Avast WEBforum
Consumer Products => Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security (legacy Pro Antivirus, Internet Security, Premier) => Topic started by: norel on October 02, 2012, 06:21:51 PM
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The last several days it's taken 15 minutes to download definition updates that normally take 2-3 minutes tops. Nothing's changed on my end unless it's my ISP. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed Avast servers slowing down?
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YES! I've definitely noticed it and I mentioned it on some other thread how on my Dial Up, Updates used to take around 5 minutes. Now they've been taking 12 to 15 minutes. I'm super lucky if it only takes 8 to 10 minutes.
I think it's been happening more since the last two PROGRAM versions ... certainly with the current 7.0.1466.
This same period is the same period when the Green Popups after the Updates do NOT necessarily match the avast GUI as to what version my avast has just been updated.
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What size is it reporting as downloaded as I don't believe the actual sizes have changed much ?
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Hi DavidR,
I am for the moment on pre-paid dial-in mobile internet via a so-called dongle and I haven't felt any difference from downloading via ADSL.
Would even say it's a tad faster, The speed being 695 bytes a second...
That is not bad, my good friend, reminding me of the situation you were in in the old days, remember?
polonus
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I suspect that it may be something other than just the actual size of the VPS update (possibly system resources) which is still in the KB range rather than MB range. On dial-up I used to average about 1MB downloaded in around 3.5 - 4 minutes, so my auto updates didn't take long...
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As I alluded to on my other comment on that other thread somewhere ...
Wayyy over in my beginning days with avast, the Update downloads were about what they are now, as far as time ... around the 15 minute range.
Then at some later point, as you all may remember, avast performed that huge change to their Virus Definitions database whereby they did a lot of consolidating and the Virus Definitions Updates then became wayyy more Dial Up downloading-friendly. They were then only about 5 minutes on my computer.
I enjoyed that for a long time. But, in more recent times, the download time is now back to what it was before.
It's made me wonder whether avast is at some point going to perform another one of those Virus Definitions consolidations like before.
That would be great.
True, my computer's System Resources / RAM are extremely on the low side, practically nonexistent. ;D
But, then again, they've always been that and at one time the Updates downloads were much quicker.
And I don't even add any Apps to my computer.
Any Apps that I decide to use, I'll use them only if I can find a Portable version so it won't take up space on my Hard Drive.
How does one find out the size of a Virus Definitions Download?
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If you do a manual update it reports the size of the downloaded files.
The restructuring of the virus definitions database shouldn't actually effect the auto updates as that is only dealing with new signatures added since your last auto update and not the whole database.
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What size is it reporting as downloaded as I don't believe the actual sizes have changed much ?
Yesterday's -0 update was around 800KB, that would explain why it took longer to download on dialup.
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Yes that is certainly larger than normal, perhaps it also included an engine update too (speculation) as 800KB just in new/modified signatures is a lot.
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...perhaps it also included an engine update too (speculation) as 800KB just in new/modified signatures is a lot.
Probably. I may add that a few days ago I monitored a 500KB update.
The dialup users should maybe keep an eye on it. ;)
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Yes, but as mentioned on my old dial-up connection even 800KB would take less than 4 minutes not 15, so there has to be something else going on.
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Yes, but as mentioned on my old dial-up connection even 800KB would take less than 4 minutes not 15, so there has to be something else going on.
Agreed, while I'm long away from dialup, 800KB shouldn't take 15 minutes.
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I just did a manual update 121003-0 to 121003-1 and get these figures, 7 files 914.34KB 2 seconds download time and 13 seconds total time. What a difference to my old dial-up days, which I still remember well.
Given that there are other things going on, initialising can take a little time, unpacking the signatures, validating the download, etc. etc.
There is quite a lot going on which is resource intensive, so this could give the impression it is just the download function where the delay exists. But if a manual update is done then the figures can be seen and how that relates to downloaded files size and overall time taken.
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Mine took like 3 to 5 minutes to update...Me also on dial up thingy...
