I use WinXP SP2, and have the latest version of avast!home. I normally use a program called Returnil when I’m on the computer. This is a virtual program that protects my computer from viruses, etc. by not allowing anything to happen permanently. Thus, when I reboot my computer, Returnil is automatically turned off and any damage done isn’t saved to my hard-drive. I’m not explaining this well, but here’s my question: When I’m using Returnil, I get updates to avast! These updates are not kept when I reboot once a week or so, and I then update avast! manually. Normally that’s a fairly large update, but the last time it was very brief, so I started wondering how avast! determines if I need an update and which ones. Is there a record that says I’ve downloaded updates last week and so it just gives me the updates since the last download, or does it scan my computer, find out which one was installed last, and update from there?
Do you have any other partition (D:, for instance)? You can install avast there and do not lose the updates when Returnil gets the system back…
The updates are incremental. avast checks your version and download the necessary files to update them. The size of the update depends on how many virus signatures are being updated and how old is your installed subversion.
Sorry for the delay, I’ve been away for a few days.
I have no other partition than C:\ and I want the updates saved to my hard-drive, so they’re there whether or not I’m running Returnil.
If I understand you correctly, avast! checks my computer to see what virus updates I have installed and then downloads any updates from that point forward. So, if I use Returnil continuously for a week and get all the updates downloaded and installed automatically, then turn Returnil off, on reboot I’ll get all the updates for that week, even though I’ve already had them ‘installed’? Is that correct?
That sounds about right. You could just turn off the automatic updates and manually update during non-Returnil sessions.
The retail version of Returnil allows saving of virtual Windows sessions (but it does cost money of course ;D)
Ok, thanks very much for your help. I’m glad I’m not missing any updates.
Yes.