Error: File is offline - It is currently not available. (42006)

[sludge7051-x]

I'm using:  Avast Free, version 17.7.2314 (build 17.7.3660.0)

Half the files on my C: are not available?

No, this is some bug.  How do you fix it?

[Eddy]

What exact OS/SP ?

[sludge7051-x]

Operating System
   Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
        winver . . . Version 1703 (OS Build 15063.608)
CPU
   Intel Core i7 6700 @ 3.40GHz   100 °F
   Skylake 14nm Technology
RAM
   16.0GB Dual-Channel Unknown @ 1063MHz (15-15-15-36)
Motherboard
   HP 802F (CPU0)

[Pondus]

Half the files on my C: are not available?

More info ....

when do you see this ....
post a screenshot ....

[Eddy]

If avast is giving that error > 42006 AVAST_OFFLINEFILE      [File is not present on drive -> migrated to offline device !!!]

[sludge7051-x]

It looks like it started with the most recent Program Update.

How could anything on my HP z40 Workstation be "offline"? . . . My Desktop PC . . . I'm not on a network . . . I've never seen this before

I had Malwarebytes installed earlier today.  They give you a full Trial version.  I thought that could be locking something up, so I de-installed it, but still get this error.

[sludge7051-x]

Wait, it was ok with the Program Update . . . but after the most recent Definition Update, that's when it started

[sludge7051-x]

Maybe this caused it:

Yesterday, I watched this movie:
Smiley (2012) - FMovies . . . https://fmovies.to/film/smiley.wlw7/n8r5km

And then later, this one:
Spy (2015) - FMovies . . . https://fmovies.to/film/spy.prj4

I gave the link for the first one to a friend.  He said it showed "pop-up" viruses.
I asked him how he knew.  He said that something in his AV caught it.

I had AdBlock Plus running, and didn't notice a thing.  I thought, maybe AdBlock Plus protected my computer.
And, these movies streamed really well.  I was very impressed. If it's a bad site, it's not easy to discern.

Anyway, I thought maybe I had better check for viruses.

I forget why I quit using Malwarebytes a while back.
I think because I read somewhere that Avast did everything it does now, so I decided to just rely on Avast.

Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea, so I installed Malwarebytes' free Trial, and it caught a few things.
I ran it a second time, and found that the computer was clean.

I read that Adwcleaner was purchased by Malwarebytes, but was still being run as a standalone program.  It is to be integrated into Malwarebytes.
I ran Adwcleaner, and it found like 4 things (PUPs)
I ran it again, and it found a couple of more.  Maybe they were for my "Classic Shell," which I wouldn't want to remove, but it doesn't provide enough info.
I ran it again, and it didn't find anything.

So then, I ran Avast, and found that I get the 42006 error.
I just re-ran it, I get the same thing.

What does Norton SafeWeb say about fmovies.to ? . . . "This site has not been tested yet" . . . https://safeweb.norton.com/

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Here's what Adcleaner found, and I deleted:

***** [ Registry ] *****

Deleted: [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{3F607E46-0D3C-4442-B1DE-DE7FA4768F5C}
Deleted: [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{FE0273D1-99DF-4AC0-87D5-1371C6271785}

***** [ Registry ] *****

PUP.Optional.Legacy, [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{35B8892D-C3FB-4D88-990D-31DB2EBD72BD}
PUP.Optional.Legacy, [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\TypeLib\{93E3D79C-0786-48FF-9329-93BC9F6DC2B3}

***** [ Registry ] *****

PUP.Optional.Legacy, [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{3F607E46-0D3C-4442-B1DE-DE7FA4768F5C}
PUP.Optional.Legacy, [Key] - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\Interface\{FE0273D1-99DF-4AC0-87D5-1371C6271785}

[Harry S.]

Hi all!

I am a free avast version user and Window 10(64-bit) user, too. Last night, I also experience the problem (file is offline, it is not currently available 42006) that sludge 7051-x stated.

