VRDB not working?

[Cochise]

I installed Avast for the first time a few days on my pc using Win98SE and have been tackling problems one at a time. The question I have is how long does the vrdb process take? I have tried both the run when idle and run during screensaver and left my pc on overnight but the Avast scanner console always shows VRDB not done yet. The vrdb icon is never animated which I have read on some other posts that the vrdb is functioning but the icon is not. I have also set the run interval to 5 min to force a vrdb update but that did not work so I changed it back to 1 week. In the Avast4.ini file under vrdb shows last file "Winsock32.dll". I was not sure if it meant that the vrdb was completed and that was the last file and maybe I am just not getting a notification of the vrdb being completed. My drive does seem to be active during non-use. I have also performed a forced update of the Antivirus dat files and Avast program files but no luck. Is there a fix or should I try to re-install? I am also having problems with the Avast screen saver not letting me get to the options menu to scan during screensaver mode or not but that is going to be a new topic after I fix this one.

[techie101]

Cochise,

I will try to give you some guidance here.  Firstly, the VRDB can take awhile especially the first time it runs.  It needs to copy system files and depending on how extensive your files are, it may take from a few minutes to as long as 15-20.

The VRDB normally needs the system to be idle for about 5 minutes without any keystrokes for it to activate.  If you did a "force" and it did not work, we have to look elsewhere for a solution.
Since you cannot manually update the db or program, then I would suspect a connection problem to the asw server.

Are you operating behind a firewall or proxy?  Avast changes the server address to 127.0.01 so that it can scan emails.  You may need to add the asw server addresses into the "pass" file of a firewall.
Some users of IE have found that they needed to add the asw servers to the "approved" internet zones.

If the VRDB icon is not rotating, then it usually means that it isn't working.  You need to let the system idle for awhile, then watch the drive light on the computer.  If it blinks continuosly for a bit, then the VRDB is running.  If you right click on the A icon in the tray, and select About Avast, you should see the latest VPS (db) date.

Also, right clicking on the A icon and opening up Avast interface, the date of the last VRDB should show.  If it does not indicate a date, then it has not run.

I know that this sounds pretty general at this point, but you did not give much to go on.

The AVAST server address can be found in one of the boards threads.

Also, Avast does not like other anti-virus software running with it.  Avast must be the only av on the machine

Let me know what happens.

Have you tried a reinstall yet?  I don't recommend it right off the bat, but I need to know if it has been tried.  

Thanks

 

[Cochise]

I should have worded my post a little differently. I did perform a program update+virus update. That works fine. I just meant "no luck" with solving the vrdb problem. I did let my pc sit idle for over 15 min w/o any keystrokes and the Icon did not become animated but the drive light did flicker every now and then. I also had my pc on all night with no screen saver active. Like I said, I have tried both the screensaver mode and idle modes but neither seem to work. Vrdb always displays "not done yet". I am using Zone Alarm but I can send and receive mail through Avasts mail scanner. E-mail works great. Just vrdb does not function.

[Cochise]

I did a re-install yesterday and everything seems to be working fine. I will have to keep an eye out next Monday to see if vrdb fires up again. Thanks for the advice.