Unable to install MBAM (access denied to unspecified directory)

[bigfoot1291]

So I've never really had an issue with MBAM before, but recently when I went to do a routine scan, I noticed that MBAM would just crash almost instantly upon choosing any scan options. The only other scanning software I use is MSSE, so naturally I fired that up and it didn't find anything of note. I tried rebooting, but still wouldn't run MBAM. Uninstalled MBAM to try and reinstall, and now it's telling me the error as seen in the screenshot below. Tried a few other misc. things, but nothing seemed to work. My computer is otherwise running as normal and doesn't seem to be showing any signs of malicous software running, but I would MUCH rather be safe than sorry, especially when something isn't running correctly that has served me well for years.

 

Thank you for any assistance.

attach.txt

dds.txt

[AdvancedSetup]

Hello and

 

Please try the following removal and reinstall routine and let us know if the issue continues.

 

MBAM Clean Removal Process
 

Thanks

[bigfoot1291]

Hello and

 

Please try the following removal and reinstall routine and let us know if the issue continues.

 

MBAM Clean Removal Process

 

Thanks

Ah that's actually one of the things I tried, found that solution in a different thread / forum somewhere. It did not seem to make any difference.

[AdvancedSetup]

Okay then I would suggest following the advice from the topic here Available Assistance for Possibly Infected Computers and having one of the Experts assist you with looking into your issue.


Thanks

[bigfoot1291]

Okay then I would suggest following the advice from the topic here Available Assistance for Possibly Infected Computers and having one of the Experts assist you with looking into your issue.

Thanks

I'm a little confused by this, as I thought that's what I was doing in the first place. Clicking that link takes me to a post that advises me to follow another link, in which tells me to make a post in this sub-forum with dds/attach files, which is what I did. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

[AdvancedSetup]

Well originally the topic was in the wrong forum I thought but appears to be in the correct one now.

 

Please read the following and post back the logs when ready.

General P2P/Piracy Warning:
 

 

If you're using

Peer 2 Peer

software such as

uTorrent, BitTorrent

or similar you must either fully uninstall them or completely disable them from running while being assisted here.

Failure to remove or disable such software will result in your topic being closed and no further assistance being provided.

If you have

illegal/cracked software, cracks, keygens etc

. on the system, please remove or uninstall them now and read the policy on

Piracy

.

Before we proceed further, please read all of the following instructions carefully.
If there is anything that you do not understand kindly ask before proceeding.
If needed please print out these instructions.

• Please do not post logs using CODE, QUOTE, or FONT tags. Just paste them as direct text.
• If the log is too large then you can use attachments by clicking on the More Reply Options button.
• Please enable your system to show hidden files: How to see hidden files in Windows
• Make sure you're subscribed to this topic:
  
  • Click on the Follow This Topic Button (at the top right of this page), make sure that the Receive notification box is checked and that it is set to Instantly
    

  [*]Removing malware can be unpredictable...It is unlikely but things can go very wrong! Please make sure you Backup all files that cannot be replaced if something were to happen. You can copy them to a CD/DVD, external drive or a pen drive [*]Please don't run any other scans, download, install or uninstall any programs unless requested by me while I'm working with you. [*]The removal of malware is not instantaneous, please be patient. Often we are also on a different Time Zone. [*]Perform everything in the correct order. Sometimes one step requires the previous one. [*]If you have any problems while following my instructions, Stop there and tell me the exact nature of the issue. [*]You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit [*]Please disable your antivirus while running any requested scanners so that they do not interfere with the scanners. [*]When we are done, I'll give you instructions on how to cleanup all the tools and logs [*]Please stick with me until I give you the "all clear" and Please don't waste my time by leaving before that. [*]Your topic will be closed if you haven't replied within 3 days [*](If I have not responded within 24 hours, please send me a Private Message as a reminder)
  

STEP 0
RKill is a program that was developed at BleepingComputer.com that attempts to terminate known malware processes
so that your normal security software can then run and clean your computer of infections.
When RKill runs it will kill malware processes and then removes incorrect executable associations and fixes policies
that stop us from using certain tools. When finished it will display a log file that shows the processes that were
terminated while the program was running.

As RKill only terminates a program's running process, and does not delete any files, after running it you should not reboot
your computer as any malware processes that are configured to start automatically will just be started again.
Instead, after running RKill you should immediately scan your computer using the requested scans I've included.

Please download Rkill by Grinler from one of the links below and save it to your desktop.

