Author Topic: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.  (Read 12687 times)

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Scott274

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Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« on: December 17, 2011, 10:30:42 AM »
In Avast free antivirus preferences, can auto updating of engine & virus definitions be set to once a week like Saturday or Sunday, as an alternative for those who want to turn off automatic update in settings. If not please add this adjustment in future program update.

Offline CraigB

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2011, 10:49:44 AM »
I dont know if the updates limit will work at this time set but you can try to add 10080 to settings/updates/details.

Offline igor

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2011, 02:05:48 PM »
I'd say the question is - why would you want to turn off automatic updates, and stop being protected against the latest threats?

Offline DavidR

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2011, 02:42:40 PM »
In Avast free antivirus preferences, can auto updating of engine & virus definitions be set to once a week like Saturday or Sunday, as an alternative for those who want to turn off automatic update in settings. If not please add this adjustment in future program update.

I too can't understand why you would want to do this. If we knew then perhaps we could understand and possibly find an alternative work around.

The updates are incremental, so very small in size and duration.

I dont know if the updates limit will work at this time set but you can try to add 10080 to settings/updates/details.

Even if this setting did work, as far as I'm aware if you reboot the system, you would get an update check and then the duration countdown would start.
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ady4um

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2011, 03:36:18 PM »
Since the updates are cumulative, once avast detects several days (don't know how many) with no updates, when you actually let avast attempt an update (once a week) it will be forced to download the whole database, instead of just the little chunks.

Maybe once a week is not enough to trigger this behaviour (as mentioned, I don't know). My point is that updating at least once a day (change the setting from 240 minutes to 1440 minutes), it would be less than 4MB in 1 week. Against that, updating the complete database is 44MB.

I certainly would like much more flexibility in updates for the future avast 7, but updating once a week is so simple (tray icon, update), that seems a little "too lazy" :). Of course, the goal is not to forget about it, but then update every 1440 minutes (once a day) and really forget about it.

[OT, but not much]
@igor,
BTW, for avast 7, it would be nice if there would be some "schedule" and "rules" so to allow/block updates' attempts. For example, "don't attempt to update if the connection is not one specifically already selected"; or "allow updates' attempts between 8:00 - 12:00 only"; or "do not let updates' attempts between 15:00 - 18:00 and between 5:00 - 10:00".

An example of "schedule" allow/block could be something similar to the schedule rules of utorrent, just to give an example.

The utility of rules for specific connections is useful when using notebooks (and alike), so to allow updates under certain specific (high bandwidth, low cost) connections only, but block the attempt (as if it were set to "manual") if currently connected using a different (expensive) connection.

Just to be clear, "schedule" and "connection rules" mentioned above are not the same thing, but complement each other.
[/OT, but not much]

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2011, 06:01:36 PM »
it will be forced to download the whole database
It's always incremental (not whole database download), regardless the days you haven't updated.
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ady4um

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2011, 07:07:29 PM »
it will be forced to download the whole database
It's always incremental (not whole database download), regardless the days you haven't updated.

@Tech, are you 100% sure? I have read more than one post about cleaning up the old database (or as David call it, housekeeping) and about a "much" bigger download being performed after several days with no updates. I don't check it (nor track down), and I usually update automatically every day, so I can't confirm it with certainty.

Of course a bigger download is performed also when all updates are cumulative only, but it was always my understanding that once in awhile the database is "renewed", together with the clean up (probably not the whole 44MB of database in one only shot).

Unfortunately, I have not found any specific document or KB article with more specific descriptions or explanations.

Offline igor

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2011, 08:13:25 PM »
There is some logic implemented - and in case when the sum of the incremental updates were actually bigger than the whole database, the whole database is downloaded instead. But such a difference certainly shouldn't happen within a few days, but more like a month (of not updating) or so.

And no, there are no periodic "renewals" of the database, except for the extreme case mentioned above, the updates are always incremental.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2011, 08:15:59 PM by igor »

Offline Lisandro

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2011, 09:30:09 PM »
ady4um, Igor said much better than I.
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ady4um

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2011, 07:03:33 AM »
ady4um, Igor said much better than I.
It is always good to have a staff member round :)

Indeed :), we certainly receive more and clear info when Avast Team is active in the forum. What igor said puts some "order of magnitude". As I said, I didn't know what exactly triggers the threshold. Now we know. Thank you all.

Now, if the published size of the full VPS would be updated also (not 31MB, but more like 41MB+), that would be great :).

And if the "schedule" and "connection rules" would be implemented in avast 7, even better :).

Scott274

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2011, 02:12:08 PM »
I have a low-end PC & every time I connect to the internet Avast starts seeking updates consuming resources than when the auto update is set off. Not much it's a bit of an annoyance, but then it took me only half a minute to make this thread. There is a "turn auto updates off" button in Avast settings, just thought why not make it little better, should be a minor adjustment for you guys !?

ady4um

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2011, 02:59:47 PM »
Try setting avast main GUI -> settings -> updates -> update parameters -> "i only connect using dial up".

In the same tab, change the time from 240 minutes to 1440 minutes (as already mentioned before) for updates attempts once a day.

Other than that, you could set it to manual only, and simply connect once a week, click the tray icon and update the definitions for avast, whenever you want / need / feel convenient.

Scott274

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2011, 12:10:24 PM »
Try setting avast main GUI -> settings -> updates -> update parameters -> "i only connect using dial up".

In the same tab, change the time from 240 minutes to 1440 minutes (as already mentioned before) for updates attempts once a day.

How does that work exactly ? Is 1440 the max value that can be set effectively ?

I tried setting 10080 mins, but Avast still updates daily every time I connect to the internet lan. It would be easier if they had a simple "update once a week" option in settings. Weekly updates is alright for me. I usually manually update avast & comodo every saturday or sunday at the moment..

Offline Asyn

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2011, 12:18:59 PM »
Weekly updates is alright for me. I usually manually update avast & comodo every saturday or sunday at the moment..

Set avast! to manual update then. And click it once a week. ;)
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YoKenny

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Re: Setting Auto Updates to Once a Week.
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2011, 04:14:38 PM »
Weekly updates is alright for me. I usually manually update avast & comodo every saturday or sunday at the moment..

Set avast! to manual update then. And click it once a week. ;)
Maybe with a low-end PC running Comodo is too much for it. ???