Spysweeper destroys Wireless Switcher!

Guys and Gals,

I'd like to find out if any of you experience this problem: after installing Webroot's Spysweeper 4.5 (according to PC magazine the best antispyware out there), the wireless switcher (the one that turns bluetooth on/off) in the system are is gone. The only way to get it back is to restore from the whole computer from the recovery disk. I tried uninstalling Spysweeper but it didn't get the switcher back. Reinstalling the wireless switcher doesn't work either. It seemed like it is in the background running (check via process) but not icon in the system area. I tried restoring fresh from recovery disk and as soon as I install Spysweeper - swither gone . Does anyone one of you experience this problem? For those that wants to try make sure to make the recovery disk.

Also any suggestion on antispyware software? I know spy doctor & spybot. Anything else that's good? Thanks

 

I just had the exact same problem. Can't get wireless switcher back even with full reinstall of Sony's crapware. My restore discs wouldn't image, so I finally got a clean install working only to lose switcher to Spysweeper.

MS Defender has worked pretty well for me since back when it was Giant, I should have stuck with that.

 

I'm working with webroots tech. but I have a feeling there's nothing they could do. At this point, I'm thinking using another antispyware. MS Defender works ok and PC Mag didn't say anything about it as it misses quite a few keyloggers. Oh well I'll keep working on the Spyweepper for a few more days. Stay tuned. Anyone else?

 

Try Spyware Doctor by PCTools. No issues so far with SZ120p. Also top rated by PCMag last month alongside SpySweeper.

 

Thanks man! I am not going crazy. Just bought a SZ 120 and I reset it 3 times from factory only to have exactly what you described happen. The last time I methodically restarted after every program I intstalled and uninstalled and sure enough it happened right after I installed Spysweeper! I hit the boards but I really did not think a program like this could effect the SZ like this but apparently I was wrong. I am however encouraged to have it confirmed by someone else. Have you figured a fix without reformatting the entire computer. I have uninstalled spysweeper and reinstalled the sony wireless switching app but no dice. Let me know if you have figured anything out. Anyone else with this problem? Thanks in advance for anyone with some insight.

 

This is my first post on the Sony forum, although I have been following the forum since I decided to purchase the SZ160P/C in mid February 2006. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of the posters for providing assistance, including with this specific issue. I received my SZ160 in the second batch on March 1, 2006.

When I saw the first few posts on this thread in early March, I was reluctant to install Webroot Spy Sweeper, although it is one of the top-rated antispyware programs out there, and I had purchased a subscription through October 2006. However, I contacted Webroot customer service and they urged me to proceed with the installation. Big mistake!!! I completely lost my Wireless Switcher icon in the taskbar. I had multiple webmails with Webroot customer service and phone contact with Sony customer support, all to no avail.

Finally, I saw this post by ronin.achilles (with thanks to KNOP): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=48999. This had a link to a Sony webpage that even Sony customer support apparently did not know existed: http://www.css.ap.sony.com/vaio/website/General/Download.aspx?ID=51719. With this program, you can reinstall Wireless Switcher.

So now I can run both Spy Sweeper and Wireless Switcher on my SZ160! You should know that as you are installing the new Wireless Switcher, Spy Sweeper will ask you if you want to keep Switcher or eliminate it. Be careful that you reply correctly on that one! Also, you should know that the new Wireless Switcher only includes Bluetooth and the 2.4 GHz WiFi (802.11b and 802.11g) band. The old Switcher also included the 5 GHz WiFi (802.11a) band. However, in my experience, I never encounter 802.11a systems, so this has not been a problem.

Good luck with this, pegger, and others who have had this issue with Wireless Switcher and Spy Sweeper.

 

Thanks for the tip! Now did you just run this new switcher program file after installing Spysweeper or did you install it before? Did you uninstall the original? Just curious as to if you can elaborate on how you applied this program. Thanks in advance.

 

I had already installed Spy Sweeper and did not uninstall this program when I installed the new Wireless Switcher program. The installation was very easy. However, as I mentioned in my earlier post, Spy Sweeper will give you the option of keeping or deleting Switcher. Of course, you want to keep it.

 

I've been having the same issues with my Wireless (and touchpad)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=49141

 

I'm the original poster. Since that incident, and as much as I like spysweeper, I decided to use pctool's spydoctor. It work just as well. At this point, I may just stay with it until I decided to do another clean install and try the new switcher. I thing I'd like to add is Acronis TrueImage is a great product. Once installed, you can revert to the previous stay just by press the F10 key while booting up. This have save my behind many times over.

 

jacksonn298, you do not really need to do a clean install to have both Webroot Spy Sweeper and Wireless Switcher working at the same time.

In fact, I have my original installation that I received with my Sony SZ 160 on March 1, 2006, minus Norton Internet Security, minus the originally installed TrendMicro antispyware program, minus AOL, minus Microsoft Works, minus Microsoft Office 2003. I removed all of these programs with the Add or Remove Program utility under Control Panel.

So, after removing any unwanted programs, you simply need to install Spy Sweeper. Then install the new version of Wireless Switcher with the link provided above. Both work fine together now.

 

Thank you so much to the person that posted that link to the Wireless utility update, i think that solved my issues (that i linked to in my last post on this topic)

btw, no Spysweeper here, its like when i booted windows, the WLAN was lit up and worked at first, then when Windows gets through loading all its startup ****, *baaam*, off went the light and my connection.....

i just spent like two hours disabling services, turning off stuff in msconfig, unistalling programs (both Norton AV and Ghost), all to no avail, i finally gave in, plugged in a CAT5, came to this post, got that file, and now WLAN is working again..... all i can do is cross my fingers and hope that was the solution

 

And check this link for tons of other downloads.

http://www.css.ap.sony.com/vaio/website/General/Download.aspx?ID=52113&Model=VGN-SZ17SP

 

Last week I had occasion to do a complete VAIO hard drive recovery which restored my Wireless Switcher icon to the taskbar. I reinstalled Spy Sweeper 4.0 with immediate upgrade to 5.0 and, for the past week, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Wireless Switcher and Spy Sweeper appeared to be compatible. Today I upgraded Spy Sweeper to version 5.2 and once again it has removed the Wireless Switcher icon from the taskbar. I can only restore Wireless Switcher by doing a System Restore to the Restore Point of earlier this morning. However, doing this Restore Point operation causes Spy Sweeper not to function at all. I tried reinstalling Spy Sweeper 5.2 but it again removes the Wireless Switcher. Then I tried to uninstall Spy Sweeper (both through "All Programs" and through Control Panel) and I receive this error message: "Runtime Error (at 212:35). Could not call proc." Any thoughts about uninstalling Spy Sweeper 5.2 without having to do a complete hard drive recovery again? Once I have uninstalled version 5.2, is there a way to download Spy Sweeper version 5.0 which appeared, at least for a week, to be compatible with Sony Wireless Switcher?

 

Spybot: Search & Destroy is an equally effective, if not superior, free alternative >_>