Status Bar Monitor BUG

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

BUG:

_ “manual” database updates;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” UNchecked;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

No warnings in the Status Bar icon (exclamation mark) when a new database is available.

[s] Using the default settings and under a normal status, the database is automatically updated and the settings:

Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version

Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates

have no actual (visible) consequences.

Now, if I change the database update to “ask” or “manual” (NOT “automatic”), then the setting:

Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates

activates an exclamation mark over the tray icon and you can read (by pointing over the tray icon):

Attention, your system is not fully protected.

If I decide to leave the setting to update the database manually, I UNcheck the setting:

Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates

so to make it “logical” to the “manual” update. By changing this setting, the icon message is “Your system is secured”, the exclamation mark disappears, and it only should (re)appear if some other event occurs, as long as such other event is also monitored in the Status Bar.

Under this situation, I leave the setting:

Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version

still checked, so the database version is still monitored in the Status Bar.

So here is the situation:

_ “manual” database updates;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” UNchecked;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

After a new database would be available (which I can see in the main GUI), I was expecting:

_ to see the exclamation mark reappearing; and,
_ by pointing over the tray icon, the icon should have the message “Attention, your system is not fully protected.”

Since this “Status Bar” Monitoring did not act as I was expecting (in relation to the “database version” monitor), I want to ask:

Under this situation, what/which is the consequence of that latest setting being still checked? Or, if you want, under which situation this specific “Status Bar Monitor” setting triggers some/any warning? Or, Which is exactly the expected warning and the specific event that triggers it?

Can someone try to test the supposed expected event and confirm that the Status Bar monitor actually shows any kind of warning or changes in some/any way?

Just keep in mind that the database is set to “manual” update, and that the specific item I’m interested in monitoring in the Status Bar is “Virus definitions version”.

TIA.[/s]

2

So, no even one forum user knows what should be expected from these settings?

Not even one user knows by experience, and not even one user knows “in theory”?

I was hopping to confirm if this situation is happening only “to me”, or if my expectations about how these settings should be working are correct and in fact this is a BUG.

Since I know I am not the only one experiencing this in the tray icon, and I know that some other additional strange situations are happening also around the tray notifications, I can only conclude that several issues are going on around the tray and around updates.

Although not even one user posted, I still hope that some developer will take a look into these issues.

3

I took one look at the first chapter of your book and put it right back down again. I rather think that many others have done the same given the number of page reads (bit of an oxymoron there if it isn’t being read), 58 at the last count.

4

Yep. ;D

5

Me too ;D

6

I see it as a bug report, so it is suppose to be specific and complete, to make it easy to reproduce.

7

BUG:
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

No warnings in the Status Bar icon (exclamation mark) when a new database is available to download but still not updated (not applied).

This bug comes from previous versions, and still “available” in 6.0.1203.

8

Since this BUG is still present (6.0.1289), I’d like to ask…

Could someone from Avast Team be so kind to post here how this combination of settings is supposed to work, please? Which exactly should be the expected behaviour?

Thank you in advance.

9

God knows why you dont want auto definition updates ??? have you tried ticking ask when update is available instead of manual update in ( updates \ engine and virus definitions )

also set your status bar \ definition auto updates to checked

10

That would not solve the problem:

_ “manual” database updates;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” UNchecked;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

No warnings in the Status Bar icon (exclamation mark) when a new database is available.

Now, it seems that an additional change was recently made. In past versions, Avast main GUI still knew when a new database was released under this same configuration (meaning, Avast was still checking for availability even in “manual”). It seems Avast is no longer checking for availability of a new database while using this combination of settings.

That’s fine. But the “Virus definitions version” setting of Status Bar still needs to work, or, to be more precise, the user expects this setting to work. Under the new behaviour of 6.0.1289, this setting is not going to do anything under “manual” updates (Avast doesn’t know if there is a new database available or not).

