Posted on 12/02/2010 7:36:38 PM PST by Gomez
Even safe mode cannot end devil-spawned reboot loop
An update from AVG on Wednesday night rendered 64 bit Windows 7 systems unstable after it was applied.
Several Register readers have been affected by the problem, which leaves machines in a continuous reboot loop.
AVG has pulled the problem update (3292) and published an advisory apologising for the cock-up and providing instructions on how to get hobbled systems back up and running again.
Recovering a Blue Screened PC is more involved than simply rebooting in safe mode, as the security vendor explains. Desktop versions of Windows 7 seem particularly prone to the bug.
It's unclear whether or not other versions of Windows are vulnerable to going weak at the knees after applying the misfiring update from AVG. Both free and paid-for versions of the software seem to be problematic.
Users have vented their understandable frustration through AVG's online forum.
AVG hasn't said what caused the problem, but normally such auto-immune snafus occur when security software packages identify a vital Windows component as potentially malign. Such problems are far from unknown in the anti-virus biz and have affected multiple vendors in the past.
Testing procedures have been improved across the industry, but not fast enough to cope with the growing volume of updates vendors are obliged to publish in response to increased malware production rates.
Same here - dropped after AVG 9 came out ... too much of a CPU hog. Not just my computer either - had to remove from a couple of other computers for friends. Same problem. I use Avira Antivir now. BTW, don't use AVG's stand-alone Link Scanner. I tried it after uninstalling the full AVG program - same problem, CPU hog !!!
Same here - dropped after AVG 9 came out ... too much of a CPU hog. Not just my computer either - had to remove from a couple of other computers for friends. Same problem. I use Avira Antivir now. BTW, don't use AVG's stand-alone Link Scanner. I tried it after uninstalling the full AVG program - same problem, CPU hog !!!
I very much dislike AVG. It takes too much space. I have had nothing but good experience with Trend Micro.
This isn’t the first time that this has happened with an AVG update. Same thing happened about 18 months ago with an AVG update that caused the exact same problem with XP computers, worldwide (including mine).
It took me most of a week to debug it fully. I switched to Avira after that, and haven’t had a single hiccup since.
My wife and youngest son have 64-bit Win 7. My son’s
machine was having problems last night.
Agreed, Microsoft surprised the hell out of me with MSE. Best anti-virus I’ve used and the least irritating.
How do you turn off the annoying audio?
Haha me too. I really hated act but avast is great.
Darn iPad.....avg
Settings - Sounds (from there you can pick what sound to disable)
Does Microsoft Security Essentials expect you to use the Windows firewall, or do you use something else for that?
That "fix" can cure a lot of computer ills and infections.
That was a funny excoriation. LOL
Goodbye Avg.
On my laptop I’m running Linux Knoppix 6.2 off of a 4 gig Thumb drive. The computer has no hard drive at all.
I save things to a couple of other flash drives and all is well.
Of course my desktop does have Windows 7 64 bit, but, I’ve got Comcast/Norton on it with no problems.
I thought that I had vista on both computers?
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