Author Topic: The system cannot find the file specified.  (Read 17588 times)

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synapse321

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The system cannot find the file specified.
« on: August 25, 2006, 02:59:05 PM »
OS: win xp pro

Adware SE installed.
Reinstalled avast with the latest version.

On startup I get a red error message:Information about current update:
Last encountered error: The system cannot find the file specified.


Event log states:Function setifaceUpdatePackages() has failed. Return code is 0x00000002, dwRes is 00000002. 

Any ideas why I can't have automatic updates but can do a manual update?

Thanks

60!

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2006, 03:25:25 PM »
Yes, wondering eyes want to know!!!  60!

Online DavidR

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2006, 03:33:58 PM »
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 need to be on-line to do this.
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Offline Lisandro

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2006, 09:30:12 PM »
Last encountered error: The system cannot find the file specified.
Maybe, maybe, you can download servers.def from here: http://download1.avast.com/iavs4x/servers.def
Save it to C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\setup folder
Start the update again.
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Offline alanrf

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2006, 06:12:08 AM »
I have not participated very much in this problem other than to note that it is happening with a frequency above and beyond "just one of those things".

However, a few days ago, exactly this error was received by one of the users I support.  I had little choice but to take a look. 

I have looked ... to say that I am disappointed in avast is a considerable underestimate. 

I will say that this error message represents about the most nonsensical and completely lazy design that I have yet seen in avast.  Whoever in avast developed the code that puts out this error message to a user should, if still employed, be considered for an immediate remedial design course.

I hope that an avast team member will advise that the startup/update process is being thoroughly reviewed in response to the problem reports in this forum.  If so I will happily await an update from the team. 

If the avast team thinks there is no real concern ... let's chat.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2006, 06:20:09 AM by alanrf »

Online DavidR

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2006, 03:20:59 PM »
I have to agree, that this error message is less than helpful, having identified that a file is missing is it not beyond the realms of possibility that the missing file name be reported in the error message.

When going to the windows Event Log the user is presented with an even worse state of affairs, even less information than the original message. This same information is replicated in the avast Log Viewer (this is after all where the windows event log infor comes from) and is useless to the user and only helpful to avast, unfortunately they aren't looking at the error and to a user it might as well be a foreign language.

Example of one from my Log Viewer, Warning section, entries for this type of error:
Quote
19/08/2006 16:46    SYSTEM    1344    Function setifaceUpdatePackages() has failed. Return code is 0x20000004, dwRes is 20000004. 
Now what does that mean to your average user, nothing.
« Last Edit: August 26, 2006, 03:23:44 PM by DavidR »
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kubecj

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2006, 05:07:01 PM »
The 'real' errors are in setup.log

What may be the source of errors I don't know, but I suppose it has to do something with your user rights misconfiguration. It's not a common error at all.

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2006, 05:27:21 PM »
I'm not overly concerned for me as I know why my update failed, the dial-up connections occasionally drops and I get one of these (I just used mine as an example, unfortunately not the same error, just the general information format not being particularly helpful).

What is concerning is the unhelpful error the user is presented with The system cannot find the file specified. Is there no way that the file name can be incorporated into the (The system cannot find the file specified) error message ?
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Offline Lisandro

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #8 on: August 26, 2006, 05:44:09 PM »
Is there no way that the file name can be incorporated into the (The system cannot find the file specified) error message ?
It won't be bad...
But, is exactly servers.def file the one is being missed here or not? By Kubecj words we need to see the contents of setup.log file.
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Online DavidR

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #9 on: August 26, 2006, 06:18:05 PM »
Is there no way that the file name can be incorporated into the (The system cannot find the file specified) error message ?
It won't be bad...
But, is exactly servers.def file the one is being missed here or not? By Kubecj words we need to see the contents of setup.log file.

That's the problem, even us, as theoretically more experienced avast users haven't got a clue as to what it is and have to offer best guess or standard response, repair (no use if it is not an avast file) of servers.def (which we can't establish as it doesn't get as far as checking that file), so it is all guesswork.

If a user is expected to head for the setup.log to investigate then something also need to be mentioned in the error message or Log Viewer entry.
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Online DavidR

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #10 on: August 26, 2006, 06:38:54 PM »
Here is an extract from my setup.log for this particular error. As can be seen it is cycling through the various download locations in the servers.def (or vpu) file

Quote from: For example purposes only
<snip>
16:45:58 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def.vpu', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 47
16:46:00 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:00 nrm/gen  InvalidateCurrent: invalidated server 'Download26 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:00 nrm/gen  SelectCurrent: selected server 'Download70 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:00 min/pkg  GetPackages - set proxy for inet
16:46:00 nrm/int  SYNCER: Type: no proxy
16:46:00 nrm/int  SYNCER: Auth: no authentication
16:46:00 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def.vpu', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 48
16:46:02 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:02 nrm/gen  InvalidateCurrent: invalidated server 'Download70 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:02 nrm/gen  SelectCurrent: selected server 'Download58 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:02 min/pkg  GetPackages - set proxy for inet
16:46:02 nrm/int  SYNCER: Type: no proxy
16:46:02 nrm/int  SYNCER: Auth: no authentication
16:46:02 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def.vpu', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 49
16:46:04 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:04 nrm/gen  InvalidateCurrent: invalidated server 'Download58 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:04 nrm/gen  SelectCurrent: selected server 'Download9 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:04 min/pkg  GetPackages - set proxy for inet
16:46:04 nrm/int  SYNCER: Type: no proxy
16:46:04 nrm/int  SYNCER: Auth: no authentication

