F-Secure Failure on 2 Computers? Also, Scan Problems

NoID

F-Secure 2.06 build 303

 

We're relatively new to F-Secure -- we switched from Trend to F-Secure in April.  Overall, things had been OK until yesterday.

 

Yesterday, I got a Windows (64-bit Win 7 Pro) notification that my computer wasn't protected with anti-virus or spyware protection.  I checked F-Secure & found an error message that it hadn't loaded & to restart the computer.  Multiple restarts failed to correct the problem, so Support instructed me to use the Uninstall tool & reinstall.  Which I did.

 

Today, on my laptop computer (64-bit Win 8.1 Pro), I got a message that my subscription had expired.  Which it hadn't -- our subscription is valid until April of next year.  I tried to contact Support, but after waiting in chat for 5+ minutes, I gave up.  My plan is to use the Uninstall tool & reinstall.  <sigh>

 

Any ideas what would cause these problems on two different computers so close together?  We have three other licenses in use (two desktop computers & one mobile device), so I'd really rather avoid problems with those if possible.

 

As long as I'm posting, I'm wondering if anyone can provide any tips for making scheduled scans work better?  Specifically with respect to my main desktop computer.  It's a relatively new computer with an Intel i7 processor, but the computer grinds to a crawl & is basically unusable for quite a long time when a  scheduled scan is occuring.  I initially had the scan scheduled for the wee hours, but since the computer goes to sleep, I don't think F-Secure was waking it to do the scan.  I'm wondering if there are setting I've done incorrectly that are causing the scan to make the computer basically unusable during the scan?

 

Finally, I'm looking for info on how to resolve an issue with F-Secure on my Android phone.  Almost every time I power on my phone, I get a "manual scan recommended" notification from F-Secure.  I have it set to do weekly scans, so I don't know why I'm getting the prompt every time I power up my phone.  Any suggestions?

Simon

Wow, lots of questions!

From what I can make out, the two initial problems were actually different issues, but one may have caused the other. How have you licensed the machines? Do you have five separate licenses, or are they multi-device licenses, ie, one license for three machines? Seeing as you have five machines licensed, does that therefore leave a spare 'floating' license? I'm just wondering if the reinstall on the first machine 'stole' the license from the laptop. Did it ask if you wanted to use an inactive license from another device? Further, do you get that option on the laptop which is saying the license has expired? Oh, and is this F-Secure SAFE, or a stand alone product? Internet Security or just AntiVirus? Sorry if all that sounds convoluted, but multi-device licenses can sometimes do a bit of a 'round robin' with reinstallations.

As for the initial problem with the first machine, is that now solved?

With regards scheduled scanning, how often are you running it? Personally, I don't really see a need to do full scans very regularly, as the product will be protecting you in real time anyway. The product is designed to take all available resources during a scan, in order to complete the scan in the least amount of time, hence your finding the system running slowly during the scan.

I think it's each to their own on this, but one possible solution might be to get a small program called 'Shutdown Timer' which can be set to shut the computer down at a given time, or after a given period. You could then start your scan when you go to bed, and leave the machine timed to shut down after the scan has completed. Just an idea - others may have better suggestions. I haven't scanned my own machine fully for about a year!

Can't help with the Android device - sorry.

NoID

Hi Simon,

 

Thank you for your response, and I apologize for not being more clear.  It's F-Secure SAFE with five licenses.  All five licenses are in use and have been since April.

 

I did the reinstall on my main computer (desktop) yesterday from MySAFE.  As I recall, the reinstall said it would use the license already on that machine, so it shouldn't have stolen the license from another device (laptop), right?

 

I think there's something going on somewhere, although I don't know what.  When I rebooted my dh's desktop (64-bit Win 7 Home Premium) a bit ago, there was a Windows error that his antivirus software wasn't active or was out of date, but that resolved itself within a minute or two.  Whew.  That just leaves my dd who is away at college -- I've sent her a text telling her to let me know if she has any issues & I'll connect remotely and take care of it for her.

 

With respect to the scheduled scan slowing my computer to a crawl, I have a weekly scan scheduled.  Interesting point about not needing regular scans frequently due to the real-time protection -- I'd not thought of that.  I've just kept doing what I've always done because it worked:  in spite of heavy househole online presense for a couple of decades and kids and partners (who don't always listen to the "computer rules" drilled into them <g>), we've never had any problems with viruses or malware or spyware, touch wood.

 

I guess my confusion is that when looking at ratings criteria for something that wouldn't grind things to a halt on newer equipment, F-Secure looked OK.  Because we tend to keep hardware relatively current, I don't think I've had this problem in the past with other security software.  I have a vague recollection of one program really bogging things down, but IIRC, there was the ability to pause the scheduled scan.

 

Thanks for your suggested work-around -- it's something I can think more about.  I seem to recall a way to make my PC wake up at certain times, so I need to get the cobwebs out of my brain about that.  Too, I think your point about real-time protection is a good one that's applicable to my computer since I'm the only one who ever is allowed to even touch it    No one else had complained to me about their scheduled scans interferring, so I won't borrow trouble there.

 

Thanks Again,

Sindy

Simon

Hi Sindy,

Not really sure what to suggest about the licensing issue. If it's all done through the SAFE portal, then individual device licenses shouldn't come into it. I can only suggest reinstalling via the SAFE portal, on any device which is complaining about an expired license. I only have one device via SAFE, so I'm not certain how it works with multiple devices.

Sending in a support ticket to F-Secure might be an idea, if the chat service isn't talking. We've found it to be a little hit and miss, and I certainly don't believe that it's manned 24/7 (but would happily be corrected on that).

With regards the occasional alert while starting a device up, I think this is fairly common and nothing to worry about, as long as it sorts itself out in a couple of minutes or so. My own theory on this is that it could happen when there is a big F-Secure product update which effectively requires a reboot, but instead of doing so automatically while the machine is running, it waits until the user reboots or restarts to effect the update. Because there's a slight delay with F-Secure starting, Windows Security Centre panics, and prompts an alert.

[Deleted User]

Hello Sindy,

 

The issue about the Antivirus not present on your computer could have been provoqued by an old virus definitions, lack of update or malfunctioning of the services. Normally, as you did, a reinstallation would fix these issues as will install everything from scratch and force an update once finished. I'm glad you did that, as it is the first recommended step.

 

Are you still experiencing the license expired problem on your Windows 8.1 computer? If so, you could send me a screenshot of the error via private message to take a look at it. You can upload the screenshot to Younited or any other web sharing photo storage service of your choice.

 

Regarding the performance during the full scan, as Simon said, the system will take up available resources in order to finish it as fast as possible, that is why is better to schedule it on idle hours. Simon is also right about the real time scanning with DeepGuard. Here is a link to a white paper about DeepGuard and the technology behind it, take a moment and go thru it as I believe you will find it interesting.

 

http://www.f-secure.com/static/doc/labs_global/Whitepapers/deepguard_whitepaper.pdf