Failed Virus Defs Update - 'cmdagent.exe' using old proxy setting?

OS: Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit, SP2)
Verison of CIS: 5.0.163652.1142
Virus Signiture Database Version: 6931
Other security software: None
Date this first occured: 2010-12-04

When trying to do a virus database update, it just fails almost immediately with the message “Failed to update the virus signature database. Please check your internet connection and try again later.”

I can view the connections that cmdagent.exe tries to make in the firewall active connections summary, and one of the addresses it tries is my previously configured work proxy IP (port is 3128). The thing is, the proxy settings have been removed (IE Internet Properties → Connections → LAN Settings → ‘Use a proxy server for your LAN’ is unchecked, and the address and port are grayed out (and only port has a value of 80).

Also, under Comodo Preferences → Connection → ‘Use http proxy’ is unchecked, with the below controls also grayed out (only Port has a value of 0). I’ve tried putting in a proxy setting there (127.0.0.1, just for testing), clicking on OK, then coming back and removing it in the hope it would reset the proxy settings.

There is also no proxy configured in Firefox (although I don’t think Comodo would try to use settings from there).

I have done the manual update process as described in Comodo Forum, but I’d like to be able to do the normal update process via the updater too.

I’ve also tried adding various hosts under Comodo Preferences → Update, including http://eu1.download.comodo.com/ and http://us4.download.comodo.com/

The only currently enabled host is the default one of http://download.comodo.com/

I used to have old versions of Comodo installed (v3 and v4), but I uninstalled each ages ago. Perhaps it’s picking up old settings from there?

EDIT: I enabled ballon messages, and it also popped with the Error Message:

“COMODO Internet Security Premium - Failed to update the virus signature database. Please check your internet connection and try again later. Error Code: -2147012867

Does your problem still persist?

No, it seems to have started updating properly now. The definitions were last updated on 2010-12-09 at ~ 17h00 (my time) to v7008.

I haven’t changed anything since then, so perhaps it was just the update servers that were having problems?

That’s what I am assuming as well.

Hi There, I have the same problem. It only works if I specify a proxy server to connect though. When Im at home I dont have a proxy server and I check in IE the proxy values are disabled.

Comodo must be caching the proxy server settings somewhere. Does anyone have a solution/workaround to this problem?

I figured out the problem and a solution / workaround. I am posting this because I thought it might be useful to the Comodo developers being a software developer myself.

The problem is because Comodo is running under the local system account, and when there is no proxy server specified in the settings the values from the below key are used.

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Connections\DefaultConnectionSettings

the value in this key was copied from when I was using the previous proxy server. The work around was to export the same key from HKEY_CURRENT_USER and import it into HKEY_USERS\S-1-15-18

A suggestion to the developers have an option in the connection settings page that forces no proxy server “No Proxy Server”

Thanks for your findings. Please consider filing file a bug report in the Bug Reports - CIS board following the format as described in FORMAT & GUIDE - just COPY/PASTE it!.

I know this is an old thread, but I am one of the hundred of people who still experience this problem, even with Comodo CIS ver. 7. I just want to thank you Robobrown, because it helped me! I had to uninstall and reinstall Comodo after the modification of the registry, but it did the trick!