<snip> End of event
16:46:44 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def.vpu', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 70
16:46:46 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:46 nrm/gen  InvalidateCurrent: invalidated server 'Download49 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:46 min/gen  SelectCurrent: unable to find any suitable server in 'main'
16:46:46 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def.vpu', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 71
16:46:46 min/int  tried 71 servers to get file 'servers.def.vpu', but failed (0x20000004)
16:46:46 min/fil  GetNewerStampedFile:GetFileWithRetry failed: C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\_av_proI.tm~a02164\onefile, servers.def.vpu, error: 0x20000004
16:46:46 min/pkg  Download servers.def, servers.def.vpu failed with error 0x20000004.
16:46:46 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:46 min/pkg  ERROR:HttpGetWinsock, WinsockTcpConnect() returned 0x00002AF9
16:46:46 nrm/gen  InvalidateCurrent: invalidated server 'Download49 AVAST server' from 'main'
16:46:46 min/gen  SelectCurrent: unable to find any suitable server in 'main'
16:46:46 dbg/int  while trying to get file 'servers.def', error 0x20000004 has occured, try 1
16:46:46 min/int  tried 1 servers to get file 'servers.def', but failed (0x20000004)
16:46:46 min/fil  GetNewerStampedFile:GetFileWithRetry failed: C:\WINDOWS\TEMP\_av_proI.tm~a02164\onefile, servers.def, error: 0x20000004
16:46:46 min/pkg  Tried to download servers.def but failed with error 0x20000004.
16:46:46 min/gen  Err:Cannot connect to download49.avast.com (unknown:80).
16:46:46 nrm/pkg  Transferred files: 0
16:46:46 nrm/pkg  Transferred bytes: 0
16:46:46 nrm/pkg  Transfer time: 0 ms
16:46:46 vrb/fil  NeedReboot=false
16:46:46 min/gen  Return code: 0x20000004 [Cannot connect to download49.avast.com (unknown:80).]
16:46:46 min/gen  Stopped: 19.08.2006, 16:46:46

Now there is a lot of information there but for your average user this information isn't really helpful but would no doubt be very useful to Alwil. But, you don't want to have to have the information analysed by Alwil every time this happens.

I also look forward to a response by the Topic's originator, if what we suggested worked and also an extract of his C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\setup.log
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kubecj

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #11 on: August 26, 2006, 06:59:47 PM »
DavidRR: just the standard 'no connection' in your case, whatever reason that may be (bad dialup conn, bad dns, wrong fw settings).

Regarding the error message - since the error returned is just doubleword, it means just what it means and can't contain any additional info. That's why there's overly-verbose setup.log for.

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #12 on: August 26, 2006, 07:19:29 PM »
Thanks Kubecj, I'm aware why this particular error occurred, as I said I'm not concerned with my problem, simply trying to use it as an example of what a user sees and how can they decipher it to help them resolve there problem.

Unfortunately we haven't had any further input from synapse321 and it is there problem were concerned with, plus more meaningful error for users than 'The system cannot find the file specified.'
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Offline alanrf

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #13 on: August 26, 2006, 09:43:45 PM »
Let's cut the fluff from the avast team and nonsense guesses about rights. 

I have my user's error log for this problem and the error message is identical to that which started this thread. It says over and over "cannot find the file specified" once for ever avast server in the servers.def file and then one more on top of that for the servers.def file.

There was and continued to be absolutely no problem with the user's servers.def file, no need to repair avast and no need to re-download the servers.def file. 

I am sorry to be critical but the error log is just as useless to the average user, and the comments here from kubecj leave me feeling that, on this issue, the avast team is "asleep at the wheel".

What this error message meant - plain and simple - was that avast could not connect to any avast server.

Why cannot it just say that to the user instead of that garbage message?

Quote
It's not a common error at all

If it is not a common error then why are there so many complaints about the VPS update process in this forum?

Quote
What may be the source of errors I don't know

Isn't it the job of the avast team to try to overcome not knowing the problems users are having?

I rather suspect that you are not seeing too many complaints about this from the nice clean controlled environment of your business users.  However, many of your users are running the rather cluttered, uncontrolled environment of home systems where many of them hardly ever see a program they don't want to download. 

Nowadays everyone and his dog wants to have a process run at startup to determine if there are any updates to run or new advertisements for their software to show or simply to get them connected to their DVR and to their favorite IM/VoIP/game. That's all on top of the ever present Windows update process. 

The avast VPS update is competing with all this.  I do not know the design structure of the startup processes but  have to wonder if one of them running at "below normal" priority is contributing to this problem at a time of system and network stress. 

It is worth noting that Tech's recommendation to increase the startup delay does seem to be effective in helping a number of users overcome this problem, unfortunately the delay option is not available via the gui and requires users to manually edit the avast4.ini - which should not be the way average users have to manage avast.             



 

 

kubecj

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Re: The system cannot find the file specified.
« Reply #14 on: August 26, 2006, 10:01:08 PM »
I have my user's error log for this problem and the error message is identical to that which started this thread. It says over and over "cannot find the file specified" once for ever avast server in the servers.def file and then one more on top of that for the servers.def file.

Simply - if your resolver does not resolve the server's address, then this (I admit a bit misleading) message appears. That's exactly the message Windows return on this.

Quote
What this error message meant - plain and simple - was that avast could not connect to any avast server.
Not exactly. It means that your system is unable to resolve the dns names.

Quote
If it is not a common error then why are there so many complaints about the VPS update process in this forum?
There is _one_ known problem in avast's updater - it sometimes 'forgets' the servers.def file. The source of the problem is unknown and althought I know my colleague did something to fix it, I'm not sure if the fix is in the latest version or not.

The other problems are just the plain joe user's misconfigured firewalls. Before calling me names again, go thru all the recent posts on the theme and you'll see.