Workaround for the 99% CPU Problem with the latest Virus DB Updates

[Guest]

[Stickler]

I have to say I'm fairly shocked & appalled by the carelessness displayed here.

That's to say the least of it.
Amazing that this issue coincided with an apparent  bot attack through Miami, FL.
Half the tech guys (including me) in the Florida Keys awoke to the sound of our phones ringing off the hook. Many of the local businesses lost thousands of $$ because of this issue.
Needless to say, systems were booted into safe mode and CIS was removed. Microsoft Security essentials was installed in it's stead. No lost revenues now.
Extremely embarrassing that something of this nature should occur, and an excellent way to lose customers from the proverbial fold.
You guys need to engage in heavier testing before releasing to the public....wow...

[smtp]

To minimize thing like this happen again..can CIS made "Rollback Action" procedure by using "bases.cav" that sitting on "Repairs" folder by detecting if the updates was failed or consumed CPU more than normal (let say 30 minutes).

It should be plenty of scenarios can be applied on this procedure.

Thanks.
 

[Dch48]

For several years I have used Acronis to archive C:\ ready for instant recovery upon a problem.

Fairly often I install something, try it out, and decide against it.
Instead of un-installing and leaving junk all over the registry etc, I restore the Acronis image.
Such experiments have made PCs un-bootable for some people, I was never that unlucky,
but if they had then the Acronis Boot CD would fix it.

M.$. likes to bundle unwanted junk (e.g. Silverlight) into Patch Tuesday updates.
I absolutely prohibit their updates (including un-announced "emergencies") until I have a fresh archive,
after which I carefully screen out stuff I neither want nor need,
but even so what I have permitted has on occasions done damage,
and then the Acronis image has made it all good again.
Such patches have made PCs un-bootable for some people, I was never that unlucky,
but if they had then the Acronis Boot CD would fix it.

In over 3 years Acronis has often been needed to restore my P.C. to normality,
but this has been the first time that Comodo caused grief,
and because of Acronis it has only been a mild inconvenience.

To those who never had a computer problem till now I can only say you have not lived yet ! !

If this Comodo problem has been a disaster for you, how will you cope with the latest Patch Tuesday ?

n.b.  I did not choose Acronis - it chose me !
Actually it was already installed when this second hand P.C. was given to me, and it works quite well.
I strongly recommend that any-one who wants to avoid re-installing Windows should use one of the many available backup systems that images the system partition, and has a boot CD that can restore the system no matter how badly the O.S. is trashed.

Alan

I have been using Windows for 11 years and I have never had a single problem from any of their updates. As far as things like Silverlight go, they are always optional installations and are never selected by default. If you don't already have the product installed, you don't get updates to it. You only get the option to install it if you run Microsoft update in custom mode. You will never get any of the optional components installed through automatic updates. I also have never backed up anything before getting the updates and as I said, not a single problem, ever. So patch Tuesday is never a matter of concern to me. I don't even wait for the notifications, I go to the site and install what's there without any trepidation.

This problem with Comodo was very unfortunate but, the safeguards against it happening were already in place. An employee chose to circumvent them. Why established procedures were not followed is a matter for conjecture in my opinon.

There was no carelessness by Comodo as a company but only by an individual who should have known better.

[HeffeD]

There was no carelessness by Comodo as a company but only by an individual who should have known better.

Well, unfortunately you can't lay the entire blame on the person that released the problematic database...

The software really should be able to fail-safe in such a situation, not create a race condition. The blunder has brought to light some coding issues. Hopefully version 4.0 has more resilient code. 

[Dch48]

Well, unfortunately you can't lay the entire blame on the person that released the problematic database...

The software really should be able to fail-safe in such a situation, not create a race condition. The blunder has brought to light some coding issues. Hopefully version 4.0 has more resilient code. 

Okay I can agree with that but if the proper procedures had always been followed before, how could they know it could happen?

[EricJH]

Comodo may not have found this bug in the past when testing. But I agree it would make sense if they would consider fixing or working around it in the upcoming v4 or may be in a maintenance release of the 3.1x branch.

[liolios]

I did everything you explained and the issue did not resolved.  In the meanwhile,while the issue occured,i had a blackout with the power and my computer did not recognize my hard drives and i had to get it to the technician.

[HeffeD]

I did everything you explained and the issue did not resolved.  In the meanwhile,while the issue occured,i had a blackout with the power and my computer did not recognize my hard drives and i had to get it to the technician.

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is cheap protection from problems such as this. I don't think anyone should operate a computer without one. Data is too valuable.

Most UPS's these days even have over and under voltage regulation so all your PC sees is good clean power within the optimal operating range.

[Wild]

As of this morning I am experiencing the exact same lock up on XP  the system acts fine with CIS disabled. Did something happen again? I don't have a problem with Win 7. Any recommendations?

[Ronny]

As of this morning I am experiencing the exact same lock up on XP  the system acts fine with CIS disabled. Did something happen again? I don't have a problem with Win 7. Any recommendations?

Hello Wild,

Can you please post the AV database you are running on both systems ?

[Wild]

Hello Wild,

Can you please post the AV database you are running on both systems ?

Hi Ronny, Win 7 AV is 2678 I can't get the XP one but it was up to date as of last night. I will have to work on this later today when time allows.
Thanks

[Ronny]

Hi Ronny, Win 7 AV is 2678 I can't get the XP one but it was up to date as of last night. I will have to work on this later today when time allows.
Thanks

Okay, did you have this issue on the XP system also with the previous 2526 and 2527 db's?
And it reappears now?

[Wild]

Okay, did you have this issue on the XP system also with the previous 2526 and 2527 db's?
And it reappears now?

Yes as mentioned above the exact same.

[Wild]

I had to do an uninstall in safe mode and reinstalled. So far the system is operating fine again.

[smtp]

felt any DEJA VU..anyone  

DB : 2601

it's being updating right now..but antivirus was disable setting after 2 restarts

eats up cpus between 60-99

Was it happen again guys  

as i monitor the "scanners" folder..the "bases.cav" it stops at 110,xxx,xxx bytes and repeating from 0 again...over and over...what's up with that ?

finally it stops...thank GOD

and DB now it's 2702

woww...i was really so scare

can you guys come up with better updating method...since this one was not working smoothly

...i had to disable the antivirus first & it took 2 restarts to realise it

..you can make someone die of heart attack coz of this

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