Automatic checking for updates at bootup stalls-W7

[Peacekeeper]

Sorry as far as I know no it is hard coded

[exbrit]

norfolkman3 wrote:

Just as a side issue whilst awaiting for the cure,  Can you alter the time of day that Total Protection looks for updates or is it set daily by McAfee?  I can't see any option on the interface.

No there isn't any such way of deciding when updates occur.  The software has different parts that update at different times too which complicates matters.

You could set updates to notify you first if you wish.

[sbond]

Although my problem is not at boot up, it seems to essentially be the same issue. I have LiveSafe with Security Center build 14.0.4113 on Windows 8.1. Recently, maybe about 2 weeks ago, the tray icon shows the turning blue circle to indicate it is checking for updates but it never completes the check unless I right click on the icon and select view the running update. The update window then opens and quickly progresses from 0% to 100% and installs any updates as needed.  Essentially this is a manual update, which does work.  I have to be at the computer and open the update for it to take place.  In update settings I have unchecked the option to wait for the system to be idle. I have had 3 sessions with support, including a second level tech. Virtual technician has been run numerous times and found nothing.  An SFC scan has been performed and it found some Windows file corruptions and these were all fixed and the scan run again with no corruptions found. LiveSafe has been uninstalled and re-installed from my account.  My subscription is about to expire in 11 days and I hesitate to renew when the program is not working properly. What I do not understand is that the discussion here clearly indicates that this is a known issue being worked on yet not one support tech ever mentioned this. I appreciate that the 2nd level tech spent time to fix some problems with my system and improve it's performance but it seems like my issue fits right in with the known problem being discussed here.

[exbrit]

You don't usually see techs telling people here that something is needing fixing as this is basically a peer-to-peer support area.   There are issues that are known about and they are working on but unless they get enough people offering support logs etc. it will take longer to find a solution.   Also fixes need to be tested thoroughly before release so it all takes time.  

Open a case with Tecnical Support, it's free by phone, or online chat & linked below.  Escalate it if they can't at first help.

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[tzdvl]

After reading sbond's post this morning I just have to respond.

I am running McAfee AntiVirus Plus with Windows 7 on a Dell XPS 8700 desktop (Intel i7 processor, 12GB RAM).

I have been patiently following this thread (and others) with interest, as I have been experiencing the same problem with updates since August 14. I appreciate the efforts of the programmers and beta testers to fix the problem, as well as the great communication by the moderators, but it looks like the glitch continues...

Yesterday I saw that my McAfee Security Center updated (initiated manually) from Build 14.0.4113 to Build 14.0.4119. I hoped the issue would be fixed, but the problem occurred again this morning. It's NOT fixed yet!

Since August 14, when I first boot my system (or bring it out of sleep), McAfee begins its expected update process, which hangs with the "gray circle" icon spinning in the tray.

As others have described, I can get the update process to proceed manually if I click the icon to open the program window.

Note that I get two DIFFERENT results, depending on whether I have Access Protection enabled or disabled:

If Access Protection is enabled, the process finishes with the message: "McAfee cannot update your software. Please check your internet connection. If the problem continues, please contact Technical Support."

If  Access Protection is DISabled, the process completes with the message: "You currently have the latest updates available."

As others have reported, McAfee Virtual Technician, Windows SFC and other troubleshooting all report no problems, and my system is otherwise running smoothly.

I have NOT tried uninstalling/reinstalling McAfee or contacted support, as this is a known bug and I've just been anticipating a fix.

NOW... I want to report a couple of details I have noticed regarding McAfee update behavior over the past four months.

Maybe this info might help?

Since May 14, 2015, I have been consistently seeing specific Warning events in the System log in my Windows Event Viewer whenever the McAfee update process runs.

Between  May 14 and August 13  I was experiencing no obvious problems with McAfee updates. The program was behaving and updating normally as far as I could tell.

BUT - about twice daily, whenever McAfee updated, a Warning (Event ID: 516) was generated in the System log, similar to this:

Log Name:      System

Source:        mfehidk

Date:          8/10/2015 7:13:52 PM

Event ID:      516

Task Category: (256)

Level:        Warning

Keywords:      Classic

Description:

Process **\MCUPDA~1.EXE pid (3580) contains signed but untrusted code, but was allowed to perform a privileged operation with a McAfee driver.

As I said, the update process seemed to be working normally in spite of the warning message about "untrusted code".

