MWB Prem - stuck in perpetual UPDATE - but no activity in Task Manager

[CurlySue]

Hi all! 

 

I am running MWB Premium 2.0.3.1025 and yesterday after an update, it is stuck in perpetual update mode (where the Updating database icon rotates continuously and the progress bar remains blue and full right and the Update Now > button is greyed-out) - see image below - and yet when I view Process using Windows Task Manager there is ZERO activity for mbam.exe and mbamservices.exe

 

My OS is Windows XP SP3.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

CurlySue 

[CurlySue]

Hi all! 

 

I am running MWB Premium 2.0.3.1025 and yesterday after an update, it is stuck in perpetual update mode (where the Updating database icon rotates continuously and the progress bar remains blue and full right and the Update Now > button is greyed-out) - see image below - and yet when I view Process using Windows Task Manager there is ZERO activity for mbam.exe and mbamservices.exe

 

My OS is Windows XP SP3.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

CurlySue 

[CurlySue]

 

Hi all! 

 

I am running MWB Premium 2.0.3.1025 and yesterday after an update, it is stuck in perpetual update mode (where the Updating database icon rotates continuously and the progress bar remains blue and full right and the Update Now > button is greyed-out) - see image below - and yet when I view Process using Windows Task Manager there is ZERO activity for mbam.exe and mbamservices.exe

 

My OS is Windows XP SP3.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks,

 

CurlySue 

 

[mynorgeek]

Same thing happened to me on one of my W7 computers.  Updating would not stop... perpetual is a good word to describe what it was doing.

It would replicate even after reboot and choosing update.

Since I had just updated my other W7 machine to 2.0.4, I decided to do the same with the 'perpetual update' machine.

So far, it seems to have fixed the problem.

[1PW]

Hello CurlySue:

The logs indicate the computer is probably infected and malware removal actions are not permitted in this sub-forum.

I recommend following the advice from the topic: Available Assistance for Possibly Infected Computers and have one of the Malware Removal Experts assist you with your issue.

If, as recommended, you do open a topic in Malware Removal Help, please make reference to this thread.

If you would like to get off to a very fast start, the Malware Removal Experts would appreciate it if you would also Copy and Paste (not attach) both the FRST.txt and the Addition.txt output diagnostic reports from only Log Set 1 into your new topic.

Thank you.

[daledoc1]

FYI This may have been a temporary CDN issue.

 

I experienced the same thing on all 3 systems the other day, upon cold starting and a manual update check soon after booting.

It's unlikely my MBAM installation "broke" on all 3 computers within a day of each other, but at different times (and therefore different databases).

And one of them was already updated to 2.0.4, so I don't think it was an issue with 2.0.3, either.

 

The workaround for me (running Premium) was to exit MBAM from the system tray and re-launch it from the desktop shortcut.

When I did so, the GUI "refreshed" properly to show the current (at that time) database.

And all subsequent update checks have been normal.

 

@CurlySue: if you are still having problems, please post back with the 3 requested diagnostic logs, as 1PW suggested.

 

Thanks,

[mynorgeek]

FYI This may have been a temporary CDN issue.

Pray tell, daledoc1... CDN?

[daledoc1]

Hi:
 

Pray tell, daledoc1... CDN?

 
Content Delivery Network

IOW, some sort of server or network issue at the Malwarebytes end.

 

This particular problem seems to have been self-limited on Dec 5, at least for me and one other user who reported it in a different thread.

If you are still experiencing updating issues, then I suggest the following:

• Please follow the steps in this pinned topic to uninstall your current version of MBAM and reinstall the latest build - MBAM Clean Removal Process 2x
• If that does not correct the issue, then please read the following and attach to your next reply the 3 requested logs - Diagnostic Logs (the 3 logs are: FRST.txt, Addition.txt and CheckResults.txt).  If you get to this point, as this thread was started by CurlySue, you might want to post the requested logs in a new, separate topic, to reduce confusion.

Thanks,

[CurlySue]

Same thing happened to me on one of my W7 computers.  Updating would not stop... perpetual is a good word to describe what it was doing.

It would replicate even after reboot and choosing update.

Since I had just updated my other W7 machine to 2.0.4, I decided to do the same with the 'perpetual update' machine.

So far, it seems to have fixed the problem.

 

Thanks for your reply and support mynorgeek!!!  

 

Was not aware of the 2.0.4 update - and my MWB Premium version was not updating to it on its own.

 

Following your lead, I updated to 2.0.4 as you suggested and the "perpetual update" has now ceased - in short, all appears to be back to normal. 

 

I re-ran THREAT SCAN and MWB found nothing (as it did when I ran the 2.0.3 threat scan) - I will post the screen shot image and the associated SCANNING HISTORY LOG.

 

Thanks again, mynorgeek!!!