After I noticed such error, I carried out ‘system restore’ and turned Avast to the ‘version before 17.7.2314, build 17.7.3660.0’ (Sorry, I forget the exact name of that version). I applied both Quick San and Full Scan and the ‘offline file issue’ didn’t occur.

Then I updated Avast to 17.7.2314, build 17.7.3660.0 and applied both Quick Scan and Full Scan again, the ‘offline file issue mentioned by sludge 7051-x happened. The amount of files that could not be scanned was extremely large. That may (of course, or ‘ may not’) cause security problem since after updating, those files that can be checked originally ‘seems’ to be excluded from scanning.

As a supplementary of facts, during the above ‘testing process’, besides visiting Avast official website, I didn’t visit any other websites.

Thank Eddy and Pondus for your kind help. However, I would also like to encourage ﹕

1.   For users: after carrying out Quick Scan and Full Scan, open corresponding folder and read the relevant ‘scan result’ report directly to see whether you also have the ‘file is offline’ issues. If you also experience such error, please also share your findings in this link or forum section - false alarm, virus and worms, so that Avast may have a better understanding of the extent of this abnormal situation and considers appropriate actions.

2.   For Avast office, please kindly investigate whether it is a bug. If a lot of files are not available for scanning by the newest version 17.7.2314, the potential hazard of virus ‘hidden’ in user’s computer may be larger than before. Avast may need to find out the root of the problem, examine version 17.7. 2314 and take corrective measures if necessary.

In my perception (please bear in mind 'not professional knowledge, just perception'), lots of files not available for scanning may involve computer security concern. Honestly, I don’t recommend reporting suspected security concern openly in forum, but forgive me as I fail to find email address which I can contact Avast directly.

Wish you all a nice weekend.

Note: The list of files that indicated as offline and not available is very long. I just simply give some examples here for some insights

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2017.39081.15820.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\PhotosApp.Windows.dll

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps_17.8600.40445.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\mso20imm.dll


 
   

[igor]

What if you - instead of the Full scan - run a Folder scan on one of the affected folders?

Is your system connected to Microsoft OneDrive?

[REDACTED]

I am seeing the same issue on multiple machines.  All running Win 10 v1703 (build 15063.608), both 32 and 64-bit variants, with Avast IS 17.5.2303.  Each runs a Full System Scan every Friday, but this issue has only arisen this week.  The list of affected files is long  (no easy way to get at the text of Scan History), but pretty much all of them are part of Windows itself or components delivered by Windows (.Net, appx infrastructure and apps).

Gary

[igor]

I prepared a simple tool that can tell us the attributes of a particular file.
Could you please download this file, store it somewhere on your disk, then start cmd.exe, go to the folder where the tool is located and start it with an affected path as argument (and post the printout here)?
For the example given in Reply #8, it would be:
GetFileAttr.exe "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_2017.39081.15820.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe\PhotosApp.Windows.dll"

Btw, both the examples there are in C:\Program Files\WindowsApps - is it the case also for all the rest?

[REDACTED]

Hi Igor

Here is the result for one affected file:

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.Windows.Photos_15.1001.16470.0_neutral_split.scale-100_8wekyb3d8bbwe>\users\gary\downloads\getfileattr appxblockmap.xml
GFA attributes: 00000020
FFF attributs: 00000020
OS Ver: 10.0.15063

No, they are not all in Program Files\WindowsApps.  For example, there are many files in:
c:\windows\assembly\nativeimages...
c:\windows\WinSxS\...
c:\windows\system32
c:\windows\syswow64

Gary

[igor]

Hmm, that is not correct... I mean, the attributes are as expected, so Avast shouldn't report the "offline" warning for it.
Just to be sure (because the warning is about files which could be in the cloud and not local - but that can change simply by reading the file, the content is downloaded and the file becomes "local") - if you run the scan again, this particular file will again be reported as offline in the results?

Thanks!

[REDACTED]

Hi Igor,

Yes, just did a right-click scan from Explorer on Program Files\WindowsApps.  This file and all the others again gave error 42006.

Incidentally, you asked earlier about OneDrive.  In my case some PCs do subscribe to OneDrive, others don't.  The error occur in both scenarios.

Gary