Malwarebytes Free version defunct?

mikeytg

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This morning when I started Malwarebytes free it downloaded an update and turned itself into a new version that was a trial version of the paid program. I was attempting to find information on whether the free version was still available when Windows crashed with an IRQ error of some kind.

Since I have never had a crash on this system in the 8 months I have had it I immediately uninstalled Malwarebytes. Before I bother looking into this further, has anyone seen this update and is the free version still available? Thanks in advance for any insights!
 

My Computer

System One

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    Windows 8.1 consumer 64 bit
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    Acer Aspire M5 481PT-6644
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    Spinning/SSD hybrid 500GB/20GB
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    ELAN Trackpad
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    18mbs/5mbs
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    Windows Defender
I have free ver. 2.0.2.1012 and it works fine. Definitions updated yesterday.
 

My Computer

System One

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    Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
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    Dell Studio XPS 9100
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    Liteon DVD wrighter
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When you installed it, you probably selected the "trial version of the paid program"...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
When you install the Malwarebytes the last screen before the installer is finished you will see a option "enable 30 day free trial of Malwarebytes" you have to unchecked this box. However this should not be cause the crash, I had a similar issue on one of my other machines. Malwarebytes would not update and would crash after I installed 2.0.

I fixed this by installing the 1.75 version, it is still receiving definition updates just is an older version of the software.
Download Malwarebytes Anti-Malware 1.75 - FileHippo.com
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64 Bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Sager NP2740
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 4702HQ 2.2 GHz
    Motherboard
    W740SU
    Memory
    8 GB 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Pro 5200
    Sound Card
    High Defenition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250 GB mSATA
    Internet Speed
    60 Mbps cable, NETGEAR Night Hawk AC1900
    Browser
    Firefox 38.0.5
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & Malwarebytes Pro
When you installed it, you probably selected the "trial version of the paid program"...

^ I also feel this is most likely what you did. But fear not. There is a way to get rid of the professional version all together.

Go here and download this

http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-clean.exe

After you uninstall the program you can then just reboot your system/reinstall.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    iBUYPOWER
    CPU
    AMD 8320
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon 7850
    Screen Resolution
    1024x768
    Case
    Azza Solaris
    Internet Speed
    50MBps download/10MBps upload
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox/Internet Explorer
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes PRO
When you installed it, you probably selected the "trial version of the paid program"...
Or more specifically you didn't uncheck the "trial version" box. I installed it last week and noticed that the default is to take the trial. You have to uncheck that box.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
Installers are really, really sneaky these days. Have to look very closely at each screen and each check box. Oh, and that skip button. So many times I've had to go back and remove that dang Bing search bar from my browser. :eek:
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer V3 771G-6443
    CPU
    i5-3230m
    Motherboard
    Acer VA70_HC (U3E1)
    Memory
    8GB DDR3 PC3-12800 (800 MHz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    HD4000 + GeForce GT 730M
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" Generic PnP Display on Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250 GB
    ADATA SSD SP900 128GB
    PSU
    90 watt brick
    Mouse
    Bluetooth
    Antivirus
    Comodo
    Other Info
    Asus RT-AC56R dual-band WRT router (Merlin firmware). Intel 7260.HMWWB.R dual-band ac wireless adapter.
Installers are really, really sneaky these days. Have to look very closely at each screen and each check box. Oh, and that skip button. So many times I've had to go back and remove that dang Bing search bar from my browser. :eek:
Read, understand, reject all you don't want. (and sometimes not even that helps), yeas sneaky ba$tards, aren't they ?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
When you installed it, you probably selected the "trial version of the paid program"...

I had been using Malwarebytes free version for months. When I opened Malwarebytes free version the other day it said there was an update available and would I like to install it. I clicked OK and it turned into the trial version. I did not see any version choices.

EDIT: I just went through it all again. I went to malwarebytes.org, clicked on "Download free version" and it downloaded. Ran the installer and went step by step. For the life of me I could not see any way to choose the free version at any step along the way. I also tried "Activate" when it was installed to see if I could get a license key for the free version but nothing there either.

