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user_183665
Contributor
Message 1 of 11

WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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I've been having this problem for a month or two while running McAfee Antivirus Plus on Windows 10 64-bit:

Several times a day, something (presumably WebAdvisor) puts several megabytes of text into a log file in directory C:\ProgramData\McAfee\WebAdvisor\DownloadScan.dll (maybe once or twice a day). Yes, the name of the directory is DownloadScan.dll. Then after several days to a week or two of this, that log file will suddenly start growing without stopping; those same lines of text are put into the log file every 12 milliseconds, so the file grows quickly. The line of text that subsequently fills this file (up to many gigabytes until I catch it) is always of the form:

[ERR][20200414 06:58:10.005][PipeName.cpp@108]: Failed to open WebAdvisor registry key

The time increases by 12 ms. each line. The name of the log file varies, but is of the form:

log_002700410033001A0003.txt

The only way to stop WebAdvisor from eating up my hard drive with these log messages is to log off, then log back on, and finally delete the file manually.

Also, if I open the McAfee control center, click on the gear in the upper right, and select McAfee WebAdvisor, absolutely nothing happens at all - no dialog comes up. Perhaps this is some sort of clue?

Does anyone have any idea how to stop this annoying log file behavior?

1 Solution

Accepted Solutions
Madhan
McAfee Retired
McAfee Retired
Message 4 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Hello @user_183665 

Thank you for providing the information.

You can find the WebAdvisor version on Control Panel. For WebAdvisor browser version, you can right click on the WebAdvisor extension and find the version number.

I would request you to uninstall WebAdvisor from Control Panel and also removing the Extension from the browsers. Reinstall WebAdvisor by following the Article below and then add the extension to the browsers. This should fix the issue.

How to download and install McAfee WebAdvisor

Regards,
Madhan M

If this information was helpful in any way or answered your question, please mark it as the Accepted Solution and give Kudos if appropriate

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10 Replies
Madhan
McAfee Retired
McAfee Retired
Message 2 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Hello @user_183665 

We are sorry that WebAdvisor creates a log file of a higher size.

Please let me know the WebAdvisor and Operating system version.

Regards,
Madhan M

user_183665
Contributor
Message 3 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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My Windows 10 Pro 64-bit version is 1909 with all the Windows updates through March 2020 installed.

My McAfee AntiVirus Plus version is 16.0 (Release name 16.0 R24), with McAfee SecurityCenter version 18.4.139, McAfee VirusScan version 23.0.139, McAfee Personal Firewall version 19.4.163, McAfee QuickClean and Shredder version 18.4.162, McAfee Vulnerability Scanner version 8.4.104, and McAfee App Boost version 1.5.104.

The control center does not list a WebAdvisor version. Please advise how to find the WebAdvisor version.

Madhan
McAfee Retired
McAfee Retired
Message 4 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Hello @user_183665 

Thank you for providing the information.

You can find the WebAdvisor version on Control Panel. For WebAdvisor browser version, you can right click on the WebAdvisor extension and find the version number.

I would request you to uninstall WebAdvisor from Control Panel and also removing the Extension from the browsers. Reinstall WebAdvisor by following the Article below and then add the extension to the browsers. This should fix the issue.

How to download and install McAfee WebAdvisor

Regards,
Madhan M

If this information was helpful in any way or answered your question, please mark it as the Accepted Solution and give Kudos if appropriate

user_183665
Contributor
Message 5 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Aha... so from Control Panel/Programs and Features, the Webadvisor version is:

McAfee, LLC. Product version: 4.1.1.67 Size 42.9 MB.

From browser extensions, there is no McAfee WebAdvisor, only McAfee Secure Search (are they the same thing?). The McAfee Secure Search version is 1.0.0.34285.

I will try your instructions to uninstall and re-install, and report back when I have done so.

user_183665
Contributor
Message 6 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Note: My previous post has been edited - originally gave wrong version number.

Madhan
McAfee Retired
McAfee Retired
Message 7 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Hi @user_183665 

Thank you for the information.

Please perform the steps mentioned earlier. Observe for few days and let us know the outcome.

Regards,
Madhan M

user_183665
Contributor
Message 8 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Ok, will do. I notice that now there is no log directory named DownloadScan.dll. There is a directory named: C:\ProgramData\McAfee\WebAdvisor\BrowserHost.exe that contains about a megabyte of those messages in a log file. I'll keep an eye on that one to see if it grows.

McAfee WebAdvisor version uninstalled was 4.1.1.67

McAfee WebAdivsor after fresh re-installation is 4.1.1.90

Hopefully this will be the end of excessively growing log files! I will keep watch.

Thanks to Madhan for all the help 🙂

 

Madhan
McAfee Retired
McAfee Retired
Message 9 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Hello @user_183665 

I hope you reinstalled McAfee WebAdvisor and observing if the issue got fixed. Did the issue re-occur?

Please update me on the outcome.

Regards,
Madhan M

user_183665
Contributor
Message 10 of 11

Re: WebAdvisor log file grows and grows

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Since the re-install (which was a newer version), the issue has not re-occurred. The largest log file produced thus far is in C:\ProgramData\McAfee\WebAdvisor\BrowserHost.exe and was initially 1,234KB and is now only 1,236KB.

While that file still contains a lot of these messages:

[ERR][20200414 12:49:40.625][PipeName.cpp@108]: Failed to open WebAdvisor registry key

It is not a very large file and does not grow periodically nor continuously. So, although the messages in there are a little mysterious, I guess things are fine now.

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