Hi folks,

Q: Is there a Problem today with the Manual ClamWin Virus Database Updating!?!?

I had ClamWin installed back in June sometime and every day I did a Manual download of the Virus Database and no problems. But today ... the update just sat there ... nothing! So, I thought may be ClamWin had crashed on me so I unistalled and installed it again! Still the same. I searched the Forum and the web and can't figure otu what is the problem!

Any idea or input would be appreicated!

Thanks,

G!

Did you receive any kind of error message when you tried to update? Sometimes there may not be an update available when you try to update. Perhaps that is what happened. The latest ClamWin update contains daily signature version 9611, so if you have that, you are okay. Updates may decrease in frequency on Friday and during the weekend.

Regards,

Hi GuitarBob,

Thanks for your reply. Well after uninstalling and re-instgalling ClamWin ... now the darn progrma acts up ...

Here is what happened ... when I uninstalled and reinstalled it ... it STOPPED (CHOKED) on the last part of the install becuase it just Automatically wants to update the Virus definition ... it does NOT ask you if you want to do it NOW or Later ... so my install might have crashed.

Because now when I tried to do On-Demand Scan of a folder ... it goes thru it's motion and then never Finalizes or give me the result like it used to ... you know a Green thing saying ZERO virus.

Q1: Did I just shoot myself in the foot by trying unistallin and reinstalling this little proggy!?!?

Q2: Any suggestions!?!?

I hope ClamWin Team is reading this and may be add the last step into their Install program to ASK if a person wnats to update the Virus Definition Now or LATER ... so at least the Installation completes Cleanly.

THANKS!

G!

Hmmm. Never had that problem, and I've installed/uninstalled ClamWin lots. I suggest that you do a clean uninstall (from Windows Add/Remove Programs) and then reinstall it. Let it do whatever it wants with updating the database initially. I'm sure you know that after installation you can configure ClamWin to update with several different options.

I hope to one day see security software that doesn't have to be updated frequenlty like it is today. Clam is kicking around the idea of using viral DNA building blocks to get the program to spot evil stuff itself without a database, but that's a long ways off.

Regards,

Hi GuitarBob,

Thanks again for quick reply.

I have to correct myself ... ClamWin DOES give me the Option to update the Datdbase as part of installation ... so this is the 3rd time I am unistalling it from Add/Remove panel.

I have Vista Home PRem., SP1, 64-bit. And I am running Comodo Firewall and Avira as Anti/virus ...

I believe somehow my ClamWin has CRAPPED out ... and no matter how many times I Install or Uninstall ... I will get the SAME results.

The on-demand scans of ClamWin just never finalize to give me the result I have to STOP it manually ... and then still the JAVA runs like there is no tomorrow!

Q1: Can someone from ClamWin Team look into this weird problem of mine!?!?

Q2: Is there a Program Update Due anytime soon!?!?

Thanks,

G!

I have also been unable to update the database since Mon Jul 20th - either automatically at logon or manually, though I didn't notice this fact til it threw me a warning about the database being out of date today.
Like gonwk's case, the update progress window just sits there.
DNScheck is fine.
Win98SE.

-----LOG VIEWER--------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Sun Jul 19 16:06:02 2009
main.cld is up to date (version: 51, sigs: 545035, f-level: 42, builder: sven)
daily.cld updated (version: 9589, sigs: 52054, f-level: 43, builder: guitar)
Database updated (597089 signatures) from database.clamav.net (IP: 217.173.238.34)
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Sun Jul 19 18:00:43 2009
main.cld is up to date (version: 51, sigs: 545035, f-level: 42, builder: sven)
daily.cld is up to date (version: 9589, sigs: 52054, f-level: 43, builder: guitar)
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Mon Jul 20 03:18:07 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Thu Jul 23 07:23:31 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Sat Jul 25 17:34:46 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Sun Jul 26 01:41:44 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Thu Jul 30 23:53:40 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 16:01:25 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 16:09:49 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 16:14:28 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 16:40:41 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 17:12:00 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 17:41:24 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 18:15:17 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 18:17:25 2009
--------------------------------------
ClamAV update process started at Tue Aug 04 18:32:10 2009

please save a report file after update and post what's in

Thank you sherpya but what I have posted is basically all the report produces. What I posted was the tail end of the ongoing appended report log starting from the last time the update completed successfully.

