Okay, I KNOW I am NOT imagining this. Well, on the first occurrences I thought maybe I was. But, after yesterday evening I’m quite sure I am not.
For a period of time now, I’m quite certain that I have seen the download of some Virus Definitions Updates take place TWICE. No, I’m not talking about the audio indication of a Virus Definitions Update being played twice.
For example, this is what I’m talking about.
Yesterday afternoon, I’m quite certain I saw the 120905-1 Virus Definitions Update take place, which took any eternity as it was. Then later on in the evening, my computer again gets that sluggish feeling and the Hard Drive LED is virtually ON constantly. So, I eventually deduced, “Okay, avast is downloading another Virus Definitions Update. I’d better just wait and let it do its thing.” After another eternity, finally the Green Popup floats up and lo & behold, it was the SAME 120905-1 Virus Definitions Update to which I had also seen a Green Popup earlier.
Like I said, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this happen on other occasions as well. What the heck is going on?
Is this possible? Has anyone else encountered this?
I saw this morning’s 120907-0 Update take place.
I’ll do my best to try and see if there are more of those Double Updates.
It doesn’t happen all the time.
I can’t say with 100% certainty whether it’s really been happening only since upgrading to 7.0.1466.
I do seem to get the feeling though that Virus Definitions Updates now take longer to download. I remember after that Virus Definitions consolidation bit that was done some time back, the downloads had gone from around 15 minutes … down to like 5 minutes. Now things are back to that same 15 minutes or so.
Anyway, I’ll update things here if I happen to encounter another instance of being quite sure that there was a Double Update.
I suppose one needs to be reminded how lucky they are. Your post, Chim, about taking 5 minutes to do the virus definition update has me realizing I’m lucky with my ADSL connection. I’m pretty sure you are using a dial-up connection, right? That AOL tool there seems to be mainly for dial-up folks, yes?
And that “5-minutes” point sort of pushes me to offer an idea that came to mind when I read your original post. Is there any chance that you sometimes lose the Net connection during the updating? It needs to be confirmed by a pro around here, but if you do, it might explain what is causing the ‘occasional’ repeat of the same update. Could be only a split second loss and only noticed by a change in the IP address.
But it’s just an idea. Needs one of the pros around here to confirm, or refute.
Okay, I just had another one of those WEIRD incidents.
I KNEW for a FACT that I had already had at least 1 Virus Definitions Update earlier today.
And just now, after another one of those eternities of my Hard Drive LED being constantly ON and my Hard Drive churning away … FINALLY the avast Virus Definitions Update Popup floats up. And what does it inform me? It informs me that my avast has been updated to 120908-0.
I immediately went … Whoa Whoa WHOA! Hold your horses there buster. What the … is going on here?
How the blazes could I have already had an avast Virus Definitions Update earlier today and yet you have the gall to now tell me that my avast has just been updated to 120908-0?
To make matters worse, I immediately went to the avast GUI to check what my avast was actually officially updated to.
And as per my avast GUI, it was at 120908-1.
So how … WHY was there that time-consuming Virus Definitions Update hogging up my computer time … supposedly updating my avast to 120908-0 when my avast is actually already at 120908-1?
Anyway, the thing is …
My logic would be — If on any occasion the Green avast Virus Definitions Update Popup has already floated up and informed me that an avast Virus Definitions Update has been successfully downloaded and installed … I would think the avast Program would have things under control. That in that regardless of any Dial Up disconnect, the avast Program would know at any given time what the latest Update is that my avast has vs. what’s available.
And it’s even worse with the last incident that I described where presumably my avast Virus Definitions were just updated a while ago … to a version lower than the latest version available. And then my avast GUI indicates that my avast is actually already updated to a higher version than the last Update that just finished taking place.
I wonder if this doesn’t have something to do with the fact that I use those manual, BULK Virus Definitions Updates after performing avast reinstalls?
Could using those BULK Updates possibly result in 2 sets of Virus Definitions or even partial 2 sets of Virus Definitions?
Then maybe those 2 sets of Virus Definitions would get updated at different times?
Are those BULK Virus Definitions Updates supposed to install OVER the existing Virus Definitions of the avast Setup File after an install?
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! This is friggin’ ridiculous! It happened AGAIN!
I KNOW for a FACT that I have already had at least another avast Virus Definitions Update earlier today on this September 9th Sunday.
Yet just now in the evening, I have just had ANOTHER 120909-0 Virus Definitions Update hijack / HOG my computer for an eternity … when my avast GUI says I’m up to 120909-1. This is … well, I don’t want to use that kind of language. But, I cannot afford to be having to endure these DOUBLE hoggings of my computer everyday with the SAME Update.
Since you have dialup, I’d do manual updates. That’s what I do. It gives you a lot more control over when updates come in and you can monitor what it’s doing very closely. For the problem you seem to be having with double updates, each time you get an update, write the version number down. I know you said you know for a fact that it’s sending you the same one twice, but having it in writing is better than relying on memory. Do manual updates for a couple of days, watch everything closely, and see what it’s doing. If it keeps sending doubles, it might be time for a clean install of Avast.
This morning I witnessed the 120910-0 Update and the GUI at that time also matched the same Update.
So, later today, specially late in the afternoon or evening, I’d better not get another 120910-0 Update or else I’m gonna go ballistic, be fit to be tied and start wreaking havoc. For whatever that’s worth. ;D
I think sometime between tomorrow and Wednesday, I’ll have a chance to use my niece’s High Speed Internet.
I’ll download avast 7.0.1466 again AND the latest Bulk Virus Definitions Update.
I’ll perform a clean reinstall regardless of what happens between now and then.
I’ve contemplated downgrading to 7.0.1456 or whatever the previous version was.
Anyone remember which version was the one that definitely had serious MEMORY LEAKS?
I want to make sure that if it still exists in my Flash Drive, I want to make sure to delete it.