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Scan Activity Bar Always Show At Boot Up

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Since a couple of days (after a recent update), the Scan Activity Bar always shows during boot up; despite the fact that it is disabled in the Settings. Changing the setting on/off (with/without reboot) did not solve this.


Not a big deal since it can quickly be removed; rather annoying...

Comments

  • alexcrist
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    Hello PaulAl,


    Does the settings get enabled after each update, or the Scan Activity Bar appears even if the setting is disabled?


    Cris.

  • Hello PaulAl,


    Does the settings get enabled after each update, or the Scan Activity Bar appears even if the setting is disabled?


    Cris.


    I have had the same problem. It is annoying. The settings do not get enabled after the updates. This has only been going on for about a week. Something changed that broke BD. I am running on Windows XP.


    Ray

  • PaulAl
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    Hello PaulAl,


    Does the settings get enabled after each update, or the Scan Activity Bar appears even if the setting is disabled?


    Cris.


    Same here: it is disabled. But I did try booting while enabled, then disabled and rebooted. Still appearing...

  • this happens to me as well on both of my vista machines. very annoying.

  • Vista x64. Activity Bar shows every time I boot. It is unchecked in the settings, and remains so after a reboot.

  • zork40
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    Happening to me as well running BitDefender 2009. Its been happening for the past couple of days for me. I have that feature disabled and it shows up on boot. I close it, and it opens up again a few minutes later. What is the fix for this?

  • Add me to this list.


    I'm on Windows XP pro, sp3. using BitDefender Antivirus 2009.


    As Vraith mentioned, the "Enable the Scan Activity bar (on screen graph of product activity)" on the "Settings" tab is unchecked and remains so after reboot. But nevertheless, the scan activity bar reappears.


    I suspect a problem in the registry, but that's just an uneducated guess.


    As for Cris's question as to whether or not it gets enabled after each update, I'm not sure. Once I manually inactivate it (right-click>hide or by opening BitDefender, going to Settings and checking then unchecking the "Enable the Scan Activity bar" box), it stays inactivated until I reboot again. In the meantime, the program has of course updated at least for new viruses... In any case, I'm not having zork40's problem, where it comes back in a few minutes after manually inactivating. At least not yet. :unsure:


    I (we!) would love to get this problem solved.

  • Sym0n
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    Been happening to me for a couple of weeks now. It's well annoying...

  • cedros
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    Hello PaulAl,


    Does the settings get enabled after each update, or the Scan Activity Bar appears even if the setting is disabled?


    Cris.


    Seems to show after each update, even if disabled in general>settings.


    Also, i noticed an increase of crashes since last few weeks (running vista 32b). this is caught by the crash report popup but still annoying.

  • I have this problem as well. Vista 64-bit. Scan Activity Bar is disabled in settings, but it appears after every reboot. It's been doing this for 3-4 weeks. I have to manually hide it. It's very annoying. Please fix.

  • Same problem here.It was persumably after an update that required a restart to take effect.


    It seems though, a recent similar update has resolved the issue.

  • Same problem here.It was persumably after an update that required a restart to take effect.


    It seems though, a recent similar update has resolved the issue.


    This is still a problem on my Windows XP system. The most recent update was this morning. It has now been 2 or 3 weeks that this problem has been occurring The Engine Version is 7.24921

  • Same problem here.It was persumably after an update that required a restart to take effect.


    It seems though, a recent similar update has resolved the issue.


    Lucky you ;)


    Still not resolved for me.

  • This is still a problem on my Windows XP system. The most recent update was this morning. It has now been 2 or 3 weeks that this problem has been occurring The Engine Version is 7.24921


    What product are you using, Internet Security or Anti Virus? Because with my AV, the engine version is 7.24891 and I haven't noticed the bug in 3 days. But hey see this thread. :huh: So no, I'm not that lucky!

  • For everybody who has this issue, try this: make sure that in BitDefender -> Advanced View -> Settings the "Show the scan activity bar" option is disabled. Then boot the system in Safe Mode and go to:


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009


    Look for the file called "user_gensett.xml" - open it with notepad and look for the <show_abar> </show_abar> entry - in between the two you will have a number - please set it to 0 and save the file. Now restart in normal mode and check if the Scan Activity bar is present.

  • ineuw
    Options
    For everybody who has this issue, try this: make sure that in BitDefender -> Advanced View -> Settings the "Show the scan activity bar" option is disabled. Then boot the system in Safe Mode and go to:


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009


    Look for the file called "user_gensett.xml" - open it with notepad and look for the <show_abar> </show_abar> entry - in between the two you will have a number - please set it to 0 and save the file. Now restart in normal mode and check if the Scan Activity bar is present.


