HijackThis/Notepad/.sam extension

Any help would be appreciated.


When I run a scan with Hijack This (4.0.2), I get a message saying the program "for some reason" did not have write access to the Hosts file. The message also said that I would have to go to the file manually and delete desired line items that are in the scan list. The message said to [run] notepad c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.
I went and looked at this folder and found the file "Lmhosts.sam". I researched the .sam extension and found a converter (ami332.cnv) converting the .sam file to a word file and loaded into the textconv folder in both ProgramFiles and Program Files (x86) at ProgramFiles\commonfiles\microsoftshared\textconv and ProgramFiles (x86)......
The only anomaly I find in all the information I have read is that some references are to the Amipro file converter to word docs. as "ami332.csv", and some to "ami332.cnv" . The file that downloaded is "ami332.cnv".

I still get the same message when running a scan on Hijack This. I have uninstalled and installed Hijack This several times. Wordpad document file extension is .txt. I found no specific conversion program from Amipro to .txt file format.

Any suggestions on how to get Hijack This to work properly with Windows 7? Also, why is Microsoft still using Amipro files in 2010?

Thanks in advance.
SMW

strange, I don't have this issue. What happen in you don't select the option to save a log?
Is your account in Administrator?

I am set up as Admin. The message appears in a separate pop-up window right after I click on [scan]. I think what the program is saying is that hey, just so you know, even if you want to delete ("fix") a line item in the log, the program cannot do it for you, b/c the program does not have "write" access to your files. You will have to go there through Notepad and do it manually.

I just wonder your version: latest is 2.0.2. No issue with it.

Did you check your system with online scanners?

Reversed -- latest is 2.0.4.

Er, your av told you to edit "hosts" not "lmhosts.sam"

They should both be in that folder (and some others)

.sam in this context means "sample". It is a sample lan manager hosts file (a plain text file you can open in notepad) that you can modify and use if you want. I don;t think it's used or referenced all by itself. It's just a sample file. You have to remove the .sam to make it active I believe, but it's not normally used.

"hosts" also says it's a sample file on the inside, but it is in fact used, if any entries are added then they are used before any DNS lookup so that is where possible virus modifications can live and do damage. (Redirecting www.google.com to a fake google page somewhere else for example)

If the "host"s file is completely missing, that's not a problem. By default there is nothing in it but comments anyway.

Thanks. On what screen, Icon, etc. to I right-click for an Admin. option? I do not find it on any applicable screen or item.

Thanks everyone. I found that Hijack This has a compatibility fix subprgm that resolved the problem for me.