Oh well, at least it's nothing crucial.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 consumer 64 bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire M5 481PT-6644
    CPU
    Intel Core I5
    Memory
    6 GB
    Hard Drives
    Spinning/SSD hybrid 500GB/20GB
    Mouse
    ELAN Trackpad
    Internet Speed
    18mbs/5mbs
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
They are doing it almost like the ones they are supposed to defend you from. There's "Buy Premium" and "Start a free trial" in small, pale blue letters all over the place, one click on them and you are done for it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
new interface for the software also looks like malware.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
new interface for the software also looks like malware.

You know, that's what I thought too the 1st time I saw it. Looks like one of those fake malware cleaners/AV's.

At least Malwarebytes is up front about showing you the "pro trial" & gives you the option to opt out. Other software is a lot more sneaky about it. I read an article not to long ago that suggests instead of using the "standard" or "default" installation on any program, use the "custom" as there may be hidden items they are trying to sneak in.

Recently I installed a firewall on someones PC & when I went to the custom install, there was a toolbar & another item that had to be unchecked. These items were not shown until the custom install options were brought up. Had a I used the "standard installation" option, I have no doubt these would have gotten installed without any warnings or options to opt out.

Be careful when installing new software. The companies have to make money & the more legit ones will tell you right up front what they want to put in & give you an opt out option. Some of them will go to any lengths to sneak in a toolbar/whatnot so they can get some cash.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 32, Win 7 64 Pro, Win 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    It's a Dell, Dude.
    CPU
    Intel Caffinated Core Duo
    Motherboard
    Father is bored too.
    Memory
    4 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVidia something-or-another
    Monitor(s) Displays
    24" HD TV/Monitor/Alternative Dimensional Viewing Portal
    Screen Resolution
    Fuzzy after a couple drinks
    Hard Drives
    2 or 3, depending on if it's a night they're arguing about having a "split personality crisis" because I partitioned the drive.
    Case
    Don't get on my case....man
    Cooling
    Scotch on the rocks on the weekends..
    Keyboard
    Mad Catz Cyborg V7. Or maybe Cyborg Catz Are Mad At V7's??? I know it lights up...far out.
    Mouse
    currently being stalked by the cat...
    Internet Speed
    Never fast enough...
    Browser
    Defeated by Mario...wait...OH...BRowser...
    Antivirus
    Various
Things like that come predominately from software distributors (online) like Cnet (not saying they are worst) so it might be a good idea to get SW from it's source. In the case of MBAM there are hints of pushing their payed version in smaller letters and apparently less important options. Found Major Geeks to be most straightforward with showing that a particular program comes with somethin possibly unwanted and in most cases show address to manufacturers site instead of just mirrors or their depository.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home made
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen7 2700x
    Motherboard
    Asus Prime x470 Pro
    Memory
    16GB Kingston 3600
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus strix 570 OC 4gb
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 960 evo 250GB
    Silicon Power V70 240GB SSD
    WD 1 TB Blue
    WD 2 TB Blue
    Bunch of backup HDDs.
    PSU
    Sharkoon, Silent Storm 660W
    Case
    Raidmax
    Cooling
    CCM Nepton 140xl
    Internet Speed
    40/2 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    WD
I'm not at all liking mbam's new business model,
2.0... is buggy enough and these new adds are just unnecessary for pro/ premium users,
I'm not sure how anyone could say it's a harmless little feature either,
It's an unnecessary process running,
As far as the freebie version is concerned ?
Yes please read everything from an update now days mbam is getting a bit as slimy as all third party products,
I believe we should all explore other utilities because one day wer pro purchasers will be thrown under the bus I feel,
Cheers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win-7-8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer fresh install
    Memory
    4 gig's
    Graphics Card(s)
    GT640
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer / Dell
    Screen Resolution
    1600-900/ 1600-1200
    Antivirus
    MSE/ MBAM Pro/ SAS Pro
I still think MalwareBytes is the best but their new version has more than a few bugs and they could have made the install process a little clearer... I used it to clean a half dozen PC's last weekend as nothing else really worked... I followed up by running Ccleaner.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
I do have to agree that the new version has been a little bit disappointing. Already twice I had to do a complete re-install on the program as it keeps stops opening for whatever reason ( and even chameleon won't open it ), but I know the system isn't infected etc so meh.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    iBUYPOWER
    CPU
    AMD 8320
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon 7850
    Screen Resolution
    1024x768
    Case
    Azza Solaris
    Internet Speed
    50MBps download/10MBps upload
    Browser
    Chrome/Firefox/Internet Explorer
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes PRO
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