one might chalk that up to experience".That is what I personally attribute "common sense" to,as well as keeping yourself informed & educated,your system & software updated and of course browsing habits.

Someone can reply to this and tell me that I dont need to use an Av or Security Suite but personally if it aint broke and hasn't failed me for this long nobody is going to change my mind.
 

Ramblin

Level 3
May 14, 2011
1,014
Illumination, the official Sandboxie recommendation is to use an AV to handle known treats and SBIE to take care of unknown malware but I wasn't talking about that, I was talking about why it is better for me to go without one. You ll never see me recommending to anyone to stop using an AV. If you search all my posts in this forum, you will not find one in which I recommend to drop using an AV. Using one or not is not something to recommend. Anyway, if someone asks, it means that user is not ready.

I gave you the reasons why I feel it is better for me to go without one. Look, I see it everyday, people do have conflicts and its usually a new piece of software that a user installs and all of the sudden there is a conflict. Read this short threads from today.

http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=14765
http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=14760

There is not much that worries me while using the internet or computer but unknown conflicts do. Those are the worst because they can hurt you when you less expect them to arise. I wrote the example of being browsing and your sandbox not deleting because the AV has a lock on a file.

What about if that happens and the lock not only keeps the sandbox from getting deleted but also allows malware to escape the sandbox. Thats my thinking and the main reason why I feel safer not using one. By the way, just like I can tell that malware don't get out of the sandbox, in the rare cases that it has happened is because of certain conditions being present, that usually include having on board a particular version of another security program. I remember cases involving Avira and Comodo.

Bo
 
I

illumination

bo.elam said:
Illumination, the official Sandboxie recommendation is to use an AV to handle known treats and SBIE to take care of unknown malware but I wasn't talking about that, I was talking about why it is better for me to go without one. You ll never see me recommending to anyone to stop using an AV. If you search all my posts in this forum, you will not find one in which I recommend to drop using an AV. Using one or not is not something to recommend. Anyway, if someone asks, it means that user is not ready.

I gave you the reasons why I feel it is better for me to go without one. Look, I see it everyday, people do have conflicts and its usually a new piece of software that a user installs and all of the sudden there is a conflict. Read this short threads from today.

http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=14765
http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=14760

There is not much that worries me while using the internet or computer but unknown conflicts do. Those are the worst because they can hurt you when you less expect them to arise. I wrote the example of being browsing and your sandbox not deleting because the AV has a lock on a file.

What about if that happens and the lock not only keeps the sandbox from getting deleted but also allows malware to escape the sandbox. Thats my thinking and the main reason why I feel safer not using one. By the way, just like I can tell that malware don't get out of the sandbox, in the rare cases that it has happened is because of certain conditions being present, that usually include having on board a particular version of another security program. I remember cases involving Avira and Comodo.

Bo

I said what i needed to convey on this subject. exterminator20 is correct, past this, it is just beating a dead horse..
 

Ramblin

Level 3
May 14, 2011
1,014
Gnosis said:
EVERYONE,

Don't be shy. Jump in and give your two cents. This is not about being an expert, but about ideas, and several knowledgeable members will be ready to chime in if our ideas are too aggressive for the technology and methods of the day. Even if you think your statement or question might be humorous, don't hesitate, because it could spark an idea in any of us.

Hi Gnosis, your asking in that post got me in here but I guess my participation in this thread is over now. I post this link, not for Illumination or Exterminator since they don't want to talk about Sandboxie anymore but for you and anybody else who likes to learn new things about SBIE

I love learning new things about SBIE and I do everyday. So, enjoy this thread, is a great thread, it might open up a few minds and will help understand why some people, like myself, use Sandbocie without an AV.

http://www.sandboxie.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5440&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=avira+conflict&start=0

Is a long thread but anybody who cares to read it will get the message by page 5 and definitively by page 6. Its good to be aware that there are situations were we can be hurt even when using SBIE. This thread is about that and how those situations can be taken care of.

