Webroot Anti-Virus/Spysweeper Causing Computer to Freeze

Hey there! I've got a question in regards to anti-virus software.
I've got Webroot Anti-Virus/Spysweeper installed as my anti-virus on my computer (I've got Windows Vista Ultimate as my operating system). I installed it at the recommendation of the Geek Squad guy at my local Best Buy because McAfee was causing a lot of problems on my computer. Everything with my Webroot was running fine until recently.
I'm not sure what caused the problem, but when I started having problems last Friday when I went to restart my computer. It would get to the log in screen, and I'd log in. Eventually, my desktop would come up, but my computer wouldn't connect to my internet, and eventually would just freeze up. This continued until I essentially couldn't get into my computer. I took my computer to the helpdesk at my school, and one of their tech guys said that he tracked the problem to my Webroot Anti-Virus software. I got my computer back with the Webroot disabled, and sure enough, it ran fine. When I went in through the MSCONFIG and turned the Webroot back on and attempted to start up my computer again, it froze up just like it had before. However, when I disabled it through the MSCONFIG, my computer started up and ran just fine once more. My gut tells me it has something to do with my Windows Defender and Firewall running at start up, but I'm not entirely sure.
What I'm asking is has anyone else had this problem before? If so, were you able to solve it without uninstalling the Webroot? What did you do? I'm asking because I really like the Webroot software, haven't even had it for a year, and I really don't want my money to go to waste. And please, don't tell me to uninstall Webroot and get something different, because right now, I just can't afford to do that.
Thanks to everyone who helps!! It's much appreciated!

Hopefully this site can get you a general idea of whats going on, I have no clue to be honest with you..
http://help.lockergnome.com/security/problems--ftopict9077.html
*******DISCLAIMER********
I am not an employee of BBY in any shape or form. All information presented in my replies or postings is my own opinion. It is up to you , the end user to determine the ultimate validity of any information presented on these forums.

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Message was edited by: Chrisz0r
Message was edited by: Chrisz0r

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Hello MsDeMeanor,
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As for the charges you have mentioned surrounding the data backup, it is true we charge for this as a separate service. Many find it unnecessary as they are able to complete their own data backups. If you do elect to have us back up your data, there may be further charges for large amounts of data to backup. You may check out more info on our data backup or transfer service here. I apologize if you find this service and the respective prices to be unreasonable.
Sadly, I was unable to locate your Geek Squad Tech Support plan to take a further look at this. What seems to be going on with your computer that you need to utilize the plan?
Sincerely,
Tasha|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
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Just for starters, your My Web Search plug-in is generally regarded as malware. Try Googling "my web search plug -in" or use the Search Firefox Help box above
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https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Troubleshooting%20extensions%20and%20themes
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Jane,
You can also try testing in a new Windows user to see if the issue continues. If it does, use this article to try and isolate other pieces of software that might be conflicting:
For XP - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302538
For Vista - http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305415
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Does mac pro need an anti virus or not? please advise thanks

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1. This comment applies to malicious software ("malware") that's installed unwittingly by the victim of a network attack. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the victim's computer. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it. If you have reason to suspect that you're the target of such an attack, you need expert help.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user, but internally Apple calls it "XProtect." The malware recognition database is automatically checked for updates once a day; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets (see below.)
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been another layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't actually been tested by Apple (unless it comes from the Mac App Store), but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. For most practical purposes, applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed can be considered safe.
Gatekeeper has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could find some other way to evade Apple's controls.
For more information about Gatekeeper, see this Apple Support article.
4. Beyond XProtect and Gatekeeper, there’s no benefit, in most cases, from any other automated protection against malware. The first and best line of defense is always your own intelligence. All known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the malware attacker. If you're smarter than he thinks you are, you'll win.
That means, in practice, that you never use software that comes from an untrustworthy source. How do you know whether a source is trustworthy?
Any website that prompts you to install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one, is untrustworthy.
A web operator who tells you that you have a “virus,” or that anything else is wrong with your computer, or that you have won a prize in a contest you never entered, is trying to commit a crime with you as the victim. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
Pirated copies or "cracks" of commercial software, no matter where they come from, are unsafe.
Software of any kind downloaded from a BitTorrent or from a Usenet binary newsgroup is unsafe.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, must be downloaded directly from the developer’s website. If it comes from any other source, it's unsafe.
5. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was never a good idea, and Java's developers have had a lot of trouble implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style "virus" affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful. Fortunately, Java on the Web is mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it — not JavaScript — in your browsers. In Safari, this is done by unchecking the box marked Enable Java in the Security tab of the preferences dialog.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a specific task, enable Java only when needed for the task and disable it immediately when done. Close all other browser windows and tabs, and don't visit any other sites while Java is active. Never enable Java on a public web page that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, password-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be practically as safe from malware as you can be.
6. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they all do more harm than good, if they do any good at all. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use the free software ClamXav — nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial "anti-virus" products?
Their design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
In order to meet that nonexistent threat, the software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
7. ClamXav doesn't have these drawbacks. That doesn't mean it's entirely safe. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
ClamXav is not needed, and should not be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful only for detecting Windows malware. Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else.
A Windows malware attachment in email is usually easy to recognize. The file name will often be targeted at people who aren't very bright; for example:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥!!!!!!!H0TBABEZ4U!!!!!!!.AVI♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.exe
ClamXav may be able to tell you which particular virus or trojan it is, but do you care? In practice, there's seldom a reason to use ClamXav unless a network administrator requires you to run an anti-virus application.
8. The greatest harm done by anti-virus software, in my opinion, is in its effect on human behavior. It does little or nothing to protect people from emerging threats, but they get a false sense of security from it, and then they may behave in ways that expose them to higher risk. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.

