MAJOR ERROR in AVG 7.0 Professional/Free Edition

I know that AVG Free Edition has no support, but I have done my test
with "AVG Free Edition" and I can assure you that "AVG 7.0 Professional"
has the same MAJOR ERROR as in "AVG Free Edition".
I don't need support, I'm just trying to report a MAJOR ERROR in AVG

So in this report I'm talking about "AVG Free Edition" and you may do
the same test in "AVG 7.0 Professional" and you will have the SAME results.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 2005.06.16 I was changing a setting in the "AVG Control Center" and
I noticed something VERY STRANGE.
If this error wasn't reported earlier, I can understand this, because
I assume that most users don't change that specific setting often.

Here is my error report about "AVG Free Edition".

A. Introduction
==============
The "AVG Control Center" contains 7 different control-windows

1. AVG Resident Shield
2. E-mail Scanner
3. Internal Virus Database
4. Scheduler
5. Shell Extension
6. Update Manager
7. Virus Vault

Now I'm going to show you, how I let these 7 control-windows DISAPPEAR one by one,
without doing anything abnormal.

B. ACTIONS
=========
1. I click on "Properties" (on the right bottom area)

2. On the "Properties Window" I click on the tab "General"

3. On the "General Window", I mark the option "Only when a faulty condition exists"

4. I click the "Apply Button"

5. I click the "OK Button"

Now look at the "AVG Control Center", it has only 6 control-windows,
because the control-window "AVG Resident Shield" DISAPPEARED.

Each time I repeat these actions another control-window will disappear.

I couldn't remove the very last control-window, because the "Apply Button"
was disabled and that button is responsible for the disappearance.
However in "AVG 7.0 Professional" I was able to disappear each control-window.
The entire "AVG Control Center" was BLANK.

C. CONCLUSION
============
IMHO this is a SERIOUS program ERROR, because control-windows are NOT supposed to disappear in the "AVG Control Center".

Re-opening AVG does NOT recover the "AVG Control Center"
Repairing AVG via the install program, does NOT work either.
Re-installing AVG via the install program, does NOT work either.
Uninstalling and re-installing AVG is the only way to recover the "AVG Control Center".

Believe me, I have TRIED to contact Grisoft about this, but they are always
complaining about license numbers and I couldn't even find an email-address
on their websites. Nothing but automatic messages.
I'm dead tired of this. If you don't believe me, just try it.

 

I have never seen that happen before and yes AVG free has a support forum also..why dont you post that info there .


This is that forum
http://gappa2.grisoft.cz/freeforum/

 

Also you might want to read these threads at that forum about
"Only when a faulty condition exists"

http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/read.php?1,36313,backpage=8



http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/read.php?3,161,page=2

 

Thanks for the comments.

Firstly it doesn't matter in which version of AVG an error occurs.
The main thing is that the error needs to be reported and corrected by Grisoft.

Secondly, a company has to provide an email-address to report such errors.
I can't report this error by using these stupid little message boxes with very poor possibilities at their websites. I couldn't find any email-address at their websites.

Thirdly, a forum isn't the right place to report errors.
Always report errors directly to the RIGHT persons, in this case the computer departement of the company Grisoft or whatever they call themselves.

I consider my work as DONE and I wasted 4 hours of my freetime to write and translate my email to Grisoft and Grisoft replied only with emails, complaining about licenses or using automatic messages.

Sorry, I may not be an expert in anti-malware softwares, but I have tested many application softwares at the company, I'm working for and there is absolutely no difference between both softwares when it comes to reporting errors caused by programmers.

Via "AVG 7.0 Professional" I found a few email-addresses and I have sent them my error report.
So very maybe I receive a professional reply, like I'm used to.

I'm very disappointed about Grisoft, making it SO DIFFICULT to report a major bug in AVG.
It's alot easier in Belgium.

 

I just did the same as you suggested and can not duplicate it..thanks for your post..I have no other comment to make..have a great day. Thanks for reporting the error here..Wilders is also a forum.

