iAVS is no good for me

[kreng]

Hello all, first time here and a recent adopter of Avast! Is there no way to manually download the virus database updates separately or am I missing something? Through no fault of my own I live in an area so backward we can't get broadband so I am stuck on dial-up. We also have multiple computers at home and for security reasons the one I use for Internet access has a different hardware and software configuration than the others and is not networked with them. For me iAVS doesn't work and it really sucks if I have to download 17 mb of installation files at dial-up speed every time I want to update the virus database. Otherwise I like Avast! but if there really is no way to download the updates manually (why?) I will have to return to AVG. Thanks for any suggestions.

[inflex]

The updates are very small.

The update I just received was 9KB.

[ardvark]

The updates are very small.

The update I just received was 9KB.

Hi...

I'm quite sure this was with avast installed and updates obtained the normal way. The updates here...

http://www.avast.com/eng/update_avast_4_vps.html

is what kreng was referring to.

@kreng: I'm not sure if there is a alternative to iAVS.

Best Regards...

[RejZoR]

Maybe it would be nice if kreng would define "how" iAVS doesn't work...

[ardvark]

Maybe it would be nice if kreng would define "how" iAVS doesn't work...

Hi RejZoR...

Is this what you were wanting to know...

"We also have multiple computers at home and for security reasons the one I use for Internet access has a different hardware and software configuration than the others and is not networked with them. For me iAVS doesn't work and it really sucks if I have to download 17 mb of installation files at dial-up speed every time I want to update the virus database."

Best Regards...

[RejZoR]

Well thats the entire database. Thats how it is. There is no way to bypass this except connecting those PC's online and use incrimental updating.

[alanrf]

the one I use for Internet access

if it has network access then there should be no good reason why iAVS cannot be made to work.  There are many avast users on dial up connections and successfully downloading the very small incremental update files.

[ardvark]

There is no way to bypass this except connecting those PC's online and use incrimental updating.

Hi RejZoR...

Hmmm, that's what I suspected hence my original message to kreng. Is it possible avast would be willing to provide incremental updates on the web site the same way the are downloaded normally?

Best Regards...

[RejZoR]

Thats not possible because incrimental updates don't work in offline mode. It's just not possible.

[kreng]

Thanks for your responses guys. I appreciate the feedback but I really need a package that will let me manually transfer database updates to off-line computers. I guess I will have to look elsewhere.

[DavidR]

You won't find it any different with other AVs, based on what RejZoR said they don't know at what state of update the off-line system is to be able to just grab that little bit. Their updates also rely on the computer being updated being connected.

Most don't cater well for off-line systems other than just download the complete database, in fact many don't even offer incremental updates for the on-line update. That is one of the things that annoy me about SuperAntiSpyware's updates being a dial-up user also.

[RejZoR]

Well, you can try copying this file (see below) from one computer (the one online) to another (offline one), but i doubt it'll work. This is the virus database file alright, but avast! will have to refresh the data about new signature somehow. Have no clue how. Maybe log off and log on again or system restart. Haven't tested this. Oh and you'll have to disable Self-Defense to pull this one off.

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\DATA\400.vps

[RejZoR]

Ok, i tested exactly what i suggested and it appears it works. I've used old installation from May 2008 in virtual machine. Copied 400.vps and clnr0.dll from host system to VM system and avast! showed signature date identical to the one on host system. And that even without system reboot. Now i don't know if everything works as it suppose to but it seems to be a good start.
Maybe ALWIL guys can tell us what files have to be copied in order to make it work properly for sure.

[Lisandro]

Is it possible avast would be willing to provide incremental updates on the web site the same way the are downloaded normally?

It's possible... but I think I've read that they won't go through this way and the only database available to download would be the full one.

Thats not possible because incrimental updates don't work in offline mode. It's just not possible.

Are you sure? Other antivirus has weekly and even monthly incremental databases...

[DavidR]

Ok, i tested exactly what i suggested and it appears it works.
<snip>
Maybe ALWIL guys can tell us what files have to be copied in order to make it work properly for sure.

Their input would be nice if this is a workable solution it would be very handy for those on dial-up (me included) if they could do an incremental update with the on-line system and transfer the files to off-line systems.