Again, this new situation is fine with me. But since I haven’t seen anything about this change in the changelog (or I missed it), I want to know exactly what this setting should do under the following 2 situations:

A.
_ “manual” database updates;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” UNchecked;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

B.
_ “ask” for database updates;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” UNchecked;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” Checked.

In past versions, the “Virus definitions version” setting was NOT working in either #A nor #B.

11

You need to check the status bar definitions auto updates otherwise your status bar is not monitored and by ticking ask when update is available instead of manual update in ( updates \ engine and virus definitions ) you should then be notified in the status bar that an update is available.

If your not going to listen when a suggestion is given then that is why no one replies to your posts ::slight_smile:

12

@craigb, I thank you for your contribution, but you are confusing 2 different settings.

The setting:

“Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates” checked

as you are suggesting now, is INcompatible with either #A and/or #B from my previous post.

The “Definitions auto updates” checked in Status Bar would display an exclamation mark immediately when using “ask” or “manual” database updates (independently of the database being up-to-date or not).

That’s the reason why there are 2 different settings for Status Bar Monitoring:

_ “Settings → Status Bar → Definitions auto updates”;
_ “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version”.

They are not the same.

So, once again, please, Can someone from Avast Team answer my very simple question for #A and (specially for) #B?

The “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version” is NOT doing anything (but I am still testing option #B with 6.0.1289).

Thank you in advance.

13

For me, my understanding of the “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version”. is that you are informed if the virus definitions are out of date, not that there is an update available.

Now what that duration is before it would be deemed to be out of date I have no idea. If you take the example of the WSC/WAC it is 7 days before they are considered out of date. You could test that theory by not updating for a couple of days, though that isn’t risk free if your browsing habits are exotic.

14

Generally speaking, you are correct. They are “almost” the same.

Now what that duration is before it would be deemed to be out of date I have no idea. If you take the example of the WSC/WAC it is 7 days before they are considered out of date. You could test that theory by not updating for a couple of days, though that isn't risk free if your browsing habits are exotic.

DavidR, you are arriving to my point.

A new available database that has not been applied, “almost” means that you have already have an “out of date” database. Let’s go ahead. Let’s assume that “out of date” means that the latest applied database is 1 or 2 days old, and of course that there is already a new database available.

Why Avast would want to wait even more time to display the exclamation mark over Avast tray icon? As you said, there is already a risk. There is no need to wait to the standard 7 days of Windows Security (Action) Center!

But even if that would be the case (I hope not), I just want someone from Avast Team to inform (here in this topic, or point me to the info elsewhere) which, exactly, is the behaviour a user should expect from this setting (or, more precisely, from #A and/or #B above)?

In addition, as I already mentioned, the behaviour seems to have changed in the latest program update to 6.0.1289.

“Manual” updates used to check for availability anyway, but now it doesn’t. I’m perfectly fine with this change. Could some Avast Team member confirm this, please?

In addition, the “ask for confirmation” setting (#B above) should check for availability of updates. This is NOT working in the current 6.0.1289.

So now we have 2 settings not working correctly in 6.0.1289. I don’t think I am asking such a big effort from Avast Team to confirm this problems, or to explain what should a user expect from these settings (in case I am misinterpreting them).

15

There is little point in making assumptions, first it is an area of ‘what does the term mean’ and then if it follows my understanding of it meaning out of date, then it is a case of what is considered out of date 1 day, 2 days, 3 days a week like the WSC/WAC.

I know if you have the virus database out of date for a few days you are likely to get the avast tooltip ‘Your system is not fully secured’ when you hover over the avast tray icon. Or you may see that in the avastUI, Summary screen when opened, I have seen that in my netbook if I haven’t used it foe a few days.

Though I can’t recall the duration or if the yellow exclamation mark was displayed.

16

First, an update. I am still testing the situation in #B above (“ask”) with the current stable version. It took more than my default 4 hours (but much less than 8 hours), but a tray notification asking me to update finally showed up. I’m “assuming” it will be displayed “on time” from now on.

