I Understand -- But A Word, Advice, and Plea to Avast

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Mistakes happen, but Avast, as any company, should advise their user/customer base, release an official word within hours, instead of leaving us in the dark, guessing, letting us duke it out here as best we can, trying to find solutions or workarounds.

That said, I like self-reliance, and we, people here, did very well, I think, and I feel I might as well thank everyone who posted here reporting either the issue or any solution, hint, advice, and idea: the community here did very well.

Avast, in their ‘official silence,’ being mum on the subject, and not offering an official resolution or workaround, did not – community 1, Avast 0, in this match: an Avast fail.

It’s the first one I can think of (apart from very few and very minor issues now and then) so I won’t make too much of it and won’t ditch their software (as long as it’s fixed sooner rather than later).

I just hope this isn’t the first of many, and a sign of things to come, or of the company’s general policy and (lack of) response, because keeping quiet about any issue relating to security can be risky, costly, especially if it’s paired with complacency, or if protecting their status quo and their earnings overrides security concerns (Avast is in the business of security after all!), and they repeatedly decide to keep quiet about an issue until it’s fixed, or forever, rather than risk a blip of bad publicity by acknowledging and advising users about it officially.

That’s all, my “two cents” addressed to Avast – snafus occur, just be upfront about them with an official word, and be quick about it, respond within a couple of hours, along with the official posting on the official site of any workarounds and measures suggested, as soon as they’re found and tested. Not expecting the impossible, and no reasonable person would.

2

Why have you posted this here instead of the original topic your post is related to ???

3

Heh, answered already in its own thread, and was about to modify and make suitable. (A post submission glitch, and attention divided, I didn’t notice the result till done). Sorry about that. I’ll edit and move the strictly relevant portion of the post where it belongs, and leave here the post content that fits the title only.

4

I agree with you 100% and as far as I know the problem has not yet been fixed. My AIS has yet to update today.

5

IMHO, I think this new thread on this problem is a good idea, given that the content has a different message. It increases visibility to the folks at Avast, and the subject says it all. :wink:

6

Thanks for that, GTX – and Mossy, too, about the thread being a good idea.
(Funny, I was just about to post the following along the same lines and in reply to GTX, got called away and busy, and then I find your post in support. :~)

Maybe it’s good to let Avast know we’re not upset because a mistake occurred (they happen). We only wish for a quick official reaction and advisory (so we know what we’re up against, prepared), and, ideally, a workaround published through official sources as soon as there is one and is tested and proven to work (and do more good than harm, hopefully).

I still like the products, free and paid versions, both. I like the way the program behaves generally, I like its relatively small footprint / low resources used, the user-configurable controls and options, including (the lack of) intrusiveness that it allows, even the graphical interface, its design – just about everything, I suppose – so yes, I like Avast.

(And same here, by the way, just now checked via the regular update, we’re still on version 121003-1 at the moment.)

7

Please be patient…There is major problem…Igor already mentioned.

8

I have been an avast! user for close to three years. I have never had a security related problem with any released avast! product, other than their Linux one. Now admittedly I do not use all of the features of avast! AIS like sandboxing (as opposed to auto-sandboxing) and safezone but as far as the basic core security goes I have never had a security related problem with any released version of avast!

Many of the problems posted on this forum are not even avast! related but are Windows or 3rd party related. Not all of them but many.

avast! software is not a miracle product. It is a very good security product that in my experience protects Windows 7 and Windows 8 without any security related problems. As far as XP goes even though it is supported by avast! XP is an archaic outdated OS which should be upgraded by every Windows user who is using it. My guess from reading the problems posted on this forum is that new avast! releases are designed primarily for Windows 7 and Windows 8. While new avast! releases will will work with XP from what I have seen on this forum too many of the posted problems are on XP systems. The only reason for anyone to continue to use XP is because they cannot afford to purchase a new computer that will run Windows 7, period.

