Microsoft System Sweeper

alphanumeric said:

dothackjhe said:

I'm having trouble running the x64 version of this software after finishing the download as ISO. After clicking the .exe within the disc, it just extracts the files needed for installation then nothing happens. This extraction method I was talking about isn't the same that happens when extracting some files off a compressed rar.

I believe the way its supposed to work is you burn the ISO image to a CD, and then boot from the CD to run it. it sounds like you extracted the files from the ISO image and tried to run it from windows. After you download the ISO, the instructions will be displayed in the window with the finish button in it. There is also a get more help link there as well.

Yes that's exactly what I did earlier. I missed the part where it was stated it was 'bootable'.

I didn't have any problem burning this to disc. I will keep it handy so I can fix all my friends and family's computers when they get infected.

Windows 7 SP1 x64

Since MSS formats your USB thumbnail drive as part of its install and setup I purchased a new USB installed MSS on it and ran MSS from it the last night.

After MSS was installed on the USB thumb drive I rebooted hit the F12 key during reboot which sent me to the boot options. I selected the USB thumbnail drive and it worked like a charm.

I let the Full System Scan run overnight because it takes few hours. Everything came up clean.

It worked like a charm. After I exited MSS, the computer rebooted back to my Windows Desktop.

Next up will be next week when I do an update to the virus definitions with a new download. Hopefully it won't reformat the thumbnail drive when the updates to the virus definitions are applied.

If it doesn't then I will try and partition the thumbnail drive with MSS and SAS Portable in one partition and my files in the other partition.

Will post back after trying this.

I ran it on my desktop PC that is running 7x64. I was able to update though its update menu option, while it was running on that PC. That PC has a wired connection. On my 32 bit XP PC it wouldn't update. That PC only has a wireless internet connection. When I tried to update it just popped up an error message. Error 08.... something. I didn't bother to write it down. This isn't meant to be a criticism, just an observation. Eventually I plan to try it on my daughters 7x86 netbook. First wirless and then with a wired connection. My XP PC is too far from my router to try and run a cable to, and I don't feel like moving it.

yeah, i actually tried it on a friend's infected 32bit xp machine today too:

booted from cd, tried to update definitions, it seemed to download something for ages, error message 0x8blah, then returned to download screen again. connection through ethernet, not wireless.

i tried following the link to download definitions using another machine, but the link only offered definitions for forefront, mse, and defender. wasn't at all clear which defn's were for system sweeper.

i guessed defender, but really wasn't sure what was going on, so i quit and reverted to good old malwarebytes in safemode. malwarebytes found 74 infections (even though eset was installed), and machine seems to be clean now, just running a full eset scan to make sure.

i may try system sweeper again when it's out of beta.

I think that when you boot from the boot USB the programs checks if there are new definitions available and asks if you want to download and install them.

Kind of like W7 does with its auto updates

I believe you want the MSE definitions file. mpam-fe.exe for 32 bit and mpam-fe64.exe for 64 bit. Those are the files I'm seeing in the route directory of my thumb drives. I compared the file date and file version of the one on my thumb drive to a downloaded MSE definition file and they were a perfect match. The definition file was downloaded shortly after creating the bootable thumb drive.

thanks peeps - i'll have another look when i get the chance.

I am not sure what they mean by beta.

Exactly the same tool has been working for years as part of msdart as pointed out earlier in the thread.

I expect the idea of having a downloader to create your boot media, and having it's own shelll ( instead of being inclluded in recenv ) is the beta part.

System Sweeper itself has been around an age.

The msascui.exe ( the actual scanner executable ) is dated 2008.