    Please don't take offence but, you must be kidding. Is there a plan in place to correct this problem properly, and without having to reboot twice????? What about people who are not proficient and reluctant to tamper with files? After all, you are updating your software several times a day.

  • Sym0n
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    I did the above and it worked, ridiculous to expect your customers to hack settings files though or even have the experience to do so, but then BD was updated and I've just booted up and OH LOOK the stupid activity bar is back!


    This is a joke. Sort your coding out. QUICK.

  • ineuw
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    I did the above and it worked, ridiculous to expect your customers to hack settings files though or even have the experience to do so, but then BD was updated and I've just booted up and OH LOOK the stupid activity bar is back!


    This is a joke. Sort your coding out. QUICK.


    I did a search for user_gensett.xml, and there are 3 or more of them!!


    They exist in:


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009,


    C:\Windows\System32 and somewhere in C:\Documents and Settings


    . . under the logged in username, (and also may be also under the Administrator).



    I changed all while in safe mode, rebooted and updated Bitdefender. I checked all three files and the setting in each file remained 0, but it is a stupid waste of time.

  • What I have posted on this thread is a workaround that you can try if you wish to not have the scan activity bar on the computer until a permanent fix will be developed and implemented by live update.


    This display issue does not affect in any way the functionality of the product and we have managed to reproduce it in our testing lab also. We will keep you posted on when a fix will be available via update.

  • Haubix
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    Same problem here...

  • @Haubix


    Have you tried using the workaround I have posted earlier on this thread? Please tell me what results did you have after using it.

  • eluczaj
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    I would like to see this issue resolved soon without having to do multiple reboots, especially if an update of your software that you push out will overwrite.


    I have had to re-hide the Scan Activity Bar six times already this afternoon. This includes checking and unchecking the enable bar.


    It also sets up an irritating flicker behind full screen games.


    If this is the best that can be done, I will install Norton's and be done with it.

  • ineuw
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    I would like to see this issue resolved soon without having to do multiple reboots, especially if an update of your software that you push out will overwrite. I have had to re-hide the Scan Activity Bar six times already this afternoon. This includes checking and unchecking the enable bar. It also sets up an irritating flicker behind full screen games.


    If this is the best that can be done, I will install Norton's and be done with it.


    The suggested workaround of editing the user_gensett.xml file works, but there exist several files by this name and you should change to 0 the value between <show_abar> </show_abar> in all the files.

  • Sym0n
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    What I have posted on this thread is a workaround that you can try if you wish to not have the scan activity bar on the computer until a permanent fix will be developed and implemented by live update.


    This display issue does not affect in any way the functionality of the product and we have managed to reproduce it in our testing lab also. We will keep you posted on when a fix will be available via update.


    I've done the work around and yes following a reboot it worked. Then BD was updated and the activity bar re-appeared. I went back and checked the user_gensett.xml file and it looks like this:


    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>


    <settings version="1.0">


    <bdnews>1</bdnews>


    <show_alert>1</show_alert>


    <show_abar>0</show_abar>


    <load_startup>1</load_startup>


    <virus_rep>1</virus_rep>


    <od>1</od>


    <pass_enablepc>0</pass_enablepc>


    <show_popus_advanced>1</show_popus_advanced>


    <show_popups_basic>0</show_popups_basic>


    </settings>


    So yeah that workaround really works. To make it better it now doesn't appear on every boot, more like every other one.


    You saying that it doesn't "affect in any way the functionality of the product" is rubbish. It affects me, the customer, and my view of the functionality of this product. So putting it off until the live team can be bothered to resolve it is not acceptable.


    No doubt this or the other bugs in this product won't get resolved before my renewal, but that's by the by for me as I very much doubt I'd bother renewing anyway as this is not a finished product.

  • rft1020
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    What I have posted on this thread is a workaround that you can try if you wish to not have the scan activity bar on the computer until a permanent fix will be developed and implemented by live update.


    This display issue does not affect in any way the functionality of the product and we have managed to reproduce it in our testing lab also. We will keep you posted on when a fix will be available via update.


    Well, this problem didn't exist until some "update" broke BD and caused this error. Now, we can either wait for a fix or hack BD on our own. Thanks for the suggestion, but this problem should have NEVER happened in the first place. It should have been fixed by now. The idea of updates to BD is NOT TO BREAK EXISTING FUNCTIONALITY but to keep up with new viruses, etc. The issue is a minor annoyance, but the BD attitude is not.

  • Haubix
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    @Haubix


    Have you tried using the workaround I have posted earlier on this thread? Please tell me what results did you have after using it.


