Filed under "Are you f**king kidding me?"

1st off, absolutely EVERYTHING else works perfectly on my computers' current set up. Sure, there are occasional hardlocks (like when I'm processing a HUGE image in On1 and watching a DVD/BlueRay on the other monitor) but everything works.

Which takes me to the topic of the subject.

Malwarebytes:  I had been using the Premium version 3.0.6. It started having problems with web protection layers shutting off and not going back on, AND you couldn't get rid of the notification that said layers were off so turn them back on. 

Which lead me to update to version 3.1.2.  Everything seemed ok... until I noticed I couldn't open the user interface. Double click desktop icon? No.  How about the system tray icon? Nope.  Run as administrator? nope. Run the the gamut of compatibility trouble shooting? Nope.  Uninstall with MBCleaner/Reboot/Reinstall? Nope

Ok, let's make a new user account. Double click on desktop icon.. YAY, it worked! I enter my legit license and ID. Seems great! Tweak settings (exclusions, when to schedule a scan). Close the user window down.  Log off that new user, go back to original user account, and start going through things I want to clone over.  Shut down computer.

Start up next day, log in new user account. Double click MWB icon.  Uhhh, not opening?  Just to make sure I tried again. Not opening.  Repeat all the above steps. Nothing.

I'm always one for keeping the PREVIOUS version of programs, just in case.  So, I uninstall using MalwarebyteCleaner, reboot. Install version 3.0.6, and TA DA!  It starts up. Enter ID and license, and immediately the web protection shuts off again, and can't turn it back on.  Rebooted,  and login to new user account, 3.0.6 starts up just fine, again, web layers not on (oh yeah, and MWBs said this was due THEIR server not communicating with the program last year) but everything works.

Restart computer. Login to my regular account.  v3.0.6 works find, with same caveat.  I install latest NON beta version.  And once again, the user window will not open. 

After doing all of this, I finally sent support ticket to MWBs. Waited two weeks, and didn't hear anything back.  Just for giggles, a few days ago I restarted my computer in SAFE MODE. Login to my regular user account. Wait a while for everything to load and settle. I see the MWBs icon on system tray. I double click it.  Imagine my surprise when the user interface opens without a problem!  Restarted in safe mode again, logged into new user account.  Same thing.

Rebooted, regular start up.  Again, the user interface will not load.  Off in search on google for this problem. And I found the exact same issue posted by someone else.  So, I go through all the same steps, use some other tools and send them the reports.   Yes, I know I am being 'naughty' by convincing a program or two to work. Why? Because I bought it years ago, and during reinstall on this machine, the license won't validate. It's no longer sold or supported, and it's the ONLY way I can get it to work is to 'convince it'.  I didn't make the world, I just try to live in it.

So, I go through all his hoops. MBCleaner, MBCheck, FRST64, over and over. Even installed beta version of MBWs... and now, not only will it not start if I click on desktop icon, the SYSTEM tray icon has vanished, even though Task Manger says it's running.   I reboot in safe mode, and it works. Restart normal mode, nope.

Here comes the "Are you f**king kidding me?" part.. one of the possible solutions is to format the the drive and reinstall everything.... Are you f**king kidding me?

Did I mention my son, who has Windows 10 Home version on his computer, is having the same problem? And Wing who has Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed on his HP is having same problem? Figure the god damned odds of me wiping my system to reinstall everything?