Error on Update

system · 2007-07-30T11:42:02.000Z

Well yes - it’s CCleaner, but I have the options set to only clean temp files older than 48 hours. As attached…

Edit: CCleaner cleans automatically on start-up. Could it be ‘bumping into Avast’ in some way? Still can’t see why it would cause a problem with the ‘48 hour age restriction’ in place, but just a thought…

Vlk · 2007-07-30T12:20:50.000Z

That would explain it (even though, as you pointed out, the ‘only older than 48 hours’ should prevent this from happening).

According to the log, it seems that the avast updater creates a temp folder, and then, when it tries to download some files to it, is doesn’t exist anymore…

Try disabling CCleaner for a while and see if it resolves the problem.

It seems that we could also “fix” this on our side – by creating a file in the folder and opening it so that no process could delete it (and so the folder itself, too).
That’s what we’re doing e.g. in case of the WebShield temp folder.

Thanks
Vlk

system · 2007-07-30T12:46:35.000Z

Vlk post:6:

That would explain it (even though, as you pointed out, the ‘only older than 48 hours’ should prevent this from happening).

According to the log, it seems that the avast updater creates a temp folder, and then, when it tries to download some files to it, is doesn’t exist anymore…

Try disabling CCleaner for a while and see if it resolves the problem.

It seems that we could also “fix” this on our side – by creating a file in the folder and opening it so that no process could delete it (and so the folder itself, too).
That’s what we’re doing e.g. in case of the WebShield temp folder.

Thanks
Vlk

OK, it would be useful if you could fix it as you described - thus consistent with the way you do it for the WebShield folder, as you say. In the meantime I’ll uncheck ‘Temporary Files’ in CCleaner.

Thanks

system · 2007-07-30T13:56:21.000Z

auto update.
have nothing to worry about.
attention:do not delete the avst`s temp folder careless ;D

system · 2007-07-30T14:01:34.000Z

xiaochugang post:8:

auto update.
have nothing to worry about.
attention:do not delete the avst`s temp folder careless ;D

CCleaner is a well regarded, useful program that’s doing it’s job. You will note the Vlk acknowledges that it shouldn’t be happening due to the settings I’m using - which is not careless, and this is something that Alwil can fix. In other words, it’s as much down to the way Avast is creating the Temp folder as it is to user control.

alanrf · 2007-07-30T18:57:38.000Z

Just adding a little reality check here.

Jem, you told us back in January of this year that you were running CCleaner on startup to clear temp files. Have you changed the way CCleaner runs recently?

Have the startup problems been happening all this time or have they appeared more recently?

system · 2007-07-30T20:09:51.000Z

alanrf post:10:

Just adding a little reality check here.

Jem, you told us back in January of this year that you were running CCleaner on startup to clear temp files. Have you changed the way CCleaner runs recently?

Have the startup problems been happening all this time or have they appeared more recently?

I’m still running CCleaner as I was - nothing has changed in that respect. But, I ‘took a break from Avast’ - did the rounds, wasn’t satisfied and came back to Avast just very recently. So, yes, I had the update issue on the laptop then if I remember rightly, but now I have the problem on two machines, and more frequently than before. Two things may also have changed:

The number / type of taskbar apps I load at start-up is probably different - maybe more.
Can’t be sure without checking the CCleaner change log but there have been modifications to that over that time.

I think in the end Vlk’s answer makes sense. CCleaner is clearing files that ‘should not be required’ (the 48 hour restriction should ensure that temp files required on reboot are not removed). Other apps I have that use temp files as a matter of course do (as Vlk suggests) protect them and prevent them from being deleted. So, to be honest, even if CCleaner / timing issues thereof are exacerbating the problem, it is a fix that should probably come from Alwil in the way Vlk suggests.

Anyway, having taken a break from Avast, small ‘glitches’ aside, I’m happy to be using the product. I have workarounds, as suggested, that I’m happy with until Vlk (or someone else) comes up with something better.

Thanks

alanrf · 2007-07-30T20:29:43.000Z

More frequently?

How frequently? Does this happen on every startup every day ? Can you update VPS manually?

I did quite a bit of testing on exactly this error a year ago (I raised CCleaner as a possibility then … nothing much has changed since in avast’s handling of the problem) and still we see reports of it.

I’ve since come to the conclusion that CCleaner is probably not the problem; I doubt that CCleaner was deleting files for the three minutes in the log you posted every time avast created them. Lots of people use CCleaner and avast and we do not see all of them reporting the problem.

I do have a couple of suggestions that may help … but I need the answer to the above questions first please.

Vlk · 2007-07-30T20:32:25.000Z

Not every three minutes – I’d rather say that the FOLDER where the files were to be created did not exist (the folder is created when avast.setup started).
This seem like an easy “fix” on our side (that is, not really a fix, rather a work around) - let me see what we can do…

Thanks
Vlk

system · 2007-07-30T20:46:42.000Z

alanrf post:12:

More frequently?

How frequently? Does this happen on every startup every day ? Can you update VPS manually?

I did quite a bit of testing on exactly this error a year ago (I raised CCleaner as a possibility then … nothing much has changed since in avast’s handling of the problem) and still we see reports of it.