    I have tried this:


    For everybody who has this issue, try this: make sure that in BitDefender -> Advanced View -> Settings the "Show the scan activity bar" option is disabled. Then boot the system in Safe Mode and go to:


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009


    Look for the file called "user_gensett.xml" - open it with notepad and look for the <show_abar> </show_abar> entry - in between the two you will have a number - please set it to 0 and save the file. Now restart in normal mode and check if the Scan Activity bar is present.


    with the result that it shows up either after booting the system or after an update (don't know exactly because of silent update).


    I'd like to mention that the show_abar-tag was already set to zero when I booted in Safe Mode.


    I'm using Vista Ultimate x64.

  • thezed
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    Subscribing to this issue to see when it's resolved.


    I must say this is a very annoying problem.


    It's not just the activity bar for me, but also the "Incoming mail pop-ups". I have configured my BitDefender very specifically for the computers on my home-office network, and I cringe to think what other settings just get reverted back to default values when BitDefender feels like it wants to.


    No matter how many times I go in to the Bot Defender UI to change the option (even though the Activity Bar is *on* it shows as off in the Bit Defender UI... I have to turn it *on* and the back *off* again for it to disappear... every single time my computer boot_s).


    I wouldn't imagine that a change like this could take so long to resolve... Given that there are many updates to the Bit Defender files every week, I would think that the BD software could read the settings on start-up the same way that it gets the settings when I bring up the dialog and turn them on/off?


    I was going to try the workaround posted, but given the feedback from other users that suggest it starts all over again at the next update I won't bother.


    I used to recommend BD to anyone that asked me about virus protection software. I have stopped recently as I am not 100% sure that BD actually runs the way I have configured it to.


    Z

  • ineuw
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    The workaround of editing the user_gensett.xml works. Unfortunately, there are several copies of this file and one doesn't know which is the right one. When I corrected this bug on April 29, I had a copy of this file in:


    C:\Windows\System32\


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\


    and one in each of the username sub folders of the C:\Documents and settings\, depending on the number of users on the machine.


    I checked this morning, and it seems that one of the silent updates of Bitdefender altered the file locations. The files in C:\Documents and settings folders were gone, and the current copies are in:


    C:\Windows\System32\


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\


    C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009\Ini\Default\


    This is Windows XP, so I wouldn't know about any other OS.


    I hope this helps.

  • Haubix
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    What's the actual status of this issue?

  • Another grumpy customer... same thing happening to me; found this thread and joined specifically to ask about the status...


    I just switched to BD from Kaspersky; now I'm not happy with either - although minor, this annoyance makes me wonder if all truly is well... manually editing a file is something your testers should be doing, not your customers.


    Any ideas as to when we get a fix that we don't have to edit files to get?

  • rft1020
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    Another grumpy customer... same thing happening to me; found this thread and joined specifically to ask about the status...


    I just switched to BD from Kaspersky; now I'm not happy with either - although minor, this annoyance makes me wonder if all truly is well... manually editing a file is something your testers should be doing, not your customers.


    Any ideas as to when we get a fix that we don't have to edit files to get?


    Out of curiosity, what didn't you like with Kaspersky?

  • Haubix
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    I have the detection of fullscreen application activated.


    And today I found out, that the settings are also not stored.


    Example: I use Zoom Player and I watch a movie in fullscreen. After I closed Zoom Player a Pop-Up appears asking me if I want to add Zoom Player to the fullscreen list (for Game-Mode). I clicked yes (for testing), but the next time I watched another movie, the Pop-Up appears again.


    So maybe this is a greater settings issue than just the Activity Bar?


    Can anyone confirm?


    Kind regards

  • alexcrist
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    To all: The problem has been acknowledged by the development team and a fix is being worked on. I don't yet have an ETA at the moment, but I will post back here when new information is available.


    Cris.

  • john305
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    Hi any chance of getting the file activity and network activity windows fixed in the main program as there are blank and show nothing. Its nice to see that a error reported months ago finally is acknowledged with the Activity graph and also full screen detection. I have taken enough bull from customers about these problems. Is there a way to suspend there subscription until these errors are fixed and bitdefender internet security can be reinstalled on there systems. As for these problems not affecting program performance, when a program tries to load part of it and cant it runs a error and still keeps trying to load it,useing more and more resourses. Anyway i would like to know about the subscription suspend bit until the errors are fixed and my customers can use it again .


    Thank You

  • Orlox
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    Problem still exists today. Come on guys. Its not a hard error to fix. Dont forget. People dont care for that "activity bar" or anything thats not their choice to show up.

  • kenerling
    edited July 2009
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    This problem had disappeared for me for a while and now its back <img class=" /> ...


    Strangely, it doesn't exist on my girlfriends computer, and by the relatively low number of posts on this subject, I suspect that the problem is limited to certain users.


    What's making this problem affect just us? I suggest we try to find things we might share. Here's a few things that are on my computer (with the problem) but not on my girlfriend's computer:


    Windows XP sp3 (vs sp2)


    Yahoo! Widgets.


