Win 10 - my virus checker keeps telling me I have a browser open?

netrate · 17 Dec 2023

I use a combination of Spybot, Malware Bytes and SuperAnti-spyware for weekly checks of my system. For some reason, the last few weeks, each time I am using Spybot and SuperAnti spyware, it tells me to close down browser windows. The issue is that I don't have any open. This has never happened before.

I use Brave and Chrome only, occasionally Firefox.

I have gone into the task manager and closed down "Internet Explorer" (not sure why it is running there), but the Antispyware programs are still telling me that my browser is open. Any ideas why?

Berton · 17 Dec 2023

closed down "Internet Explorer" (not sure why it is running there)

IE shouldn't be running as it has been deprecated for some time not, any call for iexplore.exe should bring up Edge. Edge does seem to run in the background a lot, in Task Manager it may show further down the list.

netrate · 17 Dec 2023

Cannot see Edge anywhere in the Task Manager.

Berton · 17 Dec 2023

netrate said:

Cannot see Edge anywhere in the Task Manager.

One way to check is with a Registry cleaner, usually get a message like this even if Edge is closed. This can happen if Edge or another browser is actually running in the background:

TairikuOkami · 17 Dec 2023

netrate said:

I use a combination of Spybot, Malware Bytes and SuperAnti-spyware

Spybot and SuperAnti-spyware are outdated and useless, there are better options out there.

netrate · 17 Dec 2023

Berton : I was reading on the microsoft site that registry cleaners should not be used.
TairikuOkami : do you have suggestion of other programs to use? However this still doesn't eliminate the issue.

Digmor Crusher · 17 Dec 2023

netrate said:

Berton : I was reading on the microsoft site that registry cleaners should not be used.
TairikuOkami : do you have suggestion of other programs to use? However this still doesn't eliminate the issue.

You already have all you need, Windows Defender and Malwarebytes, anything more is overkill.

Make to to turn off this setting in Malwarebytes " Always register Malwarebytes in the Windows security center".

Berton · 17 Dec 2023

netrate said:

Berton : I was reading on the microsoft site that registry cleaners should not be used.
TairikuOkami : do you have suggestion of other programs to use? However this still doesn't eliminate the issue.

That is a commonly-held suggestion but I've been using one for several years without issue but one does have pay attention and know what results of misstep can create. Got my first computer in '92, retired late '94, offered job in a computer store a week later and have been working on them for my clients ever since, not so much last few years.