So now we are again only on the main issue: “Settings → Status Bar → Virus definitions version”.

I’ll continue testing the “ask” (option #B above), by not applying the database updates (which is part of what I did before testing previous versions).

Well, we already (somehow) agreed that Avast waiting 7 days (as Windows already does) just to show “unsecured” and an exclamation mark is already a risk.

There is no logical reason for Avast to purposely wait 7 days. Moreover, during 7 days the “your system is secured” message over Avast’s tray icon is displayed, and this message is false (in the sense of the original intention of that message). If Windows wants to wait 7 days, let it; Avast shouldn’t.

I know if you have the virus database out of date for a few days you are likely to get the avast tooltip 'Your system is not fully secured' when you hover over the avast tray icon. Or you may see that in the avastUI, Summary screen when opened, I have seen that in my netbook if I haven't used it foe a few days.

Though I can’t recall the duration or if the yellow exclamation mark was displayed.

In the main GUI, I have seen it too, not after 7 days but immediately (when in “ask”). No exclamation mark and no “unsecured” over the tray icon though.

Well, clearly I am willing to test this, as I’ve been doing it for several releases now, but I don’t think that waiting 7 days with no database update is useful (and I’m not going to feel “secured”, in spite the tray message). At minimum, Avast Team should tell first “yes, it should work after x days / hours / updates / whatever situation triggers it”.

But I’d say that I’ve seen users reporting that their database is not being updated. Of course, they say they discovered this “by accident”, and they request help on how to resolve this issue. Whichever amount of time passed since their last database update, I have not seen any report mentioning the exclamation mark or some active tray notification from Avast about their system being unsecured. That’s the whole point of this setting!!! And it’s not effectively working.

So, whether this is only being triggered after 7 days (IMO, should be much much much less than that), or whether this setting is not working at all (very possible too), this should be corrected and improved.

I am still waiting for an Avast Team member to clarify this situation, and I think it is not that much to expect.

17

So, no Avast Team member is willing to add any comment about such a simple (failing) setting, even when here is a user testing it?

18

UPDATE Just For General Information

Inspite of the complete absence of Avast Team members giving ANY kind of answer >:( , or at least a contribution to the issue, I kept testing.

As said, using “manual” updates, Avast is not checking for available updates anymore, as it used to (before 6.0.1289). I’m OK with this (not specifically logged) changed, and might be very useful in several situations.

Now, with “ask”, the availability of updates is still performed and informed, both in tray notifications and in the main GUI (using the correspondent settings).

Under these settings, if the updates are not applied, it took me more than a complete day (but less than 48hs) to finally see the “unsecured”, both in the main GUI and over the tray icon. Since Windows Security (Action) Center is set to be triggered after several days more, the “unsecured” is only on Avast side (not Windows). This also demonstrates that the 2 “unsecured” are different and independent from each other.

It is still not clear what exactly triggers the “unsecured” status. It may be a combination of several possible items (and talking here about engine and database updates; program updates influence not tested):

_ time since latest applied update;
_ number of reboots;
_ number of update attempts;
_ number of updates available since the currently (older) applied database.

So, the “unsecured” is triggered “somehow, at some (unknown) time”. It is still not clear which conditions trigger it. And of course, I still think it takes “too long” for it to be triggered.

19

UPDATE:

Although probably not many forum members care about this (as seen from the lack of posts from devs), here is an additional update.

For the exclamation mark and “unsecured” over Avast tray icon to be displayed, the time that passed since the previous database was actually applied is not a variable.

I kept testing this issue, and after more than 48 hours since my previous database update, there is no “unsecured”.

So, Status Bar monitoring of “Virus definitions version” is NOT (effectively) related to time. What exactly might trigger the “unsecured” and the exclamation mark for this specific setting is still a mystery to me.