Bitdefender Ts 2010 Scan Activity Bar Doesn't Appear Anymore

PinguThePenguin

Hey there everyone,

In November 2009, I installed Bitdefender Total Security 2010. (because panda internet security sucked big time)

Sometimes, when I reboot the PC, the scan activity bar doesn't display, although this item has been checked in the Settings. Now, up until today I didn't have major problems with it, it used to happen only once in a while. Rebooting usually helped solve the problem.

However, today this problem seems to persist. Although real-time protection and scan activity bar are checked, the bar simply won't display anymore. I have rebooted the PC about 6 times today and the problem remains. Neither do my settings change by themself, they checks are still in place. Before rebooting, I also tried to uncheck both functions, push the apply button, and afterwards recheck them etc, but that didn't make a difference.

Although I can see that Bitdefender keeps receiving regular updates, I am slightly worried about the effect this might just have on other tasks. Because:

1) I have received multiple emails today and normally I can see if they are being scanned. (both outgoing and incoming) This isn't the case now.

2) I know for a fact that realtime protection worked up to this point, because I have received notifications of viruses having been found when I was on the internet. (aamof, the last instance was yesterday !)

Basically, I rely on realtime protection and the scan activity bar in order to make sure everything works OK and to avoid having to look at log reports all the time. So I am pretty worried about the functionality as a whole, now. Particularly as my previous antivirus and firewall solution (PIS 2009) got infected from within.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to solve this issue ? I am on Win XP SP3, BTW.

AJAY999

Hi Pingu:

Just to let you know that whilst I'm still seeing the activity bar I'm also suddenly not seeing the banner announcing that emails are being scanned. This is just one of several problems which I'm getting with BD2010 which I have posted today. But no responses as yet.

PinguThePenguin

Hi Pingu:

Just to let you know that whilst I'm still seeing the activity bar I'm also suddenly not seeing the banner announcing that emails are being scanned. This is just one of several problems which I'm getting with BD2010 which I have posted today. But no responses as yet.

For some reason, I am becoming suspicious of certain Windows XP updates influencing BD's functionality. On March 25, I had downloaded a patched security update for Microsoft Excel 2002, KB978471 from Windows download center. (seeing as I am running Microsoft Office 2002) Previously, I had already downloaded it at the beginning of March, but as it transpired later, some websites reported it to be slightly defective, so Microsoft issued a patch for this patch. Although I didn't notice any difference in the way BD was behaving when then PC was running on the first issue of KB978471, I still decided to pre-emptively deinstall it anyway.

So I installed this patch on the abovementioned date, which was the last thing I actually did before turning off the PC. And the day after I noticed the change in BD's functionality, which couldn't be solved.

I have been googling this KB978471 issue, and to my surprise I have found that at the same time Microsoft also issued KB978474, a security update for Microsoft Excel 2003, which causes exactly the same problem AND has a follow-up patched version of its own !

Although neither of the articles referring to those KB's and their follow-up patches refer to firewall or antivirus problems, I have had regular issues with win XP updates influencing more than one Office program at the same time, although support articles on Microsoft usually refer to problems occurring in just one of these programs.

In other words, many times have I come across faulty Windows patches that caused problems with more than one Office application when installed. And to me this (sort of) might suggest that this is not so much a BD issue as it is a case of Microsoft programmers not being up to speed on the problems their own updates might cause.

So maybe, people who use Microsoft Office 2002/2003 are disproportionally more affected by such issues than others ? I suppose the only way to find out about this is deinstalling these patched KB 's and rebooting to see if BD will run normally afterwards. Which is what I am going to do.

Unknown

Hello PinguThePenguin,

If the Scan Activity bar still does not display, please go to the next location: C:\WINDOWS\system32, look after a file called user_gensett.xml and delete it . Reboot your system after that and look if you have the same issue.

If the same issue occurs please go to the next location :

C:\Documents and Settings\<currentuser>\Application Data\BitDefender\Desktop\Profiles (Windows XP) or C:\Users\<curentuser>\AppData\Roaming\BitDefender\Desktop\Profiles(Windows Vista)

and look after the file called user_gensett.xml.

Please upload the file on Sendspace and then post here the download link.

This location is hidden and you may want to follow the next steps in order to display it :

- go to your "Control Panel" and open "Folder Options";

- then go to the "View" tab and perform the changes listed below:

* check "Display contents of system folders"

* check "Show hidden files and folders"

* uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types"

* uncheck "Hide protected operating system files"

- click "Apply" and then "OK" to exit.

NOTE: On Microsoft Windows Vista you will apply the same steps except for selecting "Display contents of system folders".

As per the Scan incoming and outgoing emails pop-up message please note that, by default, you are receiving these messages only if BitDefender is in Expert mode (not Novice or Intermediate). Please open BitDefender in Expert mode -> go to the General module -> Settings tab -> make sure that Show pop-ups (on screen notes) option is checked -> check the options to receive pop-ups when the user interface is set on Expert, Intermediate or Novice mode.

Thank you.

PinguThePenguin

Thanx for the info BTW. Sorry I am a bit late to react. Last time I decided to give it a rest for a while. So I didn't do a thing. To my surprise, a few days later the Scan Activity Bar reappeared of its own accord.

However, this week the whole problem has resurfaced again. The Scan Activity Bar is gone. This time I am going to apply the solution you have given me, because it is getting up my nose.

So many thanks for the suggestions !