Status Bar Monitor BUG

[ady4um]

First, an update. I am still testing the situation in #B above ("ask") with the current stable version. It took more than my default 4 hours (but much less than 8 hours), but a tray notification asking me to update finally showed up. I'm "assuming" it will be displayed "on time" from now on.

So now we are again only on the main issue: "Settings -> Status Bar -> Virus definitions version".

I'll continue testing the "ask" (option #B above), by not applying the database updates (which is part of what I did before testing previous versions).

There is little point in making assumptions, first it is an area of 'what does the term mean' and then if it follows my understanding of it meaning out of date, then it is a case of what is considered out of date 1 day, 2 days, 3 days a week like the WSC/WAC.

Well, we already (somehow) agreed that Avast waiting 7 days (as Windows already does) just to show "unsecured" and an exclamation mark is already a risk.

There is no logical reason for Avast to purposely wait 7 days. Moreover, during 7 days the "your system is secured" message over Avast's tray icon is displayed, and this message is false (in the sense of the original intention of that message). If Windows wants to wait 7 days, let it; Avast shouldn't.

I know if you have the virus database out of date for a few days you are likely to get the avast tooltip 'Your system is not fully secured' when you hover over the avast tray icon. Or you may see that in the avastUI, Summary screen when opened, I have seen that in my netbook if I haven't used it foe a few days.

Though I can't recall the duration or if the yellow exclamation mark was displayed.

In the main GUI, I have seen it too, not after 7 days but immediately (when in "ask"). No exclamation mark and no "unsecured" over the tray icon though.

Well, clearly I am willing to test this, as I've been doing it for several releases now, but I don't think that waiting 7 days with no database update is useful (and I'm not going to feel "secured", in spite the tray message). At minimum, Avast Team should tell first "yes, it should work after x days / hours / updates / whatever situation triggers it".

But I'd say that I've seen users reporting that their database is not being updated. Of course, they say they discovered this "by accident", and they request help on how to resolve this issue. Whichever amount of time passed since their last database update, I have not seen any report mentioning the exclamation mark or some active tray notification from Avast about their system being unsecured. That's the whole point of this setting!!! And it's not effectively working.

So, whether this is only being triggered after 7 days (IMO, should be much much much less than that), or whether this setting is not working at all (very possible too), this should be corrected and improved.

I am still waiting for an Avast Team member to clarify this situation, and I think it is not *that much* to expect.

[ady4um]

So, no Avast Team member is willing to add any comment about such a simple (failing) setting, even when here is a user testing it?

[ady4um]

UPDATE Just For General Information

Inspite of the complete absence of Avast Team members giving ANY kind of answer , or at least a contribution to the issue, I kept testing.

As said, using "manual" updates, Avast is not checking for available updates anymore, as it used to (before 6.0.1289). I'm OK with this (not specifically logged) changed, and might be very useful in several situations.

Now, with "ask", the availability of updates is still performed and informed, both in tray notifications and in the main GUI (using the correspondent settings).

Under these settings, if the updates are not applied, it took me more than a complete day (but less than 48hs) to finally see the "unsecured", both in the main GUI and over the tray icon. Since Windows Security (Action) Center is set to be triggered after several days more, the "unsecured" is only on Avast side (not Windows). This also demonstrates that the 2 "unsecured" are different and independent from each other.

It is still not clear what exactly triggers the "unsecured" status. It may be a combination of several possible items (and talking here about engine and database updates; program updates influence not tested):

_ time since latest applied update;
_ number of reboots;
_ number of update attempts;
_ number of updates available since the currently (older) applied database.

So, the "unsecured" is triggered "somehow, at some (unknown) time". It is still not clear which conditions trigger it. And of course, I still think it takes "too long" for it to be triggered.

[ady4um]

UPDATE:

Although probably not many forum members care about this (as seen from the lack of posts from devs), here is an additional update.

For the exclamation mark and "unsecured" over Avast tray icon to be displayed, the time that passed since the previous database was actually applied is not a variable.

I kept testing this issue, and after more than 48 hours since my previous database update, there is no "unsecured".

So, Status Bar monitoring of "Virus definitions version" is NOT (effectively) related to time. What exactly might trigger the "unsecured" and the exclamation mark for this specific setting is still a mystery to me.