Avast Free 17 not updating definitions depending on web wired connection

[nedo78]

Hello,

I have an unexpected behavior on XP Mode (that is virtual Windows XP running on Windows 7) with Avast Free 17.

This unexpected behavior is apparently related to which wired connection I use to connect to the web from my notebook.

With Avast Free 12 everything was just fine since August 2016 when Avast Free 12 was released. Meaning, Avast Free 12 was regularly updating the definition files on my XP Mode independently on which wired connection I used to connect to the web (as I would expect it to do). And the definitions are still correctly updated right now with Avast Free 12 if I simply don't update it to the new version 17.

After updating (via the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings) Avast Free 12 to Avast Free 17 on XP Mode (so with no other changes on both XP Mode and Windows 7), I have that Avast Free 17 is able to update the definitions only from one wired connection I use to connect to the web and not another one.
I stress again that with Avast Free 12 all has been perfectly fine since its release date (and still now) and I am able to correctly update the definitions independently on the wired connection I use to connect to the web.
With the "wrong" wired connection Avast Free 17 seems to get first stuck while downloading servers.def.vpx for which I get an unknown error (as such it is classified by Avast Free 17).

In addition to using the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings of Avast Free 12, I also tried a full uninstall of Avast Free 12 by means of avastclear.exe run in safe mode and a following fresh install of Avast Free 17 by means of avast_free_antivirus_setup_offline.exe but the results are the same: Avast Free 17 on my XP Mode is able to update the definitions only from one wired connection I use to connect to the web and not another one (again: with Avast Free 12 all has been fine, and still is fine as of today, since Avast Free 12 was released in 2016 and the definitions are correctly updated independently from which of those two same wired connections I use to connect to the web).

Can you help me solving this issue and have Avast Free 17 updating definitions independently from which wired connection I use to connect to the web like it used to happen, and like it still happens, with Avast Free 12?

If a log files from Avast Free will be needed, could you also provide details on how to obtain those log files?

Thank you

Best Regards

[nedo78]

Could my problem be related to this one?
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=162445.msg1372338#msg1372338
later on I'll give it a go to see if turning off Avast's "Enable Hardware-Assisted Virtualization" will help my case and post back here.

[bob3160]

Could my problem be related to this one?
https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=162445.msg1372338#msg1372338
later on I'll give it a go to see if turning off Avast's "Enable Hardware-Assisted Virtualization" will help my case and post back here.

The easiest way to check is to try it.

[nedo78]

No, turning off Avast's "Enable Hardware-Assisted Virtualization" didn't help at all my case.
Now I'll give it a go to the new Avast Free 17.2.2288 to see if it gets any better with respect to previous/first version of Avast Free 17 (the one not properly working in my hands).

[nedo78]

Updating (via the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings) Avast Free 12 to the latest Avast Free 17 (that is 17.2.2288) from the "wrong" wired connection gets first stuck at the same point I mentioned before regarding definitions update: while downloading servers.def.vpx for which I get an unknown error (as such it is classified by Avast Free).

Can someone please help with this?

With Avast Free 12 all is OK while with the second release of Avast Free 17 I'm still having this problem...

[bob3160]

Updating (via the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings) Avast Free 12 to the latest Avast Free 17 (that is 17.2.2288) from the "wrong" wired connection gets first stuck at the same point I mentioned before regarding definitions update: while downloading servers.def.vpx for which I get an unknown error (as such it is classified by Avast Free).

Can someone please help with this?

With Avast Free 12 all is OK while with the second release of Avast Free 17 I'm still having this problem...

Clean Install of Avast:
https://goo.gl/4Ptzkf

[nedo78]

As I initially mentioned, I already tried a clean install while passing from Avast Free 12 to Avast Free 17.1.2286 and, from the "wrong connection" (again, see above for the details), it didn't work.
Sure, I'll try a clean install (and post back here) also for passing from Avast Free 12 to Avast Free 17.2.2288 but I suspect it won't work since I would expect that if everything was OK with Avast Free 17 the update should work seamlessly directly via the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings without having a single problem in downloading the servers.def.vpx and others file in the first place, independently on which wired connection I use to connect to the web (like it correctly still happens right now for Avast Free 12).

BTW The "Enable Hardware-Assisted Virtualization" disappeared from Avast Free 12 in my hands (both on XP Mode and true XP) in the last few days; I guess this was done via definitions update...

[nedo78]

Clean install did not work even with the latest Avast Free 17.2.2288 release.
Summarizing, on my XP Mode I have these two situations:
- When using wired connection 1: Avast Free 12 correctly updates its definitions; I can correctly update Avast Free 12 to the latest Avast Free 17 either via the corresponding button in the "Update" section of the settings or via a clean install; once installed Avast Free 17 correctly updates its definitions.
- When using wired connection 2: Avast Free 12 correctly updates its definitions; all the other stuff mentioned in the previous point fails apparently due to inability to download files required for those processes (see my example for the unknown error of servers.def.vpx).

Still not able to properly take advantage of the latest Avast Free...

[glnz]

nedo78 - I am having a very, very similar problem.  In my XP Mode on Win Pro, I am unable to install Avast AV Free 17 because the online installer is not connecting to the Avast servers.  The same  servers.def.vpx don't connect.

I just posted about this.  Go to https://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=198863.0 to see the complete error log generated by the Avast online installer.

Unlike you, I have only one router connected to my Win 7 Pro host (wired).  I don't have another connection option.

And, before, Avast was working fine in XP Mode.

This one is weird, man.

[glnz]

Everyone - where can I get a full off-line download of the PREVIOUS issue of Avast Free?  I think it was 12 ??

That one worked (and updated its definitions) in my XP Mode without the problems nedo78 and I are having with 17.

Reminder that I will be installing it in XP Mode, which is 32-bit.

Thanks.

[glnz]

Thanks to Mr. Bone in another thread - I have successfully downloaded and installed Avast AV Free 12 in my XP Mode, was able to update definitions ONLY, and it's now running a boot-time scan.

Proof positive that Avast 17 is faulty.

Many thanks to all for suggestions !!!  Avast 17 still needs to be fixed.

[bob3160]

Thanks to Mr. Bone in another thread - I have successfully downloaded and installed Avast AV Free 12 in my XP Mode, was able to update definitions ONLY, and it's now running a boot-time scan.

Proof positive that Avast 17 is faulty.

Many thanks to all for suggestions !!!  Avast 17 still needs to be fixed.

Incorrect statement. Since the latest version works on other XP systems, it can hardly be considered faulty.
What may be faulty is to continue to expect Avast to continue a product that hasn't been supported by MS for a very long time.
The model T no longer has parts available directly from Ford.

[glnz]

Bob - Good morning.

Please take a look at this entire thread from nedo.  Come on - it's XP's fault?

By the way, many of us with XP continue to get updates via the POS hack.  I'm sure many POS machines still use Avast as protection as well.  Avast just made some kind of extra-bizarre mistake in version 17 and on its servers and, not for the first time, will have to fix it.

[nedo78]

Totally agree with you, glnz.

[nedo78]

Avast Free 17.3.2291 doesn't change a single thing in what I reported above.
I guess Avast guys could do much better here.