 

CurlySue 

 

Hello CurlySue:

The logs indicate the computer is probably infected and malware removal actions are not permitted in this sub-forum.

I recommend following the advice from the topic: Available Assistance for Possibly Infected Computers and have one of the Malware Removal Experts assist you with your issue.

If, as recommended, you do open a topic in Malware Removal Help, please make reference to this thread.

If you would like to get off to a very fast start, the Malware Removal Experts would appreciate it if you would also Copy and Paste (not attach) both the FRST.txt and the Addition.txt output diagnostic reports from only Log Set 1 into your new topic.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for your reply, 1PW. 

 

You said, "... probably infected..."  That surprises me since I ran and posted the results of a complete THREAT SCAN and MWB found nothing - I also posted the SCANNING HISTORY LOG. 

 

I would hate to learn that my PC was/is flawed in a "probably infected" manner - I'd have to take AVIRA to task on that.  But I digress.

 

As you may have read . . . Following mynorgeek's lead (and experience), I updated to version 2.0.4 (a version that MWB Premium 2.0.3 clearly IGNORED which thoroughly disgusts me) and the the "perpetual update" has now ceased - in short, all appears to be back to normal. 

 

Clearly the "perpetual update" problem I described and experience was due to a FLAW in MWB's previous update and the problem (not disclosed to the public) was quickly remedied with the 2.0.4 update.

 

I am glad that I did not have to execute your suggestions, but truly appreciated your support.

 

CurlySue

 

 

FYI This may have been a temporary CDN issue.

 

I experienced the same thing on all 3 systems the other day, upon cold starting and a manual update check soon after booting.

It's unlikely my MBAM installation "broke" on all 3 computers within a day of each other, but at different times (and therefore different databases).

And one of them was already updated to 2.0.4, so I don't think it was an issue with 2.0.3, either.

 

The workaround for me (running Premium) was to exit MBAM from the system tray and re-launch it from the desktop shortcut.

When I did so, the GUI "refreshed" properly to show the current (at that time) database.

And all subsequent update checks have been normal.

 

@CurlySue: if you are still having problems, please post back with the 3 requested diagnostic logs, as 1PW suggested.

 

Thanks,

 

Thanks for your reply, daledoc1. 

 

Please refer to my response (noted above) to 1PW.

 

Thanks for the added insight regarding CDN as well.

 

CurlySue

 

= = = = = = = = = =

[daledoc1]

@CurlySue:

 

I'm glad your issue is resolved.

Thanks for letting us know.

 

Just for clarification, though, a few points:

• This updating issues does not appear to have a problem with MBAM PROGRAM version 2.0.3 -- if it had been, there would have been many 100s or 1000s of such reports here at the forum.
• I'm not sure that updating to program version 2.0.4 was a direct fix.
  • One of my "affected" computers was already running 2.0.4 when this happened.
  • On my other 2 systems, I was able to "fix" the issue by closing and then restarting MBAM, without updating the program to version 2.0.4.
• The problem seems to have been a self-limited issue -- perhaps with some of the servers that deliver DATABASE updates to a small number of users. 
• MBAM PROGRAM version 2.0.4 was released only a few days ago.  Typically, such PROGRAM updates are made available to a portion of users at a time. This is called "throttling" and is typical of security and other program updates by all software publishers, not just MBAM.
  • The fact that your particular MBAM installation had not yet offered you the version 2.0.4 is not at all abnormal and does not mean that anything was/is wrong or broken.
  • You might want to check to be sure that your MBAM is properly configured to check for PROGRAM updates, not just DATABASE updates (see the screen shot below).
  • Users can always perform an on-top or "clean" upgrade to a new PROGRAM version as soon as it is released, or they may wait until the program update comes down via MBAM's auto-updater.
    • You can watch the forum, sign up for the Malwarebytes newsletter, or watch social media to know when a new PROGRAM version has been released.

Bottom line: updating to the program version 2.0.4 was fine, but it may have been a coincidence that doing so appeared to have fixed the "perpetual database updating" problem.  And if you had not manually updated to version 2.0.4 when you did, MBAM's auto-updater would have offered you the same program update "automatically" soon enough.

 

Cheers,

[mynorgeek]

@ CurlySue... sure glad to help, although according to daledoc, what I suggested worked only by coincidence.

@ daledoc... thanks for the link to the Wikipedia write up on CDN.  I'll have to read that over one day.  I sometimes miss the times when people spoke and wrote without having to be questioned about acronyms.  Had you simply written "some sort of server issue" the communication, though somewhat less esoteric in appearance, would have been instantaneous.  

[CurlySue]

@ daledoc1 . . .

Thank you for the informative and exceedingly comprehensive reply. 

 

Coincidence or not, I am happy to be back on the SMOOTH working side of MWB!!

 

CurlySue

 

P.S.  Thanks again, mynorgeek