Link 1

Link 2

• On Windows XP double-click on the Rkill desktop icon to run the tool.
• On Windows Vista/Windows 7 or 8, right-click on the Rkill desktop icon and select Run As Administrator
• A black DOS box will briefly flash and then disappear. This is normal and indicates the tool ran successfully.
• If not, delete the file, then download and use the one provided in Link 2.
• If it does not work, repeat the process and attempt to use one of the remaining links until the tool runs.
• If the tool does not run from any of the links provided, please let me know.
• Do not reboot the computer, you will need to run the application again.
  

STEP 01
Backup the Registry:
Modifying the Registry can create unforeseen problems, so it always wise to create a backup before doing so.

• Please download ERUNT from one of the following links: Link1 | Link2 | Link3
• ERUNT (Emergency Recovery Utility NT) is a free program that allows you to keep a complete backup of your registry and restore it when needed.
• Double click on erunt-setup.exe to Install ERUNT by following the prompts.
• NOTE: Do not choose to allow ERUNT to add an Entry to the Startup folder. Click NO.
• Start ERUNT either by double clicking on the desktop icon or choosing to start the program at the end of the setup process.
• Choose a location for the backup.
  
  • Note: the default location is C:\Windows\ERDNT which is acceptable.
    

  [*]Make sure that at least the first two check boxes are selected. [*]Click on OK [*]Then click on YES to create the folder. [*]Note: if it is necessary to restore the registry, open the backup folder and start ERDNT.exe
  

STEP 02
Please download RogueKiller and save it to your desktop.

You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit

• RogueKiller 32-bit | RogueKiller 64-bit
• Quit all running programs.
• For Windows XP, double-click to start.
• For Vista,Windows 7/8, Right-click on the program and select Run as Administrator to start and when prompted allow it to run.
• Read and accept the EULA (End User Licene Agreement)
• Click Scan to scan the system.
• When the scan completes Close the program > Don't Fix anything!
• Don't run any other options, they're not all bad!!
• Post back the report which should be located on your desktop.
  

 

[bigfoot1291]

Hello, thanks for the guide. Here are the results from Rkill and RogueKiller. It looked to just be a few registry files.

 

Rkill.txtRKreport0_S_01292014_002516.txt

[bigfoot1291]

There doesn't seem to be an edit option anywhere so I'll just add another post.

There seemed to also be a registry file placed on my desktop (from what I'm assuming was ERUNT) called "NTREGOPT" - not sure what the significance of that is or if it's supposed to be there.

[AdvancedSetup]

Unfortunately due to abuse we've had to limit users from editing their posts.  You need to have 100 posts now before you're allowed to edit posts.

 

That is for defragging the Registry you can delete the NTREGOPT shortcut as we won't be using it.

 

Please go ahead and run through the following steps and post back the logs when ready.

STEP 03
Please download Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit from here

• Unzip the contents to a folder in a convenient location.
• Open the folder where the contents were unzipped and run mbar.exe
• Follow the instructions in the wizard to update and allow the program to scan your computer for threats.
• Click on the Cleanup button to remove any threats and reboot if prompted to do so.
• Wait while the system shuts down and the cleanup process is performed.
• Perform another scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Rootkit to verify that no threats remain. If they do, then click Cleanup once more and repeat the process.
• When done, please post the two logs produced they will be in the MBAR folder... mbar-log.txt and system-log.txt

STEP 04
Please download Junkware Removal Tool to your desktop.

• Shutdown your antivirus to avoid any conflicts.
• Right click over JRT.exe and select Run as administrator on Windows Vista or Windows 7, double-click on XP.
• The tool will open and start scanning your system.
• Please be patient as this can take a while to complete.
• On completion, a log (JRT.txt) is saved to your desktop and will automatically open.
• Post the contents of JRT.txt into your next reply message
• When completed make sure to re-enable your antivirus

STEP 05
Lets clean out any adware now: (this will require a reboot so save all your work)

Please download AdwCleaner by Xplode and save to your Desktop.

• Double click on AdwCleaner.exe to run the tool.
  Vista/Windows 7/8 users right-click and select Run As Administrator
• Click on the Scan button.
• AdwCleaner will begin...be patient as the scan may take some time to complete.
• When it's done you'll see: Pending: Please uncheck elements you don't want removed.
• Now click on the Report button...a logfile (AdwCleaner[R0].txt) will open in Notepad for review.
• Look over the log especially under Files/Folders for any program you want to save.
• If there's a program you may want to save, just uncheck it from AdwCleaner.
• If you're not sure, post the log for review. (all items found are adware/spyware/foistware)
• If you're ready to clean it all up.....click the Clean button.
• After rebooting, a logfile report (AdwCleaner[s0].txt) will open automatically.
• Copy and paste the contents of that logfile in your next reply.
• A copy of that logfile will also be saved in the C:\AdwCleaner folder.
• Items that are deleted are moved to the Quarantine Folder: C:\AdwCleaner\Quarantine
• To restore an item that has been deleted:
• Go to Tools > Quarantine Manager > check what you want restored > now click on Restore.

