Problems With Auto Update on 24/7 Computer

Discussion in 'SpywareBlaster & Other Forum' started by cwitze, May 11, 2008.

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  1. cwitze

    cwitze Registered Member

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    I just paid for SpywareBlaster's AutoUpdate feature, but it doesn't seem to work. Javacool doesn't respond to my questions, so I'm asking here.

    I have an XP/SP2 system which runs 24/7. As per website instructions, AutoUpdate is DISABLED, and my Windows Scheduler is set to check for updates daily at 4:45 AM, Mountain Time. There are no entries (checked or unchecked) in the Startup window under Start>Run>msconfig. [good, I don't want SB starting up whenever I do a restart, just do daily checks at 4:45 AM] My firewall is open for SB. [I use VCOM's System Suite 8 AV and firewall]

    When I check my computer (usually about 7AM), it's clear that SB "opened" at 4:45 AM, but no update has taken place...it almost looks like the Scheduler "opened" SB, but my AutoUpdate never interrogated the server for an update. I do a manual update to check this, and on 5/1, for example, a manual update took place at 7AM. The only way this could be "correct" behavior would be that the update was not on the server at 4:45AM, but was at 7 AM when I interrogated it manually. Since this has happened 3 straight times (updates of 4/6, 4/19, and 5/1), I assume that my AutoUpdate is not operating correctly. BTW, under "Last Update Attempt", only the manual attempts (time and date) are shown....auto attempts are not shown, making me suspect that the auto attempt is never taking place.

    What am I doing wrong? [Disabling AutoUpdate comes with all sorts of dire messages, including ones that suggest that even if the data base gets updated, "enable all protection" won't be invoked.] I believe the Scheduler is working, since I do my backups and AV updates that way. If I ENABLE AutoUpdate (tho the instructions say not to), I get the same result (the daily checks don't reach the server), but I do get to the server (ie, AutoUpdate works) if I do a restart. I can't help but conclude that AutoUpdate only works on a restart, and not on a daily schedule...another computer forum I utilize had someone else with the same problem, and he reached the same conclusion.

    So is there any way to Get AutoUpdate to work on a 24/7 computer? Thanks.
     
  2. javacool

    javacool BrightFort Moderator

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    Hi,

    I believe we just successfully responded to your support ticket. :)

    (It looks like the first attempt may have gotten eaten by a glitch while upgrading some of the server software - but the second response attempt is now showing, so please let me know if you don't receive it.)

    Best regards,

    -Javacool
     
  3. MikeBCda

    MikeBCda Registered Member

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    Why daily? JC can of course correct me if I'm wrong, but updates to SB have typically been on the order of once every 2 or 3 weeks.
     
  4. cwitze

    cwitze Registered Member

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    javacool...thanks, I had hoped this post might prod someone...but they have no answer so far. I would like to hear if others have a similar problem. [FWIW, I usually get better info from forums like this than I do from a company's Tech Support]

    Mike....to be sure I don't miss one (computer's on anyway). If I did it once a week, I could be a week without the latest data base.
     
  5. javacool

    javacool BrightFort Moderator

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    Hi,

    A few general points to note (in case someone else comes across this thread when looking for help):

    On Windows Vista, SpywareBlaster automatically utilizes the Task Scheduler and schedules Autoupdate to ensure compatibility with both "regular" machine usage (i.e. turn on, use PC a bit, and turn off) and 24/7 machines.

    This unfortunately isn't nearly as easy to do on Windows XP. There was a significant upgrade to Task Scheduler for Vista which allowed this to be easily possible, and a good bit of the functionality isn't present (or is harder to access) on XP.

    For regular machine usage on XP, this isn't a problem. AutoUpdate is configured via a standard RUN entry in the registry, and runs when you log on. But if you rarely reboot your computer, or log out/in (i.e. have it on 24/7), you may want to manually configure a Scheduled Task to run daily, to ensure that you get updates as soon as they are made available.

    Information on setting up AutoUpdate with a scheduled task on 24/7 Windows XP systems is available here: https://www.javacoolsoftware.com/support/index.php?_m=knowledgebase&_a=viewarticle&kbarticleid=57


    Regarding your specific situation:

    I just did a test on a fresh XP install, and the instructions referenced above worked fine. AutoUpdate started when specified in the Task Scheduler, automatically updated the databases, set the latest protection, and exited.

    So I'm not entirely sure why this alternative method isn't working on your system, but I'm going to keep testing various configurations to see if I can reproduce it.

    How do you connect to the Internet? (Via a dial-up modem, cable, DSL, etc.)

    When you go into Control Panel -> Network Connections, what options display? Could you take a screenshot and post it here?

    Best regards and thanks,

    -Javacool
     
  6. cwitze

    cwitze Registered Member

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    JC...I appreciate your attention to my problem. But as much as I like SB, I'm not going to reinstall XP!

    I'm on Comcast cable.

    The only Network Connection that shows is:

    LAN or Hi Speed Internet>[icon labeled] Local Area Connection 3, Connected....and then the model# of my NIC.

    The only programs that run at startup are Startup Monitor (from mike lin.net), my SS8 AV (based on TrendMicro's PC-cillin) and firewall, McAfee Site Advisor, and my external HD.

    I also have the older version (not 2007) of AdAware (free) on this machine, but it only runs manually....SB is so effective that I only use AA once every couple of months.
     
  7. javacool

    javacool BrightFort Moderator

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    Hi,

    I'm sorry if it seemed as if that was my suggestion - I wouldn't ask you to do so. ;) I was just trying to better determine why this problem might be occuring, so I could configure a similar setup here and try to reproduce it. :cool:

    Thanks for the information. :)

    Based on everything you wrote, it would seem as though AutoUpdate isn't detecting an active Internet connection when it runs as the scheduled task (and hence isn't downloading the latest updates, etc.).

    This is strange because: A.) It does so here, on numerous machines. B.) It uses a simple, built-in, widely-used Windows function to detect whether or not there's an active Internet connection.

    That said, I've been working away at this problem since your last reply. And I may have solved it.

    Could you please e-mail me at bugreports@javacoolsoftware.com ? In your e-mail, please reference your username on these forums, and a link to this thread. I have a test build of SpywareBlaster I'd like you to try, if you wouldn't mind.

    Best regards and thanks,

    -Javacool
     
  8. cwitze

    cwitze Registered Member

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    JC.... OK, done at 10:10 MST Many thanks for your efforts. I was only kidding about XP....a reaction to the usual "all problems with your PC are solved by a reinstall". I have a very clean machine, and shouldn't need that. Perhaps the download of sbautoupdate.exe was somehow corrupted?

    To recap, the problem seems to be that altho SB opens up OK, it doesn't interrogate your data base. Interrogation can only occur if I initiate it manually. But what do I know...thanks.
     
  9. cwitze

    cwitze Registered Member

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    To anyone who is reading this. Thanks to "Javacool", the problem has been solved. That guy is really great, he stuck with me until the problem was solved. And it was my mistake....the Windows Scheduler has to be set to trigger "sbautoupdate.exe", not "spywareblaster.exe".
     
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