Yesterday, I ran a boot time scan; everything seemed to go fine and the scan completed without issue. After windows started and the main avast! program loaded up, the avast! orb had the yellow notice icon in the system tray. I clicked on the icon to see what was going on and the summary page had a notice next to the definitions version saying it was out of date (at the time the version was 110801-1). I have avast! set to auto update, which had been working until that point. I clicked on maintenance to see if the update screen would give me any more info. The engine and virus definitions section listed my version of the definitions (110801-1) as out of date and the current version as ffffff-ff (literally, a string of "f"s with a dash in there).
I was a bit confused and didn’t really want to update to database version fffffff, so I restarted the computer. After the restart, windows and avast! loaded up normally and the avast! GUI listed my database (still 110801-1) as current. I clicked for a manual update and the GUI responded with the usual “your definitions are already up to date” message.
Since this happened, I’ve ran a couple scans that went normally and the definitions have updated automatically with no issue (I also ran a MBAM scan that came up clean). The installer I had used was for program version 6.0.1125, which I then updated to 1203 via the GUI. The MD5 of the installer matches the one listed on filehippo.
I’m wondering if anyone else has seen this issue before? My concern is that it may be indicative of a problem with my installation. This was the only time I’ve ever had this happen, so I’m hoping its just a fluke.
If anyone has seen this or has some info you could give me, please let me know. All input is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Try a repair of avast:
XP - Add Remove programs, select ‘avast! Anti-Virus,’ click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow.
Vista, win7 - Control Panel, Programs & Features, uninstall a program, select ‘avast! Anti-Virus,’ click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow.
You may need to reboot after the repair. This has in the past resolved this out of sync issue between reported and actual VPS version.
By the “Functionality is pretty much the same,” do you mean it is reported as being out of date but the manual update reports it is up to date ?
If so you could try this before resorting to a clean reinstall:
Avast! Manual Virus Definitions Update Download - avast! Virus Definitions Update - Manual Download VPS Update (virus definitions, vpsupd.exe, approx 42MB). - Save the file to your hard disk, locate where you saved it and double click it and that should carry out the virus definitions update.
Note: Ignore the file name in the images of the page that is displayed after clicking the download link, they are for the main program, not for vpsupd.exe which will be downloaded.
Although the info from DavidR is correct (as usual), IMHO all this is not really necessary.
Is your computer now behaving correctly and as expected? Is Avast working and behaving as expected? Is the info about being secured and up-to-date correct?
If I understood correctly, the answer is “yes”. So, why this happend? I don’t know, but maybe a more “pragmatical” approach could be “let’s wait until it happens again” (if ever).
If this happens again, then maybe a new report/feedback from you here in the forum can help ID the problem (or what triggers it).
Of course you are free to Clean Uninstall Avast. I’m just saying that, if this was a one time / occurrence problem, and now it is over, then is there any real reason to un/re -install?
Well we don’t know if his system is functioning correctly as he didn’t say that and hence my question at the start of the post and the conditional action if it isn’t, so we really need a response before saying what is necessary or not.
I might not have been too clear in my first post, sorry about that.
Yes, avast! currently looks and behaves normally now and all areas of the GUI report the program as up to date.
This was something that happened once following a boot time scan, and, upon reboot of the system, appears to have gone away. I just wanted to check with some more knowledgeable folks before I called it good or made any adjustments.
I was just really confused by the message saying that it was out of date and the current database was “ffffff-ff”. Is the “f” sequence just part of the “out of sync” issue that sometimes comes up for some people?
Should I not have run the repair function? ???
Since the problem isn’t ongoing, I guess this is more of a request for info regarding what may have happened and if I should be worried that my program isn’t working properly.
I’m very sorry if I wasn’t clear earlier.
Any further input is appreciated. Thanks again for the replies, guys.
I’ve had the exact same thing happen on my system about 4 or 5 times since I’ve been using Avast 5 and 6, and I’ve had no reason to suspect that it’s anything other than a minor, harmless glitch. Whenever it says “ffffff-ff”, I simply do a manual virus definitions update and everything seems to be normal again. You can do a clean re-install if you want, but honestly, I don’t think it’s necessary.
It’s good to know I’m not the only one who’s seen this particular issue. I’ve read threads about peoples updating being “out of sync” , as DavidR put it, but I hadn’t seen anything about the ffffff-ff message before. Does anyone know if this is a typical message that just comes along with the “out of sync” issue?
Again, I’d just like to confirm that running the repair function when it may not have been necessary won’t adversely affect the program.
As usual, all input is appreciated. Thanks again for the replies, guys.
The ‘Out of sync’ as I have been calling it could well be down to be down to corruption and the same could be true of this as it is unable to read the virus definitions version correctly.
The use of the repair function should have no adverse effect, as essentially it is checking for correct settings and files are in place and pass confirmation/checksums, etc…
Whether it be a fluke or hiccup, it shouldn’t be a regular occurrence. But you know know the things to do in the order to do them (to hopefully resolve it without too much drama): manual update from the avastUI; Reboot; avast! repair; download full virus definitions; if no change reinstall.
Even if the VPS is being incorrectly reported I believe the program should still run as normal.
The avast! repair should have no adverse effect it either fixes the problem or it is something that couldn’t be fixed and the condition would still exist.
avast! has auto-updated itself now several times since this incident occurred and all functions run and report normally. Looks like this shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks again for helping me out, DavidR. I appreciate it.
I have had this exact same thing happen too, constantly_confused, though it wasn’t after a bootscan. (Actually I have never done a bootscan). I downloaded Avast! about 5-6 weeks ago, and it has happened about 5 times in that time (including the string of fs in the maintenace > update window). The last time it happened was this morning after waking the computer up from sleep mode, though it’s happened during periods of normal use too.
Like turmoyle2000 - each time this has happened I have manually update the VDF, and this has returned everything back to normal. Also, each time after manually updating after this error, Avast! has reported the the VDFs were already up-to-date.
This is the only glitch I’ve had with Avast! - it has run as smooth as silk for me otherwise.
Its good to hear I’m not alone in having this hiccup.
If its happened when waking up from sleep mode for you and during start up for me, I wonder if it has something to do with the kinda “in between/reconnect” state that the network connection goes through during wake up or start up. Maybe the update gets mucked up when the program detects a network connection, but can’t communicate with the server?
At any rate, at least its a pretty easy fix. Its a very minor bug in a very good program.
