Over the weekend there was near pandemonium on the AVG free anti-virus software website forum page, as hoards of users rushed to report an error in a publicly issued update. It seemed that a file in the update was corrupt and failing to load properly across the board, regardless of computer type or operating system. Within a few hours there was an official statement on the AVG free forum letting users know that the company was aware of the error, and that steps were being taken to reverse it. The post said that while the update was flawed, users were not at any increased risk and security remained in effect. In far less than 24 hours, AVG had reversed the problem and the update was loading properly, a pretty good turnaround time, really. Still, while this case was solved before Monday morning at the office, the issue makes me wonder, what can we do when updates fail?
In this case, some users provided instructions to get around the error. After uninstalling and reinstalling to no avail, it was suggested that users isolate the corrupt file, then load the rest of the update and ignore the part that didn’t work. This approach seemed to work for many people who felt better knowing that their system had at least some of the new definitions.
The simplest fix for a failed update is to check the website and, if possible, load the most recent version of the program over your existing program. If uninstalling and reinstalling doesn’t work, like in the recent AVG example, you might have to wait it out, and let your computer lay low in the meantime. Since AVG is security software, and since the update was related to new virus definitions, it would make sense to hold off on any new downloads from unverified sources, and to wait on opening questionable attachments until you are sure your security suite is back in optimal condition. In this case the manufacturer issued a statement assuring clients that all was well, but better safe than sorry.
Another response to the missing file and unloadable update was concern that the deficiency had something to do with the ‘freeness’ of the software. Since the update error was for the free version of AVG, it was logical to think that the error might work to encourage users to upgrade to paid versions of the security program. However, this was not the case in the AVG example.
Some users commented that they would give AVG a short period of time to correct the mistake and then, if not done soon enough, they would download a different program. This remains an option for secondary software, but obviously isn’t so easily done regarding an operating system or a thoroughly preferenced web-browser. In these cases, check forum pages frequently and resist making any big changes to your system until the updates are corrected.
Kate Dubensky | August 18th, 2008
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