Then..................

Open up Malwarebytes > Settings Tab > Scanner Settings > Under action for PUP > Select: Show in Results List and Check for removal.

Please Update and run a Quick Scan with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, post the report.

Make sure that everything is checked, and click Remove Selected.


STEP 06


Please go here to run the online antivirus scannner from ESET.

• Turn off the real time scanner of any existing antivirus program while performing the online scan
• Tick the box next to YES, I accept the Terms of Use.
• Click Start
• When asked, allow the activex control to install
• Click Start
• Make sure that the option Remove found threats is unticked
• Click on Advanced Settings and ensure these options are ticked:
  • Scan for potentially unwanted applications
  • Scan for potentially unsafe applications
  • Enable Anti-Stealth Technology
• Click Scan
• Wait for the scan to finish
• If any threats were found, click the 'List of found threats' , then click Export to text file....
• Save it to your desktop, then please copy and paste that log as a reply to this topic.

STEP 07
Please download the Farbar Recovery Scan Tool and save it to your desktop.

Note: You need to run the version compatibale with your system. You can check here if you're not sure if your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit

• Double-click to run it. When the tool opens click Yes to disclaimer.
• Press the Scan button.
• It will make a log (FRST.txt) in the same directory the tool is run. Please copy and paste it to your reply.
• The first time the tool is run, it also makes another log (Addition.txt). Please attach it to your reply as well.

[bigfoot1291]

Alright. Lots of logs being posted.Should be in the order of the steps.

 

mbar-log-2014-01-29 (18-22-18).txt

mbar-log-2014-01-29 (18-26-40).txt

JRT.txt

AdwCleanerS0.txt

ESET.txt

FRST.txt

Addition.txt

 

Thank you again for your time. I look forward to the next post.

[AdvancedSetup]

Please uninstall Java 7 Update 25

 

Then run the following.

 

Please download the attached fixlist.txt file and save it to the Desktop.
NOTE. It's important that both files, FRST or FRST64 and fixlist.txt are in the same location or the fix will not work.

NOTICE: This script was written specifically for this user, for use on this particular machine. Running this on another machine may cause damage to your operating system.

Run FRST or FRST64 and press the Fix button just once and wait.
If the tool needs a restart please make sure you let the system restart normally and let the tool complete its run after restart.
The tool will make a log on the Desktop (Fixlog.txt). Please attach or post it to your next reply.

Note: If the tool warned you about an outdated version please download and run the updated version.
 

fixlist.txt

[bigfoot1291]

Here is the fixlog

Fixlog.txt

 

On a sidenote, when I went to uninstall the Update 25 of Java, it seemed to stop at around 90% and would not proceed any further for a good 10-15 minutes. I tried to kill the application and restart the uninstall, but when I restarted the uninstall it said an installation process was already in progress, so I rebooted the PC. Once it came back up, the Update 25 was gone from my programs list.

[AdvancedSetup]

Okay please uninstall ALL versions of Java from Control Panel then and afterwards run the following.

 

 

Please download JavaRa-1.16 and save it to your computer.

• Double click to open the zip file and then select all and choose Copy.
• Create a new folder on your Desktop named RemoveJava and paste the files into this new folder.
• Quit all browsers and other running applications.
• Right-click on JavaRa.exe in RemoveJava folder and choose Run as administrator to start the program.
• From the drop-down menu, choose English and click on Select.
• JavaRa will open; click on Remove Older Versions to remove the older versions of Java installed on your computer.
• Click Yes when prompted. When JavaRa is done, a notice will appear that a logfile has been produced. Click OK.
• A logfile will pop up. Please save it to a convenient location and post it in your next reply.
  

 

[bigfoot1291]

Attached the log.

JavaRa.log

[AdvancedSetup]

Please temporarily disable your antivirus and run the following to remove and reinstall MBAM and let me know if you run into any issues or not.

 

MBAM Clean Removal Process
 

[bigfoot1291]

Unfortunately, I seem to be still hitting that same access denied error message.

