s the update server down, or is it my computer acting up?
The update server works fine here.
Anyone in the USA having trouble updating. I keep getting an error that the server is down.
I doubt that the whole of the USA is having a problem, possibly your ISP, have you another connection. The web is designed to route around local problems.
Although I’m in the UK I was able to update earlier.
Which server? Can you access the server in your browser?
Make sure your Hosts file are not infected.
Some trojans put AV’s update servers in them so you would not be able to update.
I cannot update my virus bases. I keep getting an error that the server is down. How can I check my settings?
I’m running a scan now. Is there any way to see if my connection is the problem? I can access the internet fine via DSL. Maybe I mistakenly changed a setting that is messing it up.
If you have WinXP, open C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts with notepad. (This should also work with NT systems I suppose.)
If you have Win9x, open C:\Windows\Hosts with notepad.
After you open those files with notepad, make sure there are no entries pointing Avast’s update servers to an invalid IP.
Also have a look at Ad-Aware and scan your computer for any spywares.
http://www.lavasoftusa.com
In addition, take a look at HiJackThis from Merijn:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
Good Luck! 
P.S. Are you able to download VPS updates from here?
http://www.avast.com/i_kat_69.html
It’s working fine for me. Have you tried just rebooting your computer and/or internet?
I was able to update over the internet using the link you gave me. This means my settings are messed up. I will take your advice and investigate.
Another thing to look at is server.def in C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup .
I’m not that tech smart to make those checks.
It is actually quite easy to check server.met for infection.
- Open Notepad (Start → Run → notepad → OK)
- Select File → Open
- Put the following in your Filename text field:
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\Setup\servers.def
then click Open.
Skim through the file and make sure no servers there are suspicious.
P.S. It seems that Avast’s official files contain a signature at the bottom that makes sure the file(s) are valid. I don’t think Avast would update with a failed sig check, but it’s good to check.
You could also try the following:
- Click Start → Run → command → OK
- Type ping download1.avast.com
then press Enter.
If the above fails, try ping 66.98.166.72 instead.
Tried them all…still no good. Is there any way reinstall without changing my current settings (email & such)?
Could you post some results here? The PING test?
It seens as if the pings worked 0% failure on both. (4 0f 4 and 3 of 3)
If you tried ping download1.avast.com, does it return the same IP address (the numbers) I gave you on the second one?
Have you tried reconnecting to the Internet?
I’m going to restart my connection after the scan is done. I’ll just reinstall it if that doesn’t fix it. It’s taking too lang as it is. It’s faster to install again.
If you do a reinstall (uninstall then reinstall - not repair), make sure you are doing a clean install and clean leftovers by Avast before installing the new version.
From my experience, I don’t have any bad leftovers by Avast so I think you are alright.
Good Luck!
Just a note, if PING Avast Server fails on your system, most likely is that reinstalling the application will not help. Seems more like an Internet connection problem to me.