 

These are the replies, I received from Grisoft upto now.

-----Original Message-----
From: confirm@grisoft.com [mailto:confirm@grisoft.com]
Subject: Re: G#05239106 - AVG 7.0 Technical Support

This is an email Delivery Announcement. Please do not reply to this! message.
Dear customer,
Your email was received by AVG Technical Support Group and will be answered as soon as possible.
Your request no. is: G#05239106
This Delivery Announcement is sent only for newly generated requests. No announcements are sent to email replies.
Best regards,
AVG Technical Support Group
============================================================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: technicalsupport@grisoft.cz [mailto:technicalsupport@grisoft.cz]
Subject: Re: MAJOR ERROR in AVG Free Edition !!!

This email is an auto-response message.
Thank you for your email.
We have not been able to find AVG Professional License Number or your email address registered in our database.
Your license number or email address has been found to be registered with AVG Free.
If you have received this message in error, kindly visit us at
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/51/lng/ww/tpl/tpl01 to find out how to contact AVG Technical Support.
...
============================================================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: technicalsupport@grisoft.com [mailto:technicalsupport@grisoft.com]
Subject: Re: MAJOR ERROR in AVG 7.0 Professional and AVG Free Edition !!!

This email is an auto-response message.
Thank you for your email.
We have not been able to find AVG Professional License Number or your email address registered in our database.
Your license number or email address has been found to be registered with AVG Free.
If you have received this message in error, kindly visit us at
http://www.grisoft.com/doc/51/lng/ww/tpl/tpl01 to find out how to contact AVG Technical Support.
...
============================================================================================

Nice talking to you Grisoft !!!

 

Grisoft is very logical also :

In order to get some email-addresses of Grisoft,
I installed the TRIAL version of "AVG 7.0 Professional"
(AVG Free doesn't mention any email-address)
But that was not enough, I need to be registered also.

So I try to register :
The first data they asked was the license number.
So I gave them the license number of the trial version.
That license number was wrong LOL.
I don't have another license number, because I didn't buy the software.
So my attempt of registering was finished.

Without a license number, I can't register my email-address
and it must exist in their client database.

If my email-address doesn't exist in the database,
I'm not really considered as a client.
Most probably they considered me as a spammer for awhile.

Well my report has a file number now. A real progress LOL.

 

Hello ErikAlbert, Sorry but I fail to see any error here. I see normal program operation and decided by the user.

Clicking on "properties here will open the properties window of what ever component is selected. In this case the "AVG Resident Shield" was selected'

This is exactly what should happen when you check "Only when a faulty condition exists" under "Display Component"

If no faulty conditions exist for any component you can make all of them disappear.

I was able to make all of them not display

Yes that is true if every component has that option checked.

I disagree, they are supposed to disappear if that is what you wanted by selected the "Display Component" and "Only when a faulty condition exists" in each component.

Not true. View menu, Components, select the component desired and change the general options so "Only when a faulty condition exists" is not checked.

 

Well this is no error imho.

"Only when a faulty condition exists" means you'll see the module only when faulty condition exists. So this means if you'll disable Resident Shield, the module icon will appear. If your virus defs will be out of date,module icon will appear etc and etc... I'm not gonna waste time about their support though

 

So As I stated..could not duplicate ..since all you have to do is reboot your PC and stop playing around with the "Only when a faulty condition exists"..one does not have to "Uninstall and reinstall AVG to recover the "AVG Control Center".

And will tell you again..there is a forum for people who want help with the AVG free version..and had you posted there right away..they would have helped you short it out right away..people who use that free forum do not care if you are free or Professional version..they are there to help and do an excellent job on that particular product.

 

Primrose, RejZoR, chrisretusn
Yes you are all right about this.
I received this email from Grisoft and they confirmed what you said.
My sincere apologizes for making this mistake.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you for your email.

