Issues with Malwarebytes

So, I had Malwarebytes running on my machine. Then out of nowhere, I get hit with this: MBAM ERROR EXPANDING VARIABLES (0.9), followed by MBAM ERROR MISSING FILE (3.0 mbamswissarmy.sys). The system claims it can't find the path. I’ve already tried a full reinstallation and even messed around with different versions, but nothing works. If anyone actually knows how to fix this...🙏

Just post the picture already, as God commanded!

So, you actually managed to scrub that existing version of Malwarebytes that’s been messing with you and installed a different one, but nothing really changed, or...🙂

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I tried uninstalling with Your Uninstaller, then swapped to a different free version, then even rolled back to an older build, but I keep hitting the same wall. I’ve been Googling this error, but nobody seems to have a real fix. I even went as far as switching my antivirus software, but still nothing.🤷

Just uninstall it again.

You’ll probably have to manually scrub the leftovers from the registry after removing Malwarebytes. Maybe try this approach:

Open the Run command and type in regedit, then hit OK to launch the Registry Editor. Use Ctrl + f to pull up the Find tool, type in whatever specific term you're trying to hunt down and delete, and hit Find next. Once it highlights the first instance on the right side of the window, just hit Delete. Then, you can just tap F3 to keep searching for the next match, hitting Delete whenever it pops up, and repeating that cycle until you've cleared every trace of it from the registry.

Download this utility to scrub any leftover traces from your system, wipe out those lingering registry remnants, reboot, and then give it another shot. That’s the consensus over on the Malwarebytes forums. But before you do that, run this tool first to reinstall the database, then proceed with the cleaner to clear out the junk.
1. http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam/dat...mbam-rules.exe
2. http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam-clean.exe

There you have it—straight from the Malwarebytes community.

Tried one thing and then another, but it’s the exact same result

Daniel Robinson4 said:Tried a few different ways, still nothing works.

1. Nuke whatever version you've got installed now.
2. Scour your system for any leftover folders or files (check Program Files and the Windows directory) tied to Malwarebytes (search for "malware*"). They're scattered everywhere, especially if you're still running Windows 7. Just watch out if you have Spybot—don't accidentally delete its stuff.
3. Run a deep scan with Total Commander (make sure hidden files are visible) and wipe them out (search for "mbam*")
4. Back up your Registry, then hunt down everything related to Malwarebytes (mbam*) just like > laid out.
5. Reboot the machine.
6. Install Advance SystemCare and give it a run to clean things up.
7. Install CCleaner and scrub the system again.
8. Reboot one more time.

Let us know how it goes so everyone else can follow the playbook. ;-)
Later.

I haven't tried it that way yet, but... I went ahead and wiped everything again just to reinstall a version from two years ago—version 1.31. It works fine for now, but the second the update process kicks in, those same errors start popping up again.😠

I followed those steps, and even though what you told me didn't work at first (maybe I missed a step somewhere), I think I’ve finally got it. Thanks, everyone.

If you have Windows 11 manager installed, open it and navigate to the Task Manager. Locate Malwarebytes, right-click on it, and select End Task > OK. Once that is finished, exit the tool and go to CCleaner > Revo Uninstaller. Right-click on Malwarebytes and select Uninstall. This should remove Malwarebytes entirely. However, if it fails to delete, a window should appear at the bottom offering an analysis option. Let the program perform the scan, then click Remove to delete everything found. Finally, restart your computer.

Once the system boots up, you can navigate to This PC > C: drive. Clear whatever is currently in the address bar at the top, type in %appdata%, and press Enter. Check if there are any leftover Malwarebytes files; if so, delete them. Exit that folder and head to Program Files (x86). If you are running a 64-bit version of Windows 7, check the regular Program Files folder as well. If you find anything related to Malwarebytes there, delete it.

Afterward, proceed to Program Data. If there are any Malwarebytes remnants there, delete them. To access Program Data, go to Start > Control Panel > Folder Options > View, and ensure that "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" is selected.

Return to the C: drive, where you will find the Program Data folder.

Then, from the C: drive, go to Users > [Your Username] > AppData > Local. If you find any traces of Malwarebytes here, delete them.

If any of these files refuse to be deleted, restart your computer and boot into Safe Mode to perform the deletion. After that, restart again and attempt to reinstall Malwarebytes. It would be wise to install a more recent version. Such issues were known to occur with older versions, whereas I highly doubt they occur with the newer ones.