9

“The only reason for anyone to continue to use XP is because they cannot afford to purchase a new computer that will run Windows 7, period.” You know that for a fact?

10

Maybe, Nesivos, maybe. I’ll grant you some of what you say (if not all) – for one thing, as I said before, I do like the Avast (avast!) products I have and am using.

The issue I was trying to address in these posts wasn’t even the quality of efficacy of the products themselves, in general (which I like), as I still use them, and will continue to use them unless they plain stop working (in which case, obviously, I’d have no choice but to pick an alternative among the many).

Instead, it was the way it seems to have been handled, without an official word of warning and advisory, and the effect such a silent treatment might have on the efficacy of a product that depends on timely information and updates. That’s all.

And that’s not a major issue either, in and of itself. Not yet.

As long as it’s a single occurrence, a blip, that too is OK. I just hope it doesn’t and won’t reflect official policy going forward, and future handling of such events (glitches, bugs, etc.). Because they can happen, and whatever can happen, most likely will happen, eventually, now and then; you can prevent many accidents, but not all; “sh*t happens,” right? We all know that (or should).

The word of advice and the plea is in hopes of preventing it from becoming a habit, maybe part of an unspoken but practised company policy or established modus operandi when it comes to dealing with issues like the current virus definition (or software engine) update.

Simple as that. I don’t expect miracles, Nesivos, and I don’t know that anyone does (I think we’re all aware that the mess might hit the fan at times, and things might go wrong).

I don’t have illusions or expectations of Avast being a miracle product – only a good one worth using, and maybe safeguarding, too.

And worth posting about, and for, in hopes of trying to see to it that the product remains effective, and something as simple (and avoidable) as poor communication with the customer / user base doesn’t compromise its effectiveness in the future, of safeguarding us, which is the software’s primary purpose (or sole purpose, as far as that user base is concerned).

I’m not overly impatient either, True Indian. :wink: (But I do hope we’ll get a fix eventually. And that it won’t involve another round of multiple-system uninstall - reinstall procedures. O.o :slight_smile:

(Incidentally, addressing the gist of your post, Nesivos, regarding Windows and third-party products and incompatibilities, and for the sake of ‘full disclosure,’ since it’s relevant: I myself run Windows 7 almost exclusively, with only two desktops still running under Windows XP, and those two are strictly stand-alone island PCs, permanently offline, no longer and never connected to the net or networked in any way – mostly test and software compatibility platforms.

Anyway, Nesivos, “the only reason for anyone to continue to use XP is because they cannot afford to purchase a new computer that will run Windows 7, period” – that may not be the case, and there could be a “comma – or” instead of “period.” Right?.. ;~)

11

The fix is already there in version 121004-0 released recently.

12

Indeed. Done. Thanks for the heads-up, David.

(And my point remains. :wink: Communication is still important.)

13

Well the auto update function would have picked this up as it did on my other system, no intervention required on my part.

14

I did just pick up 121005-0 automatically. Rapid-fire updates – all’s well and back in order right now.

15

I have Avast set to auto-update but for the past 2 days I haven’t gotten a popup and have had to a manual update. Just did one and now have 121006-0.

Why is auto-update not working?

Would appreciate it if someone who actually knows about this problem would reply.

Thank you.

16

has it been 4 hours since lats update check ? was latest VPS released after last check ?

leave the program alone for a week, if it then has not done a auoupdate during that week then come back and ask again

17

auto update still not working so once again did a manual update…121006-1 . I would think that someone from Avast would find out what the problem is and fix it. I’m about ready to ditch Avast and find a different anti-virus program that actually works and not have to wonder whether or not my computer is protected.

18

I’m not seeing the issue here.
AIS has been ‘auto’ updating consistently with no problem on my OS. 8)

19

Same here with Avast! free. No problems to auto-update.

20

Why isn’t it auto updating for all Avast users? Still isn’t for me.