Malwarebytes scan curiosity

[#1]

Does MWB scan system restore files?

If so, can I get rid of some older ones? The option to do so doesn't seem to be easily available on Win7. (?)

Reason I ask is, I previously had thousands of pics on PC, long since backed-up and removed from HD. Malwarebytes is still scanning this -

C:\USERS\OWNER\APPDATA\ROAMING\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\historypics(41).lnk

and others like, and taking a really long time to do so! No big deal, but it would be nice if it didn't.

However, that folder doesn't exist. (There is a RecentItems, but that's empty.) I've searched for some days for a clue as to what MWB is actually scanning. Only thing I can think of is a system restore.

(I've removed many links to no longer available files from the menus of various programs, MWB was not scanning these.)

Puzzled

[#2]

@IanSn - I don't know the inner workings of MWD but it might be a worth while exercise to run a registry cleaner then defragment and compact your disk, also if you've ever used hibernation there will be a large file that is essentially a mirror of your running machine. So maybe removing that could also be an option, and you'll also get the space back as well. So from a windows command prompt enter :

powercfg -h  off

And this will delete it, but it will also stop your PC from hibernating, but you can always turn it back on using 'on'. If you are going to do this and leave it off then do it prior to any defraging / compacting.

[#3]

Never thought of that. But pretty sure I've never hibernated this PC, don't even let it sleep, but no harm switching it off anyway as never used.
Gets an auto defrag every week I think.
Can you recommend a decent reg cleaner? Heard bad tales about some of them, bit nervy in that area! This is a refurb so might be good idea to do this, don't know what state it was in tbh.
Never compacted a disk. How you do this?

[#4 · Accepted solution]

@IanSn - Well if it's auto defrag'd every week then in theory it shouldn't need it nor would you gain any value in doing it. Have a read of this Disk Defragment article if you need guidance.

As regards a Registry Cleaner I, like you, have no faith in them. So you're now asking why I suggested it then? I did this simply because others on the forum have used them without issue, so they can't all be bad. One that comes to mind is called CCleaner this has been mentioned more than once, however you might want to read this first and always back up your machine prior to its execution.

If you choose this or another product be very careful where you download it from, some sites are known to wrap third party tools (that you don't want) into the installer, so where ever possible download from the developers own site, and always, always do a custom install option when available.

[#5]

I'm not sure that Malwarebytes does anything particularly useful after scanning the memory, the startup objects and the registry.  Anything it finds after that is taking up space but I don't think it can be active on your computer.

I have used Ccleaner to clean the registry on very many different computers and never yet come to grief.  But there is always a risk. 

[#6]

Wasn't really worried about anything active, only that its time consuming when scanning (and a curiosity about what its scanning when I can't even find the directory!)
Question then. Does MWB tell you during the scan if anything is found, or do you have to wait for whole scan to finish to find out? (Thought of cancelling scan after memory and reg, etc.)
Will try CCleaner when I get home shortly.

[#7]

Why don't you set it to scan exactly what you want.

It's a pointless waste of time scanning a lot of folders/partitions/files that don't need checking.

[#8]

@Anonymous Well, that worked. CCleaner, that is.

Found exactly those .lnk files, at that location, and cleaned them all. And took a while! Nothing to do with registry, was under Windows cleaning.

Still beguiled that, as far as I could see, that location did/does not exist. (Are there totally invisible folders? As different from 'hidden' ones.) As files were in the 'roaming' folder wonder if they were the ones that got backed-up via local network? I've not done it that way since.

But thanks, sorted

@ReedRichards

Thanks also. Shan't bother to run the whole scan so much now, although it takes much less time now the offending obscure link files are gone.

@@billnotben

Beguilement and curiosity are the answers to that question, I think!

[#9]

I believe if you do a rootkit scan you will see that some of the folders being scanned are indeed totally invisible.  Even the temporary internet files seem to exist in a more complex series of folders than the computer will show you (according to what Ccleaner reports as it removes them).  If you Google (or Bing) "Invisible Folder" you will see that it is possible to create a folder with an invisible name and a blank icon, so the folder is invisible as far as Explorer is concerned    

[#10]

@ReedRichards
Yes, that's true. Hadn't really thought of it like that. Being as though, in this case, the files were links to recently viewed items I was thinking along the lines of something that would be useful to the user!
Even since the cleanup I notice SpyBot is still finding refs in the registry to the Lite Office 12 which I removed when I got this machine.
AVG seems to plant a lot of rootkit files when you move things over a network. Discovered that a while ago.
Not huge problem or anything. But, yes, a cleaner does seem to be useful, esp if you were trying to resolve a real issue.