I’ve since come to the conclusion that CCleaner is probably not the problem; I doubt that CCleaner was deleting files for the three minutes in the log you posted every time avast created them. Lots of people use CCleaner and avast and we do not see all of them reporting the problem.

I do have a couple of suggestions that may help … but I need the answer to the above questions first please.

Hard to be exact: I can only say that over the last couple of weeks, whenever I start the machine(s), if there is an update ‘waiting’, it always occurs. Yes, I have always been able to update manually with no problem.

system · 2007-07-30T20:48:56.000Z

Vlk post:13:

Not every three minutes – I’d rather say that the FOLDER where the files were to be created did not exist (the folder is created when avast.setup started).
This seem like an easy “fix” on our side (that is, not really a fix, rather a work around) - let me see what we can do…

Thanks
Vlk

Thanks…

alanrf · 2007-07-30T20:51:55.000Z

While the avast team thinks …

Try the recommendation in this post (you may want to try 120 seconds as the delay).

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29564.0

Let us know if it makes any difference.

alanrf · 2007-07-30T20:53:51.000Z

Vlk,

some time ago in the forum I made a similar suggestion to that you are now considering. It was not well received.

system · 2007-07-30T22:03:02.000Z

alanrf post:16:

While the avast team thinks …

Try the recommendation in this post (you may want to try 120 seconds as the delay).

http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=29564.0

Let us know if it makes any difference.

I had no AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds entry in avast4.ini so I added it as below. Is this correct? Do I leave the other entries ‘as is’?

If I don’t respond any further to this thread it’s because I’m away for a week with no web access. Let me know tonight on the avast.ini question if you can, otherwise I’ll catch up next week.

Thanks

DavidR · 2007-07-30T22:17:45.000Z

Well I would say No it isn’t correct mainly because one seems to contradict the other (but I could be wrong, often ;D), AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 effectively says you don’t have an always connected internet connection, so I don’t know if it would then ignore the AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120 command.

I would say AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 (yes/on) would be correct.

The trick would be monitoring when the check is made. Since there are quite frequent VPS updates if you set that to Ask rather than auto update for VPS you would see the notification of update. When you see that check the duration you have been on-line it should be greater than two minutes.

system · 2007-07-30T22:30:19.000Z

DavidR post:19:

Well I would say No it isn’t correct mainly because one seems to contradict the other (but I could be wrong, often ;D), AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 effectively says you don’t have an always connected internet connection, so I don’t know if it would then ignore the AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120 command.

I would say AssumeAlwaysConnected=1 (yes/on) would be correct.

The trick would be monitoring when the check is made. Since there are quite frequent VPS updates if you set that to Ask rather than auto update for VPS you would see the notification of update. When you see that check the duration you have been on-line it should be greater than two minutes.

I agree (I think…!). Always connected is now ‘on’ in ‘Settings’, checked avast4.ini and that line now reads ‘1’ as expected. I’ll see what happens…

system · 2007-07-30T23:14:30.000Z

I’m a bit confused…

I’m happy to try all these things but…Vlk says “…I’d rather say that the FOLDER where the files were to be created did not exist…” So, what has the timing setting in avast4.ini got to do with that? That’s clearly why he, and I, thought CCleaner’s ‘Windows Temp File’ purging is the problem. alanrf - you say you suggested something before around ‘protecting’ this folder…? Presumably you could see it as a problem then - what is the connection between that and what you asked me to try with avast4.ini?

Sorry if I’m not seeing this clearly - just seemed that maybe we were at ‘cross-purposes’…

Thanks

alanrf · 2007-07-30T23:31:14.000Z

David & Jem,

I have an always on cable connection.

I just did some testing that shows that if the network is on then the AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 does not matter.

The default for avast is to delay 30 seconds from system start to look to see if there is a VPS update. With the above setting AssumeAlwaysConnected=0 avast still did that. With the addition of AlwaysConnectedWaitSeconds=120 then avast waited 120 seconds after system start before it performed the check for VPS update.

DavidR · 2007-07-30T23:37:03.000Z

Thanks Alan, something I couldn’t test not having broadband.

alanrf · 2007-07-30T23:46:23.000Z

Jem,

Vlk appears to have accepted the point I made that something (just possibly CCleaner) is locking access to the Windows temporary folder at the same time that avast is coming in at restart and trying to create a temporary folder to hold the files it will create during the VPS update process.

If this theory is correct then because access is locked the temporary folder does not get created and avast goes on trying to put files into the temporary folder and fails (because the folder did not get created) and you see the errors messages you saw in the log.

What Vlk is contemplating is similar to what they do in other situations already in avast. The intent would be to make sure that they really can write to the Windows temporary folder and create the temporary folder they need before they proceed any further.

The more interesting part of the conversation Vlk will be having with the team is the part that has not been mentioned yet. What if (as in the case in your system) avast cannot create the temporary file - what to do then?

It can wait a while and try again. What if it still cannot work then? Eventually it needs to tell the user there is a problem if the situation persists. (In reality we know it does not last for long because in almost every report of this problem the user can perform a manual update).

The workaround I have recommended to you is not in any way at cross purposes with this - indeed it is totally in line with this. It is delaying the avast update process until whatever has locked the access to the Windows temporary folder is out of the way and it will allow avast to create the temporary files.

Announcements