Resetting virus database

Hi,

I cancelled the first download of virus definitions for the database, due to a problem I’m having with a “Generic Host Process for Win32 Services” process crashing (with Windows XP and Service Pack 2) and needing to reboot Windows to use the internet again. Avast thinks I’ve downloaded all the definitions, and just tries to find new ones. There must be a way of resetting the database, but I cannot find it in the documentation. Help please!

Thanks in advance, Steve.

What version of the VPS does avast say you have, right click the avast ‘a’ icon, select about avast ?
The latest is 080418-0.

I’m not entirely sure what you mean by reset the database ?
Have you tried a manual update, right click the avast ‘a’ icon, select Updating, iAVS Update ?

You could download the full VPS again avast! VPS Update - Manual Download - and run it to update the VPS signatures file.

avast never assumes “you have downloaded” the virus database.

It inspects what you have and works out at that time what are the differences it needs to download to bring you up to date.

Thanks a lot David. The program did think I had the latest version of the VPS, despite the fact that I cancelled the download of it due to my internet connection failing. Both the manual update and running the full VPS also refused to do anything due to the program thinking there was no need. [Well, it’s not an AI program so it doesn’t really “think”, but you know what I mean.] I suggest that this is a bug, and that cancelling a download mid-way should set the database back to what it was before the download started.

However, by uninstalling Avast and then reinstalling it and running the full VPS did the trick.

Avast spotted a virus called Win32:SdBot-gen44 [trj] in svchost.exe.hdmp and svchost.exe.mdmp files, and Win32:Trojan-gen {UPX} in istsvc[1].exe, and stopped a number of attacks on my system. It didn’t stop the problem at first, but after restarting Windows, it seemed to do the trick. I was recommmended on the SpyBot forum to use the free ZoneAlarm firewall as well, and turning that off (which I did because Internet Explorer wouldn’t work with ZoneAlarm) caused the problem to recur immediately. After rebooting, I managed to get ZoneAlarm working with Internet Explorer (I’m using version 6 and have been recommended to upgrade to version 7 or use a different browser), and everything seems to be working well…

Thanks again, Steve.

I would recommend upgrading the free ZA to something like the free on-line Armor or Comodo. There have been a number of topics in the forums relating to ZA slowing internet speeds due to the way it works there is a 2 second delay/pause when loading and I can’t recall what version that was with, more likely the later versions rather than version 6 that you are currently using.

The free version of ZA is crippled in the protection that it offers, in the vain hope you will buy the Pro version. Even the pro version doesn’t do too well in firewall leak tests. See http://www.matousec.com/projects/firewall-challenge/results.php.

Both of the suggestions I made do well in the tests beating ZA into a cocked hat and aren’t so crippled in the same way.