Since August 14  (I believe August 14 was when the Security Center update to Build 14.0 4113 occurred?), I am now seeing a DIFFERENT Warning (Event ID: 512), logged twice daily:

Log Name:      System

Source:        mfehidk

Date:          8/24/2015 7:53:01 AM

Event ID:      512

Task Category: (256)

Level:        Warning

Keywords:      Classic

Description:

Process **\MCUPDA~1.EXE pid (6040) is not from a trusted source and was blocked from performing a privileged operation with a McAfee driver.

Notice that this warning apparently states that the Mcafee updater was BLOCKED? It appears that, according to the logs, the McAfee updater has been consistently blocked twice daily since the August 14 program update?

I can't believe that I am the only one seeing these "untrusted code" and "blocked" warnings in my Event Viewer logs, but I haven't seen any reference to this detail. (I HAVE found a number of past threads referencing unrelated Event ID 516 "untrusted code" Warnings, related to "certificate mismatch", but there never seemed to be a definitive fix offered.)

I DID notice, however, that yesterday, right after the Security Center update to Build 4119 (which generated the usual Application Information log AVLogEvent - Event ID 5008 "Content successfully updated")

I saw that the VERY next Application log entry was:

Log Name:      Application

Source:        Microsoft-Windows-CAPI2

Date:          8/23/2015 7:20:05 AM

Event ID:      4111

Task Category: None

Level:        Information

Keywords:      Classic

Description:

Successful auto update of third-party root list with effective date: Thursday, July 23, 2015 7:16:35 PM.

BOTH log entries had the same time stamp of 8/23/2015 7:20:05 AM, so I assumed that the "third-party root list" update occurred as part of the McAfee program update, and would fix the "not from a trusted source and was blocked from performing a privileged operation with a McAfee driver" glitch, and therefore fix the update problem.

But again this morning I see the same update hang, and another associated "blocked" warning in the System log.

Like sbond, I have been happy with McAffee, but I've recently been seriously considering abandoning McAfee when my current subscription expires.

I mean, I'm running a current Intel-McAfee program on a top-line Dell-Windows 7 desktop system, not "Wanna-be Free AntiVirus" on an old Pentium III laptop with Windows 98!

Does anyone know what the heck is going on?!?

Should I try uninstalling/reinstalling AntiVirus Plus, or wait a little longer for a fix?

Thanks for any advice, and thanks again for your patience...

Ken

[sbond]

Re posting by tzdvl, what is access protection and were is it enabled/disabled? Also re posting by Ex-brit, I did use McAfee phone and chat support, 3 times now. They took control of my computer and did all the steps I mentioned above but it seems to me that once these did not work, someone in tech support should have been able to tell me that this behavior is a known problem being worked on, rather then telling me it should now be fixed.  It makes me wonder if it is being worked on if the support techs don't know about it or are they just reluctant to admit there is a problem on their end. PC system are a complicated mix of hardware and installed software and it is not a shock that sometimes there are unanticipated glitches in some systems with new builds, but the customer needs to know the facts. I do not know if they grabbed any logs while controlling my computer. So, do I now have to kill even more time contacting a 3rd level tech support when it appears there is nothing they can do for me online.

[exbrit]

Open the interface and click Navigation, go to General Settings and Alerts.

The bottom section is where you can turn off Access Protection.

Yes I quite understand regarding your other remarks.

Hopefully the issue will be fixed soon.

[sbond]

Thanks for the info on access protection. I did not want to turn it off and risk any nasty virus messing with the LiveSafe operating files but I am curious to see if I experience the same behavior as tzdvl if I turn it off.  Mine was set to on.  I did place another call to tech support and a supervisor is supposed to call me back. In speaking with the tech on the phone I did learn that the second level tech labeled my problem as being fixed just because he fixed some problems on my PC and assumed that this would fix the update problem.  It did not.  One has to wait for the next automatic update to initiate to determine if it is working correctly.  Manual updates work fine, at least for me. So at least they know there is another open ticket with this problem.  Will keep you posted as to what the supervisor says.

[exbrit]

My updates are always set to notify me first so never see these issues.

[sbond]

Essentially that is how the program is operating now. Although I have it set to install updates automatically, it is "notifying" me that there is an attempt to update by spinning the circle arrow in the tray icon and then when I happen to be around and see this, I can right click and view the running update and it will take place. Probably OK but for me it's not ideal.  I would rather it all happen automatically, since I might not be at this computer all day, every day.