[AdvancedSetup]

Please download this new fix and run it - then reboot the computer and try MBAM CLEAN again.

 

Please download the attached fixlist.txt file and save it to the Desktop.
NOTE. It's important that both files, FRST or FRST64 and fixlist.txt are in the same location or the fix will not work.

NOTICE: This script was written specifically for this user, for use on this particular machine. Running this on another machine may cause damage to your operating system.

Run FRST or FRST64 and press the Fix button just once and wait.
If the tool needs a restart please make sure you let the system restart normally and let the tool complete its run after restart.
The tool will make a log on the Desktop (Fixlog.txt). Please attach or post it to your next reply.

Note: If the tool warned you about an outdated version please download and run the updated version.
 

fixlist.txt

[bigfoot1291]

I wanted to update this thread as I seem to have fixed it from my own tinkering. I went to c:\programData\Malwarebytes and right clicked on that folder. Unchecked read only. Clicked into that folder, into malwarebytes' anti-malware folder, and then into configuration. It requested permission to access configuration. After allowing access to that folder, MBAM successfully installed and was able to scan without issues.

[AdvancedSetup]

Great. Yes I figured that there was some permissions issue going on but we should have been able to remove the folder with that tool and then let the installer recreate it which would no longer have the same security permission issues.

At this time there are no more signs of an infection on your system.

However if you are still seeing any signs of an infection please let me know.

Let's go ahead and remove the tools and logs we've used during this process.

Most of the tools used are potentially dangerous to use unsupervised or if ran at the wrong time.

They are often updated daily so if you went to use them again in the future they would be outdated anyways.

The following procedures will implement some cleanup procedures to remove these tools.

It will also reset your System Restore by flushing out previous restore points and create a new restore point.

It will also remove all the backups our tools may have created.

Uninstall ComboFix (if used):

• Turn off all active protection software including your antivirus.
• Push the "Windows key" + "R" (between the "Ctrl" button and "Alt" Button)
• Please copy and past the following into the box ComboFix /Uninstall and click OK.
• Note the space between the X and the /Uninstall, it needs to be there.

Remove the rest of the tools used:

Please download OTCleanIt and save it to your Desktop. This tool will remove all the tools we used to clean your pc.

• Double-click OTCleanIt.exe.
• Click the CleanUp! button.
• Select Yes when the "Begin cleanup Process?" prompt appears.
• If you are prompted to Reboot during the cleanup, select Yes.
• The tool will delete itself once it finishes, if not go ahead and delete it by yourself.
• If asked to restart the computer, please do so

Note: If you receive a warning from your firewall or other security programs regarding OTCleanIt attempting to contact the internet, please allow it to do so.

AdwCleaner Removal:

• Double click on AdwCleaner.exe to run the tool.
• Click on Uninstall
• Confirm with Yes

ESET antivirus Removal:

• This tool can be uninstalled via the Control Panel, Programs, Uninstall

If there are any other left over Folders, Files, Logs then you can delete them on your own.

Please visit the following link to see how to delete old System Restore Points. Please delete all of them and create a new one at this time.

How to Delete System Protection Restore Points in Windows 7 and Windows 8

Remove all but the most recent Restore Point on Windows XP

As Java seems to get exploited on a regular basis I advise not using Java if possible but to at least disable java in your web browsers

How do I disable Java in my web browser? - Disable Java

A lot of reading here but if you take the time to read a bit of it you'll see why/how infections and general damage are so easily inflicted on the computer. There is also advice on how to prevent it and keep the system working well. Don't forget about good, solid backups of your data to an external drive that is not connected except when backing up your data. If you leave a backup drive connected and you do get infected it can easily damage, encrypt, delete, or corrupt your backups as well and then you'd lose all data.

Nothing is 100% bulletproof but with a little bit of education you can certainly swing things in your favor.

• How Malware Spreads - How did I get infected
• Best Practices for Safe Computing - Prevention of Malware Infection
• Avoiding those unwanted free applications
• A close look at how Oracle installs deceptive software with Java updates
• IAC / Ask.com toolbars
• Malwarebytes Unpacked Blog

If you're not currently using Malwarebytes PRO then you may want to consider purchasing the product which can also help greatly reduce the risk of a future infection.

[AdvancedSetup]

Glad we could help.

If you need this topic reopened, please send a Private Message to any one of the moderating team members. Please include a link to this thread with your request. This applies only to the originator of this thread.

Other members who need assistance please start your own topic in a new thread. Thanks!