Cookies.sqlite folder is causing computer freezes/crashes. HD-problem ? Firefox-problem ? virus problem ? Solution ??

Hi, this is a bit complicated so please bear with me. Thank you.
Simply put my question is: What exactly is stored in "cookies.sqlite" ? I notice there are many cookies-files in my profile, such as "cookies.sqlite.bak", "cookies.sqlite-shm", "cookies.sqlite-wal" etc. What exactly gets lost if I delete "cookies sqlite" ? Can I even do that without hurting the rest of my profile ?
And could there be anything in this "cookies sqlite" folder that is causing Firefox not to run and my computer to freeze every time I try ?
Reason for asking: Not sure if I have a corrupted Firefox file, a hard drive problem or another problem.
Background info: The day before yesterday, my notebook (Lenovo, XP) was working fine. When I went to start it up yesterday, it did not boot properly. I tried a couple of times and eventually it worked. I tried to open Firefox which caused the computer to freeze. When I forced a shut-down and turned it back on, it ran checkdisk. It detected something, fixed it and started back up again. Explorer worked, so I went ahead and saved all my data manually. Then I wanted to save my Firefox profile as well and the computer froze. I started it back up, tried again and the same thing happened. I then tried again file-by-file. The file freezing my system turned out to be "cookies sqlite". I was able to copy all other files (including all other cookie-files). But when I touched "cookies.sqlite" (and we're talking copy and paste to an external HD) the machine froze. I tried the same thing through a Ubuntu live CD and again I was able to copy all of the profile except the cookies sqlite file. I tried doing an Acronis backup and there were some reading errors at the very end of the backup. I ran Lenovo's PC doctor that said that there is a hard drive problem. I ran chkdisk from the command line and the computer froze during chkdsk. I tried to see what on the computer was still working and it turned out that nearly everything was fine. I was able to start Opera and Thunderbird, burn DVDs etc. But when I tried Firefox again the computer froze. Every time it freezes and I force a shut-down and re-boot it, I get something different on chkdsk. Sometimes nothing (all is well), sometimes something is repaired or deleted at various stages of chkdsk. But apart from that the computer works just fine. Well, almost: The only other thing that causes problems is running a virus scan (with Avast anti-virus). Again the computer crashes towards the end of the check (similar to Avast) and I get a "kernel_stack_inpage_error" with a bunch of number codes. Running scans with anti-malware-tools (Malawarebytes, Superantispyware, Spybot) is fine and nothing is found.
So my question would be: is it possible that that cookies.sqlite file is somehow corrupted and is causing all these problems ? Or is it a malfunctioning hard-drive with an isolated problem in the area where this file is located ? What is the best way to find out ? (Given that I can neither run chkdsk from the command line, neither run an antivirus scan). What can I try to do about it ? What happens if I delete the "cookies.sqlite" - file and replace it with an older version ? Could that solve the problem ? Or will it cause even more ? And is there any chance to save the data from that cookies.sqlite-file ? Safe mode does not work (same thing: computer freezes), neither does Ubuntu live CD.
Oh, and the hard drive is a Hitachi Travelstar which is about 3 years old, so it should still have lots of life left.
Thanks a million!
eLeo

Cookies
cookies.sqlite
[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer Cookies] are used by websites for a variety of reasons, some of which include keeping you logged in to a website you have previously logged in to, remembering any preferences a website has allowed you to set, authenticating you as a person who has visited a specific website before, etc..
Have you already tried to start windows in safe-mode with networking? [http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/how-to-start-windows-in-safe-mode/ Windows safe-mode]

Webroot Anti-Virus/Spysweeper Causing Computer to Freeze

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