Regards

Bo
 

Exterminator

Community Manager
Verified
Staff Member
Well-known
Oct 23, 2012
12,527
Bo,its not that I don't want to talk about SBIE anymore and it is definitely not that I don't want to learn new things.It is just that every time someone posts their personal opinion on what works for them or a Developer from Emsisoft gives his educated opinion you just keep on keeping on with your opinion. 5 pages into this thread you still don't want to hear about others opinions.

Now you are twisting mine and illuminations posts by basically saying we dont want to hear about it anymore.Maybe you missed where I said in my post that valid points were made by all sides in this thread. I could easily have posted the same thing as you said in your post above and I will quote:

bo.elam said:
I post this link, not for Illumination or Exterminator since they don't want to talk about Sandboxie anymore but for you and anybody else who likes to learn new things about SBIE

I could just change a few words around

exterminator20 said:
I posted my reply, not for bo.elam since he doesn't want to talk about Antivirus Software anymore but for anybody else who likes to learn new things about Antivirus Software

My post was stating what works for me but I cannot even give my own opinion.Frankly this thread should just be closed because like I said before we are just beating a dead horse now.

Please don't take it personally because it wasn't meant to be as I don't take your comment in your last post personally either.
 

Ramblin

Level 3
May 14, 2011
1,014
Exterminator: Gnosis said, "Don't be shy. Jump in and give your two cents", thats all I have done.

Let me finish by saying, if I don't want to talk or care talking about antiviruses, Why should I talk about antiviruses? I talk about what I care talking about.

After I made my first post here, you and Illumination jumped in the discussion but all of the sudden you call it quit. If you did not want to talk about what I was saying, perhaps you or Illuninnation should not have replied to any of my posts in this thread.

Bo
 
I

illumination

bo.elam said:
Exterminator: Gnosis said, "Don't be shy. Jump in and give your two cents", thats all I have done.

Let me finish by saying, if I don't want to talk or care talking about antiviruses, Why should I talk about antiviruses? I talk about what I care talking about.

After I made my first post here, you and Illumination jumped in the discussion but all of the sudden you call it quit. If you did not want to talk about what I was saying, perhaps you or Illuninnation should not have replied to any of my posts in this thread.

Bo


This is why i said something to begin with Bo,

bo.elam said:
Staying malware free is not as hard as it this thread make it sound. I have been without a real time antivirus for over two years, I am not even carrying a on demand scanner in my system and despite not being a computer guy, I am not getting infected.

You make it sound as if your bullet proof with just sandboxie. There are many readers of this forum, that come here for advice and looking for ways to secure their system, not all of them are going to ask if they should use anything else like mentioned earlier, especially if they read a statement like yours.. So i interjected so that the readers will see, that just because it works for you, it may very well not work for them..

I have kept an open mind with this subject, of which, you have been tunnel visioned, and this is entirely your choice, but not worth my time continuing.. Nothing personal, but you seem to be too set in your ways to be open..
 

Ramblin

Level 3
May 14, 2011
1,014
Guys, this banging up on me is not nice. If you want me to continue talking on this thread, make a comment about the links from the SBIE forum that I posted.

Bo
 
I

illumination

bo.elam said:
Guys, this banging up on me is not nice. If you want me to continue talking on this thread, make a comment about the links from the SBIE forum that I posted.

Bo

No body is banging up on you Bo, you mentioned both our names as should not have commented on your comment, so i replied..

Think of things along theses lines.. We all share a similar responsibility to be open minded for the readers. As stated a million and one times, what works for us, may not work for them.. How would you feel if some young inexperienced reader took your statement to heart and applied it to his system, and ended up crashing if not worse.

When others in the forum post the "this product VS that one" it is why i do not choose either way and tell them to try them both for themselves, i do this, because, who am i to tell them what will work for them or not, I do not know their habits/uses's..

Now for personal opinions, you have stated yours and i have stated mine, there is nothing more to discuss at this juncture, we are doing nothing but dragging out a debate that has already died in the water.
 

