Upgrading From 2014 To 2015. What A Mess!

archie400 · July 2014

Hi Forumers,

I've just completed a VERY MESSY upgrade path from 2014 to 2015 total security.

I tried the upgrade path where the installer starts an uninstall of the current product, attempts to write files with heaven knows what parameters into .bin files and then, I assume it then installs the new product.

Well, I didn't get that lucky. The uninstall got to 50% and just sat there while it wrote several files into c:\ProgramData. One of which, at the time I killed the uninstall, was just under 2 GB in size. In this binary file are around 1500 or so "lines" of information and around line 1560, it starts to show:

[21:02:52:804] sQJf()Be#W3[PM

This runs through the rest of the file. (When I killed the process, it reached 63,624,342 of the same text with just the timestamps changing:

[21:35:23:040] sQJf()Be#W3[PM

[21:35:23:050] sQJf()Be#W3[PM

I killed the process as it seemed stuck and then got the "clean uninstaller", uninstalled the 2014 version (fortunately, I had just saved/exported my Wallet) and then installed 2015 from scratch with in import of my wallet.

The install of 2015 couldn't register when asked but it seemed to know my license and "days left".

I've done two reboots since updates have been applied and there are still a few things that aren't 100% behaved, one being the vulnerability scan, with it telling me it can't contact Bitdefender's server, but it still seems to do some sort of scan and check.

Anyway, I've got another two PC's up "upgrade". Is there any sort of "validation check" I can run on them to see if there are any corrupt registry keys or other config or related data to make sure their upgrades go a lot smoother?

antikythera · July 2014

There are no guaranteed methods for a perfectly smooth upgrade from one version to another.

The best method I have found over several years with differing vendors products has always ended up being the same.

1. take a backup in case it goes wrong.

2. if you use wallet back that up and make a note of any other critical settings you would like in the new version for AV exclusions, firewall etc. because they will be lost.

3. download the removal tool and the new version you want to install.

4. run the normal program uninstaller from the start menu folder or windows control panel.

5 restart the pc when prompted.

6. restart again (belt and braces time) into safe mode.

7. run the removal tool and choose all available/known products whatever it is called.

8. restart when finished

9. run the installer for the new version.

10 input any settings you want when the install is complete.

11. update until no more updates are available

12. do a full system scan to train the program what is on your system.

13 use computer as normal.

Georgia · July 2014

@ Randy Mark

Thank you for your feedback.

We recommend using the Bitdefender uninstall tool for a smooth uninstall process of previous Bitdefender versions. The tool is available for download here:

http://www.bitdefender.com/files/Knowledge...installTool.exe

archie400 · July 2014

@ Randy Mark

Thank you for your feedback.

We recommend using the Bitdefender uninstall tool for a smooth uninstall process of previous Bitdefender versions. The tool is available for download here:

http://www.bitdefender.com/files/Knowledge...installTool.exe

Georgia,

THis is the second upgrade that has gone (horribly) wrong. mI had the same issues when I upgraded from 2013 to 2014 and, yes, I Knew the drill well enough to back up my machine and back up my wallet before attempting it.

I had hoped that the UPGRADE option would have saved all of my settings (spam lists, firewall rules, wallet, etc) on its own and then uninstalled the old product and installed the new product as it seems to intend to.

Perhaps you should give us the option to VERIFY all settings and parameters before trying to SAVE/backup all settings (as the upgrade tool seems to want)

THe VERIFY could indicate what step its up to (what it's verifying) and then indicate whether there are problems or not BEFORE removing or stopping the previous product at all.

Now, it LOOKS LIKE that is the intent of the upgrade path of the installer (to BACKUP the existing product's settings and then restore them on install of the new product) but it seems to fail, at least for me, at the 50% indicator, while, it seems, it's trying to back up those settings. THere is NO indication of where it's "stuck" or what it's doing.

I can snip the beginning of the 2GB file and send to you if it will help figure out what the problem is with the installer.

BY THE WAY, if it IS working properly, it should indicate that it's doing something and not just stuck in a loop if that is what it is doing.

I have followed the well worn path of getting the uninstaller, saving the wallet and then doing a clean install but this "resets" the firewall rules, spam filters, etc so I start, once again, from scratch.

Yes, that does work in that it gets the latest product onto my machine but...

... I have two more machines to upgrade. Dare I risk the same path again? Not sure.

bitter150 · July 2014

2. if you use wallet back that up and make a note of any other critical settings you would like in the new version for AV exclusions, firewall etc. because they will be lost.

Thanks for explaination, but in my opinion there is still no backup tool for settings...

So how to preserve all the settings while upgrading from v2014 to v2015?

antikythera · July 2014

agreed a decent backup/restore of settings function is awol as far as I'm concerned too.

screenshots, pen and paper, *.txt files are what I use at present.

During install on a new system what i also do while setting exclusions in the first place is to actually dump all the filenames and paths into a *.txt file before copying them into bitdefender. that way I have them ready to cut and paste if I have to reinstall. saves quite a bit of faffing with that browse button.

i don't use wallet but thought you could actually make a backup of the wallet file somehow in settings. anyhow if not i apologise for misleading info.

Upgrading From 2014 To 2015. What A Mess!

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