    Very regular maintenance (including registry cleaning with CCleaner and Comodo registry cleaner)


    Certain specific and relatively rare programs: Wordfast, Le Petit Robert French dictionary, Le Robert et Collins French-English dictionary...


    Add in your specificities to see if maybe we all share a common profile.

  • Problem is still here. What is happening with this?

    Also, A few other things have appeared. The computer seems to reboot after updating. I have checked the box with "wait for reboot" but when I log in again this box is unchecked. Anyone have the same problem?

  • Alex Stanciu
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    Hello Pellekanino ,

    Please try the next workaround and tell us if the scan activity bar still shows up at startup :

    1. Go to the next location : C:\Program Files\BitDefender\BitDefender 2009 and double click on "bdwizreg.exe" .

    2. A new window will be displayed : BitDefender Configuration Wizard - Step 1 of 9 .

    3. Click on Next at step 1 and 2 , select the option "Basic View " then proceed to the next steps.

    4. At step 3 , 4 and 5 do not check any options and hit Next .

    5. At step 6 leave the default options checked and at steps 7 uncheck the options listed there and click on Next , then click on Finnish .

    Reboot your system and look if you have the same issues .

    Thank you .

  • I'm having this problem since it appeared this spring when upgrading to BitDefender Antivirus 2009.


    It happened on two different Computers - both with Vista Business SP1.


    As a benefit of my access to the Microsoft Developer Network I do now have a fresh and clean install of Windows 7 Professional. Because I was having trouble with the BitDefender 2009 installer I still had on my harddrive, I installed the new BitDefender Antivirus 2010 (which was installing without any flaws).


    I was so happy that I did finally have a new major version of BitDefender Antivirus and I really could not believe my eyes when I saw that nasty activity bar window pop up again yesterday.


    You are releasing a new major of BitDefender and can't get that very annoying problem sorted out? I am really disappointed (after recommending BitDefender as the best antivirus solution out there for years) and I won't renew my license if this problem persists.


    I refuse to waste time with workaround testing. I want that to be fixed.


    Thanks for your attention.


    Greetings from Germany,


    Trav

  • I'm having this problem since it appeared this spring when upgrading to BitDefender Antivirus 2009.


    It happened on two different Computers - both with Vista Business SP1.


    As a benefit of my access to the Microsoft Developer Network I do now have a fresh and clean install of Windows 7 Professional. Because I was having trouble with the BitDefender 2009 installer I still had on my harddrive, I installed the new BitDefender Antivirus 2010 (which was installing without any flaws).


    I was so happy that I did finally have a new major version of BitDefender Antivirus and I really could not believe my eyes when I saw that nasty activity bar window pop up again yesterday.


    You are releasing a new major of BitDefender and can't get that very annoying problem sorted out? I am really disappointed (after recommending BitDefender as the best antivirus solution out there for years) and I won't renew my license if this problem persists.


    I refuse to waste time with workaround testing. I want that to be fixed.


    Thanks for your attention.


    Greetings from Germany,


    Trav


    Maybe you can try switching from advanced view to basic view and make sure in general settings in both advanced view and basic view.... the scan activity bar is disabled.

  • I did check for the scan actitivy bar setting in basic, standard and expert view - it was disabled in all three modes. I checked, applied and unchecked the checkbox in all of the three modes.


    I doubt that it will prevent the bug from bugging me again...


    Greetings,


    Trav


  • I have just spotted this thread. The Scan Activity Bar is that the equivalent of the little rectangle that used to appear like the heart monitor with the green line bouncing up and down on the old version? (Sorry, I ain't technically minded) I have the Scan Activity Bar enabled but nothing is there that I can see. It was more a psychological thing, creating the impression that BitDefender was working that I had grown used to. Likewise when it used to say it was scanning incoming or outgoing mail. It's not doing that now.


    I'll be honest, I have know real way of knowing that Bitdefender is actually doing anything on my PC, other than counting down the days that are left until my license expires when they'll ask me to pay for something that has not been properly tested and can't even confirm if it's actually working properly. Sorry Bitdefender, that's how I feel. Until such a time that all these peoples problems are resolved, they should have 365 days left on their license.

  • I did check for the scan actitivy bar setting in basic, standard and expert view - it was disabled in all three modes. I checked, applied and unchecked the checkbox in all of the three modes.


    I doubt that it will prevent the bug from bugging me again...


    Booted up my system a minute ago and... voilà - there is the scan activity bar again.


    This is really annoying.


    Trav

  • To complete the overview about possible soluations for this problem, I cross-link to this link in the BD2010 forum.


    (It seems there might be a problem, if you had BD2009 installed before.)


    Trav