If I start an update attempt manually then the Update Dialog / Advice window comes up, with the animated graphic on the left side, but nothing further happens. When I eventually press the Stop button the line gets added to the Report Log: e.g. "ClamAV update process started at Wed Aug 05 03:48:48 2009" The update never actually starts. Pressing "Save Report" afterwards merely provides e.g:

ClamAV update process started at Wed Aug 05 03:48:48 2009

--------------------------------------
Cancelled
--------------------------------------

I have profiled an update attempt through Dependency Walker just now but don't seem to have derived much from that - will try again later - I am not great at understanding what it outputs.

I only posted here as it seemed others were having the same problem at about the same time. I am not aware of having made any changes to my system at the time in question, but I will try reverting my registry next just to check that and if that has no effect then an uninstall/reinstall and will post back. This will not be for at least 36hrs though.

Thanks for your response.

This probably doesn't explain things, and it may not have anything to do with this problem, but Clam occasionally has some sort of DNS problem. Even the sigmakers are unable to do something on the submission interface at times. I've not heard of any fix.

Regards,

looks like clamwin gui intercepts something similiar to cancel button, hop alex knows more about it

I finally got to reverting the registry to the last known good time ClamWin updated on logon (19th July) and it updated just fine - well after some hiccups locating the file (report below.) So it is clearly a problem with my installation and not ClamWin . Unfortunately I can't stay with that reverted registry as it somehow reintroduced problems from a week later, where the security validation for browser and firewall had gone up the spout, meaning no firewall and no browsing :(

Before I pile into uninstalling & reinstalling ClamWin - can you advise: do the settings and logs get preserved when doing this, or should I need to save some files to do that?

Thanks
Win98SE

==== REPORT ============
ClamAV update process started at Sat Aug 08 18:37:44 2009
main.cld is up to date (version: 51, sigs: 545035, f-level: 42, builder: sven)
WARNING: getfile: daily-9590.cdiff not found on remote server (IP: 81.91.100.173)
WARNING: getpatch: Can't download daily-9590.cdiff from db.uk.clamav.net
Trying host db.uk.clamav.net (163.1.3.8)...
WARNING: getfile: daily-9590.cdiff not found on remote server (IP: 163.1.3.8)
WARNING: getpatch: Can't download daily-9590.cdiff from db.uk.clamav.net
Trying host db.uk.clamav.net (193.1.193.64)...
WARNING: getfile: daily-9590.cdiff not found on remote server (IP: 193.1.193.64)
WARNING: getpatch: Can't download daily-9590.cdiff from db.uk.clamav.net
WARNING: Incremental update failed, trying to download daily.cvd
daily.cvd updated (version: 9668, sigs: 63652, f-level: 43, builder: ccordes)
Database updated (608687 signatures) from db.uk.clamav.net (IP: 81.91.100.173)

no, the settings and logs are deleted upon removal. However I don't think you need to uninstall, installing over an existing installation again will p[reserve the settings and replace any missing/corrupt files.

From your description it appears that the firewall is blocking freshclam.exe from connecting to the internet. Reverting registry to before it became blocked fixed the problem.
Alch

looks like the db then finally gets updated

I have finally solved this - from the point of view that updating now works again and I can 'switch' the behaviour on and off.

It was not to do with the firewall (which config detail was contained within a database anyway - ZoneALarm) but was due to the fact that, immediately prior to ClamWin's first failure to update, I had changed the first of my two specified DNS server IP addresses from OpenDNS to another, in an attempt to resolve ongoing problems trying to access AOL webmail. Now that I have changed them both back to the OpenDNS ones, everything is fine again. Since the second was always an OpenDNS one, I don't understand why it wouldn't resolve via that if the first was not doing the job, but there !!

All my fault !!?

However, it does raise the question as to why ClamWin should fall foul of this situation, and (apparently) nothing else. All the time that ClamWin would not update for me, Avast was updating fine (via DNS) and also the DNS checker (link on this forum somewhere) worked fine. I had no browsing problems apart from the fact that the intro page at www.grc.com would not load - which I thought odd. I now see that has also been cured by the new DNS setting.

I wonder if the fact that there are several similar 'won't update' threads here is because ClamWin is sensitive to this situation in a way that doesn't affect other software? Just some food for thought.

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WIN98SE