All what you describe is a feature of AVG Anti-Virus, not a bug. If
you configure all Control Center components to be hidden, obviously
your Control Center will be empty.
If you want to display these hidden components, please go to menu
View -> Components -> some component. Then on General tab of this
component untick option "Only when faulty condition exists".

Best regards,

Ales Machat
AVG Technical Support

 

I am so sorry that you had all that problem and waisted time..I know it can be very frustrating...so don't get me wrong please...we are all here to help you.

So I will give you these links also which I think are excellent for AVG done by an MVP we all respect.

Have a great day ErikAlbert.


Good screen shots also

Removing Malware from Outlook Express
AVG detects an infected file in System Restore
AVG detects infected files in the browser cache
To Access the AVG Virus Vault
To obtain a text file of your Scan Results
AVG detects when the database is out of date


http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/avg7.htm


And these links might also be helpful to you.

Grisoft Family (AVG)
http://forum.gladiator-antivirus.com/index.php?showforum=155


How To Clean An Infected Computer

http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/read.php?4,27725,backpage=

 

I ve had an update problem with AVG.For more than 1 days.The 1st time it accepted the update from a folder.The second time it would simply hang.I even restored a True Image file thinking that maybe i had messed up something when using registry cleaners.I also read a thread in Castlecops saying to clean the Data folder.I did it ,nothing.Reinstalled,nothing.

I switched to...Avast and installed only 3 modules...Although i STILL don't like some things in the GUI,at least it now takes less memory than AVG.

 

New interface update is coming soon. I'm not sure what kind of update would that be exactly,but i know there will be one (at least thats what Igor from Alwil said). Hyperion,let me guess,you installed only Standard Shield,Web Shield and Network Shield right?

 

GUI update?Good!Now that i think of it again,i installed only 2.Standard Shield and Internet Mail.I thought i had 3 ,but must have been as usually the confusion in the box ticking process I didn't install the IDS since i run Kerio 2 and Process Guard Free,i find it overkill and the Webshield because i don't want the slightest slowing down when browsing.My ISP gives 1,2Mbps but when browsing has an innate lag in opening pages.I don't want to worsen it. Running processes are :

ashDisp.exe 1,44MB
aswUpdSv.exe 40KB
ashServ.exe 2,17 MB
ashMailSv.exe 1,332 MB

Ridiculously low RAM usage I like that...

 

ashserv.exe uses 9.5 MB on my win98se system

 

Hmm.Mine increased a bit too,maybe cause it checked the mail,but still low.I guess i m lucky or it's just the XP?

 

Ehm,just a thought.I d say that :

ashDisp = GUI
aswUpdSv= Update service
ashServ=Main service
ashMail=mail check obviously

Maybe you have more modules installed?In this case i think it is reasonable to expect ashServ to consume more memory as it seems to be like the control center of everything.I only use resident shield and mail shield.I could be mistaken of course...

 

http://img154.echo.cx/img154/664/avastproc2vt.png

I don't care much about memory usage.
Also avast! Web Shield works different than NOD32 IMON HTTP.
In fact it's way faster and more compatible and it doesn't corrupt web pages...

 

Well, I said there is an avast! update coming and there will be some changes in the user interface, but I certainly didn't mean a whole new interface (actually, it's just a few additional options in program settings, even though I'd say especially you will like them, Rejzor ).

As for the memory usage - be careful with the interpretation of the results. I'd say the subjective impact on system you notice is more important than the values you see in Task Manager. One problem, for example, is that you cannot simply sum the values for the different processes, especially in the "Memory usage" column. If the program allocates a block of memory and makes it shared between the processes (which is certainly the case for avast!), the block size adds to the memory usage of all affected processes in Task Manager, even though it was really allocated just once (so the sum will be a number of times bigger than the real usage). You cannot say, however, without knowing the internals of the program.

Also, Windows memory manager will swap out unused parts of the program modules after some time... on ther other hand, new modules might be loaded for specific actions - so, the memory usage may differ significantly in time, even on the same computer.

 

Ups,sorry about that igor. I mistyped the news...