Bitdefender Hang In Vsserv.exe
Last evening at 8:27 pm, Bitdefender 2010 v13.0.20 attempted an application update on my XP Pro SP3 server. The upate was unsuccessful with the result that vsserv.exe became unresponsive. This had the effect of denying access to system files, including the registry. Windows was still running and did not crash, but became unresponsive. Applications that required access to system files could not get it, and generated hundreds of entries in the application event log. Log-in no longer worked (long delay followed by "system busy" or "timeout" messages). Only solution was to power down computer with the power button.
Upon power up and boot, vsserv.exe immediately faulted with this message:
Faulting application vsserv.exe, version 13.0.20.8, faulting module wslib.dll, version 1.0.100.0, fault address 0x000585de.
A Microsoft application error reporting message appeared on the screen. I submitted an error report, as I always do. Hopefully BitDefender makes use of those. There was also a BitDefender message on the screen saying that BitDefender services were not responding. I acknowledged this message and then used the BitDefender GUI to run a manual update. This update was successful, installing the version 13.0.21. After this, operation appeared to return to normal.
This is the second time this sequence has occured in the last 30 days. In both cases, Windows kept running but became unresponsive. I also observed this sequence occurring on my home computer (also XP Pro SP3 with 2010 version of BitDefender) yesterday about noon. Since I was using it at the time, I also noted the red BitDefender icon became gray. I attempted a restart and had to wait several minutes, but the computer did eventually restart.
When I have problems with BitDefender 2010, it's almost always the result of an attempted update. Most updates work ok, but every few weeks an update problem develops that affects the computer's performance in some way, and usually coincides with the gray icon. I used BitDefender 2009 for a year prior to upgrading to 2010, and did not experience these problems. Version 2009 received a large number of good professional reviews. But something is amiss in the update process under 2010. We use the BitDefender Business Security client at work, and that reports itself as being version 2009. We don't have update problems there either, although we do have other problems with it.
My conclusion is that either BitDefender does not adequately test or vet their 2010 updates before release, or else there is a chronic flaw in the 2010 update process that makes it chaotic and non-repeatable. Either way, it's very frustrating, and much time is consumed in dealing with these problems. My computers are knocked down by BitDefender more than they are by any malware. That includes the days when I didn't use virus protection.
