Author Topic: Free not updating on one computer but does on another? (Read 3423 times)

dr del · « **on:** February 11, 2011, 08:44:26 PM »

Hi,

I have a weird problem.

I have installed avast on two computers on my home network (both XP boxes )and it updates perfectly well on one (which has zonealarm firewall ) but will not update on the other which has no firewall whatsoever (windows firewall is disabled as far as I can see ).

I have uninstalled and re-installed a couple of times and it makes no difference. :'(

I will attach the log of the latest update attempt;

Can anyone help?

dr del

DavidR · « **Reply #1 on:** February 11, 2011, 09:05:23 PM »

ZA has form for this seemingly suffering from digital amnesia even when the avast.setup is allowed, updates don't work.

Find the entry for avast.setup in ZA and if it is allowed, delete the entry and do a manual update, that should force it to ask again, allow it and have it remember the decisions, etc.

Edit: Having looked at the log it doesn't appear that it is being blocked, but failing because of:
19:25:07 min/gen Error:Invalid file signature. Setup will terminate.

Try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select 'avast! Anti-Virus,' click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow. You may need to reboot after the repair.

If that doesn't work it may require a download of the full virus database, but will cross that bridge when we get to it.

dr del · « **Reply #2 on:** February 11, 2011, 09:43:06 PM »

Hi,

It is the computer without zonealarm that is having the trouble updating - the zoney box is working fine. The computer with the problem has no firewall at all - though I am behind a router.

I did try manually downloading the file as suggested on here before (it was about 36 meg iirc) but that simply said I was up to date.

I have tried repair installs and even removing it completely and reinstalling. It has me flumoxed.

dr del

DavidR · « **Reply #3 on:** February 11, 2011, 09:58:01 PM »

Yes as stated in the Edit notes, it isn't ZA/firewall blocking but an invalid file signature, so the download is failing validation for whatever reason.

So if you have done a repair and reboot after this error at 19:25 and downloaded the complete database and run that. I wasn't aware that it would just say you were up to date, I though that running the vpsupd.exe file it installed the virus database regardless.

I don't know what you mean by removing it completely e.g. uninstall using add remove programs, reboot and run the avast uninstall utility from safe mode (before reinstalling) ?

If that is what you have done I'm a bit flummoxed too.
Have (or did) you another Anti-Virus installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?

What other security software do you have installed on the problem system ?

dr del · « **Reply #4 on:** February 11, 2011, 10:40:48 PM »

Ah no,

I didn't know the avast uninstall would be left so I have only been uninstalling from add/ remove programs.

I'll try that and then reinstall it and see if that helps. I can't do it for a couple of hours though as I have a download in progress but I will report back afterwards.

Thanks for your help.

dr del

DavidR · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2011, 12:03:37 AM »

OK, not sure if you have the link for the uninstall utility:
Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe find it here and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 4.8 and 5.x).

1. Now uninstall avast! (using add remove programs, if you can't do that start from the next step), reboot.
2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility from safe mode, first for 4.8 if previously installed and then for 5.x, once complete reboot into normal mode.
3. install the latest version, reboot.

You don't sat what version of avast you have, but here are some direct download links for them:
Free AV: - http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_free_eng.exe (English only)
Pro AV: - http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_pro.exe
AIS: - http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_ais.exe

rdmaloyjr · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2011, 07:28:09 AM »

Sometimes on XP avast! has to be installed in safe mode with networking.

1) run the avast! uninstall tool

2) install avast! in safe mode with networking

3) reboot

4) avast! should should update now

dr del · « **Reply #7 on:** February 13, 2011, 11:56:52 PM »

OOOh boy,

That was a fun time.

I uninstalled, booted to safe mode and ran the cleaner, booted to normal windows and installed - got an installation error (see attatched file).

I did it again but this time installed in windows safe mode with networking. It seems to install fine but then reported an illegal RPC and then my monitor died (unrelated - I ain't blaming you for that ;-)I rebooted and when windows came back avast was not installed.

Once again repeated the safe mode cleaner and then installed again - problem was there but this time the full update package seemed ot work though all numbers remained the same in virus defs etc.

I managed to get it to update fine later that night but it has twice repeated the invalid file signature message twice on subsequent manual update attempts.

This is on an install of XP professional less than a week old, fully updated, and with no other security software ever having been installed.

This is driving me nuts.

I will be rebuilding the system in a couple of days and will try again then.

dr del