The transfer of data was stressed on avast! servers and update download failed after a certain point and it succeeded in retry attempt....I dont know about 120031-0 update...as i wasnt at home when the PC was online at that current point..But this one certainly seemed slow..and its funny that its only happening to dial up users...
Dont know what happened there...
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Well 3-5 minutes for 914KB isn't far short of normal on dial-up.
When you add to that the initialising, validation of the downloaded files, extraction of the compressed download, creation of the new Defs sub-folder, merging the old/new defs into that folder takes time. This is processor/resource intensive, so on an underpowered system this takes longer and will give the impression of the download taking a long time.
Whilst your system isn't underpowered you would experience less of a resource issue during updates as those with an under powered system.
I tried to do a manual update on my win7 netbook and it got stuck on the Initialising phase (I think because there was an auto update going on in the background), now my manual update check was still stalled and If I had done nothing (I rebooted) I'm sure it would still be running. That would have made it look like a very long time with me on a 37Mbps connection.
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Well 3-5 minutes for 914KB isn't far short of normal on dial-up.
Yes that's true...but only my system the speed ranges from 100 KBPS To 120 KBPS... so the process of initialiazing happens just in a second normally...and the update comes down in about 25-45 seconds normally after connecting to internet when not surfing and when surfing its around a minute and a half...probably it took me more than 5 to 10 minutes on this 120031-1....So in that sense,That's more or less a slow down.
Accepting the fact,that above will vary for every system.This was not the condition here yesterday and even before that..Seeing it just today
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This particular update is pretty large and not the norm, in the past it has been in the region of 100KB or less.
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Asyn, larger file sizes could explain it. I only update once a day and if there are two or maybe three releases to download it could take 15 minutes. I'll just wait and watch. Hopefully it won't continue or take even longer in the future.
Out of curiosity, how can you tell how large an update is? That would be good to know.
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As has been answered you can only access that information by A) monitoring the actual update closely and you may miss it or B) manually updating so that the information is displayed in the avastUI as in the image in my Reply #12 on the previous page.
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This particular update is pretty large and not the norm, in the past it has been in the region of 100KB or less.
This and the 200KB to 300KB range is what I distinctly recall being mentioned here on the avast Forums in the past as the typical Virus Definitions Updates size. So yeah, 800KB and 900KB Updates IS getting up there.
Those BULK Virus Definitions Updates, which I get from MajorGeeks also seem to be gaining size more quickly than in the past.
But, it could be an optical illusion.
Well, no doubt my computer is not free from fault. ;D
I'm sure my system contributes to the equation of the longer Virus Definitions Updates times, although it's not likely gonna take the entire rap. ;D
Anyway, on the plus side, yesterday somehow my computer went back to recognizing my Flash Drive as Drive E: instead of the Drive F: that it had been doing recently. All I did was basically the same thing that I did when the issue first surfaced. Yep ... I just inserted a Flash Drive that I had just brought back from having used on my sister's computer.
Anyway, THANKS for the Info on the Virus Definitions Updates Sizes, guys!
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The virus definitions from majorgeeks I believe are the Full database so they are going to be huge. Downloading the Full Update file from avast was 67.5MB the last time I downloaded it. So even 800-900KB on dial-up for the 'incremental update' is small beer.
I certainly believe part of your problem in the overall update duration is one of a lack of resources, RAM and CPU.
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Oh, regarding the BULK Virus Definitions Updates from Major Geeks ...
I only download those whenever I'm at my sister's house and get to use their High Speed Internet.
I would definitely NOT remotely attempt to download them with my Dial Up.
I've been over at my sister's house 3 times this week and will probably be over there later today.
Whenever I get to use their High Speed Internet, I take the opportunity to download onto my Flash Drive whatever all Apps have newer versions.
Bottom line, the long 12 to 15-minute Virus Definitions Updates about which I spoke are the regular daily automatic Updates, NOT the BULK Updates from Major Geeks.
Oh well, as long as they don't climb up to 20 to 30 minutes.