Ramblin

Level 3
May 14, 2011
1,014
illumination said:
How would you feel if some young inexperienced reader took your statement to heart and applied it to his system, and ended up crashing if not worse.

I would feel pretty bad, that's why you wont find any post from me recommending not to use one. It might seem like I do but if you analise my posts, you ll see that I am not doing it. Recommending not to use an AV would be wrong on my part. Its that clear enough?

I explained earlier why, IMO, recommending not to use one is not something that should be done. There are many factors that make an AV necessary, for example, if you share a computer, you should use an AV , regardless of how much you use SBIE to cover your security. Someone that installs programs very often should use one too. I am not saying that antiviruses are useless as some people like to call them. Once again, you will not find any post of mine in which I call antiviruses useless. But there are also benefits about not using one, I can write for an hour about the benefits that I get out of not using one.

I realize you guys don't want to comment on the links that I posted but I like you to know that I searched for the last link for you guys, I didn't search for it for me. You don't want to comment about it, fine, but if you read at least 5 or 6 pages, it should give you a clue of why I feel safer not using an AV.

Cheers

Bo
 

Fiery

Level 1
Jan 11, 2011
2,007
Guys,

Please note that this is a debate[/b] not an 'argument.' Opposing opinions doesn't mean the other user has anything personal against you. Everyone is from a different society with different backgrounds, hence the diverse opinions on a subject.

Don't take counter-arguments personally, it is all part of a debate. There will be people against your idea and people for your idea, please keep that in mind.

Cheers :)
 

Gnosis

Level 5
Thread author
Apr 26, 2011
2,779
Think of some f the ways that system images are defined.

It is relatively assuring to know if you have a clean OS out of the box, but how do system images let you keep your custom changes to the software on your OS while guaranteeing your system image is a clean one?

That is the key to being able to implement my original theory;
having a system image, with all of your post OS installation custom host and guest software tweaks, always ready with no more than a weeks worth of lost data once the restore action is implemented. That and a wicked fast hard drive wipe and a wicked fast "false logic" test between your primary OS and untouched secondary OS to ensure the OS is not infected before you install it on the clean drive.

Then there was the bootkit issue that I believe we found a way around.
 

Prorootect

Level 69
Verified
Nov 5, 2011
5,855
Google Redirect Virus – Remove Manually (recent update) : on atechjourney.com - by Anup Raman : http://atechjourney.com/google-redirect-virus-remove-manually.html/

Troubleshooting steps for removing Google Redirect Virus manually:

1) Enable hidden files by opening folder options (start –>run –> control folders),under view tab ..

2) Open msconfig (start –>run –> msconfig) ..

3) Restart computer ..

4) Do a complete IE optimization ..

5) Open device manager (start –>run –> devmgmt.msc) ..

6) Open registry (start –>run–>regedit). Take a backup of registry before making changes ..

Assume that you were not able to find TDSSserv.sys inside hidden devices under device manager, then go to Step 7.

7) Check ntbtlog.txt for corrupted file ..

Watch the YouTube video: Google Redirect Virus - Fix Google Redirect Virus Manually :
 
Last edited:

jamescv7

Level 85
Verified
Honorary Member
Mar 15, 2011
13,070
Traditional way is to locate and delete manually from files/folders and registry keys.

Hard way but matter of effect when its removed.

If ran in memory kill with Task manager or used other portable tools when the situation blocked.

System restore isn't advisable as may infected too.
 

Prorootect

Level 69
Verified
Nov 5, 2011
5,855
In many situations, with many malware, Windows Task Manager is useless because malicious files don't show in it. This is why we must rather look malicious processes with tools like PCHunter and PowerTool ..
 

About us

  • MalwareTips is a community-driven platform providing the latest information and resources on malware and cyber threats. Our team of experienced professionals and passionate volunteers work to keep the internet safe and secure. We provide accurate, up-to-date information and strive to build a strong and supportive community dedicated to cybersecurity.

User Menu

Follow us

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to know first about the latest cybersecurity incidents and malware threats.

Top