Known Issue: On-Demand Scan Stuck at x%

    
We have been getting some reports from users that after running a manual on-demand scan it seems to be stuck or stopped at x%. The error code that is returned is different than “1”.

In order to help us troubleshoot this problem please follow these steps:

1.- Download and extract the Scan-Dump.zip file into a new folder, for example C:\Test.
2.- Browse to the C:Test directory and execute the file called “Start.bat“.
3.- Run a manual on-demand scan from Panda Cloud Antivirus to try to reproduce the problem.
4.- If the problem is successfully reproduced, execute the file “Stop.bat“.
5.- There will be a file called “Session01.etl” in the C:\Test directory.

If you can reproduce this problem please post the Session01.etl file to http://www.cloudantivirus.com/forum.

Many thanks for all your help & support !! 🙂
   

Error Code 1: Catching Exceptions and Creating Minidumps

 
If you’re having any type of problem with Panda Cloud Antivirus (a recent one we’re getting is the Error Code 1 while scanning) you can help us troubleshoot it by enabling exceptions and having Panda Cloud Antivirus create minidumps when it runs into a problem.

You can enable exceptions easily by creating the following registry key:
   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPanda SecurityPanda Service HostExceptions]
   "CreateMiniDump"=dword:00000001
   "ToMessageBox"=dword:00000001

For those less familiar with manipulating the Windows Registry you can simply download and execute the following Exceptions.reg file which will automatically make the change in the Registry for you:
Enable Exceptions

Once enabled, any exception caught will be shown to you in popup windows similar to the following ones:

If this happens, you can find the minidump in the following locations:

• XP: c:documents and settingsall usersProgram datapanda securitypanda cloud antivirus
• Vista: c:program datapanda securitypanda cloud antivirus

Simply compress (in a ZIP or similar) the minidump and send it to us. We have enabled an FTP account where these can be uploaded to.
FTP Server: 212.8.79.111
Username: betatester
Password: d8PvVVdTQzWv

Don’t forget to drop us a note at http://www.cloudantivirus.com/forum if you do upload a minidump so we can provide you with an answer or fix after we analyze your upload.

Again thanks to all that are helping us improve Panda Cloud Antivirus !

 

CloudAV Standalone Uninstaller

Some users upgrading from Beta1 to Beta2 version have come across problems during the uninstall/reinstall upgrade procedure. In order to try to make things easier on users we have created an uninstaller standalone application for Panda Cloud Antivirus.

IMPORTANT: only use this generic uninstaller on PCs with Panda Cloud Antivirus. If this uninstaller is executed on PCs with other Panda products (Panda Antivirus Pro, Panda Internet Security, etc.) it will have negative effects and will leave the PC in an unstable state.

Simply download and execute the uninstaller in the following ZIP file:
Download Cloud Antivirus Uninstaller

If you’re still having problems with an uninstall procedure and would like the manual instructions feel free to contact us at the Technical Support Forum (http://www.cloudantivirus.com/forum).

Notification popup of Beta period

Some Beta1 users have misunderstood the popup message that was recently shown by Panda Cloud Antivirus, announcing the availability of the Beta2 version.

The feedback we received is that some users thought the software was going to stop being free. I wanted to post this to clarify any confusions that might have been created by this notification.

This notification is merely announcing the availability of the Beta2 version. Some considerations to take into account during the beta period:

• As soon as a new Beta version is announced (Beta2, Beta3, etc.) the previous Beta version will stop connecting to Collective Intelligence and updating its cache.
• Users can of course download the new Beta version for free.
• After the Beta period is over and Panda Cloud Antivirus version 1.0 is released it will continue being free without any loss of functionality whatsoever.

Sorry if this notification has caused any confusion.

Known Issue with Beta2 Synchronous & Background Scan

We have received some comments and reports from Beta2 users of version 0.08.82 of slowness of their PCs and lots of hard drive I/O activity from PSANHost.exe.

We are tracing this problem back to an interaction of the new synchronous OnAccess cloud-scan with the BackgroundScan. This interaction seems as it could be the source of the slowness of the system even though we continue investigating it. Basically this occurs under certain circumstances when both scans are consuming the same resource. We’re in the process of redesigning these two scan tasks so they are optimized in the use of critical system resources to avoid simultaneous accesses to common resources.

As a workaround you can disable the BackgroundScan altogether. Disabling this task does not compromise the security level of the PC as the OnAccess scan guarantess the protection of the machine. If you apply this workaround simply make sure to run an OnDemand scan periodically to ensure there are no inactive & latent malicious files in the drive.

To disable the BackgroundScan simply create the following registry entry and reboot the PC:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPanda SecurityPanda Service Host]
"BackgroundDisabled"="-"

If you are not used to playing around with the registry, simply download and execute the .REG file in the following file:
http://blog.cloudantivirus.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/background_disabled.zip

As we continue investigating this problem, if you are affected by this problem and are able to send us debug information please get in touch with us. Thanks again to everybody for your help 🙂

Frequently Asked Questions

 

We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from the community regarding Cloud Antivirus. Thanks to all for downloading, testing, and using it. Of course there are many questions that are being answered through this blog and via comments, but as not all users read through the comments, I thought I’d compile a list of the most important and most common questions as well as answers. The list is comments/questions is the following (scroll down for the answers):

• Why isn’t there a 64bit and Windows7 version?
• Will Panda Cloud Antivirus continue being FREE after the beta is over?
• Do I need to run a different antivirus at the same time as Cloud Antivirus?
• Am I still protected when I’m not connected to the Internet?
• After installing Cloud Antivirus I scanned my PC and it took a really long time. What’s up?
• Are my files being sent to the cloud for scanning?
• What exactly is sent to the cloud?
• Cloud Antivirus detected a Trojan and deleted it. How can I get it back?
• Why can’t I choose delete/block/ignore when it detects a Trojan?
• Can I run Cloud Antivirus alongside my Norton360/AVG/Etc.?
• Scan stuck at x%.
• I have 2 monitors and Cloud Antivirus always appears right in the middle of both.
• Since I installed Cloud Antivirus my system has *really* slowed down to a crawl.
• I’m having problems downloading the Cloud Antivirus installation program.

 

 

Why isn’t there a 64bit and Windows7 version?

Basically we wanted to get Cloud Antivirus out there and tested as soon as possible to validate the new philosophy and protection model. Supporting additional configurations was less of a priority than seeing if the model is truly valid or not. However we’re seeing that by popular demand this is the #1 request we’re getting so we’ll re-think our priorities and try to release these builds as soon as possible.

 

Will Panda Cloud Antivirus continue being FREE after the beta is over?

YES. Absolutely. 100%. Free.

 

Do I need to run a different antivirus at the same time as Cloud Antivirus?

No. Cloud Antivirus provides all the protection you need from viruses, malware, etc. Also it is not recommended to run 2 different AV engines at the same time as they can conflict with each other.

 

Am I still protected when I’m not connected to the Internet?

Yes, you do not need to be connected to the Internet all the time in order to be protected. Cloud Antivirus stores a “local cache copy” of Collective Intelligence for offline operation. As soon as you disconnect, Cloud Antivirus still works in the background, checking every file against its local cache of detections. This local cache includes, amongst other things, detection for all malware files which are currently in circulation and affecting users.

After installing Cloud Antivirus I scanned my PC and it took a really long time. What’s up?

If you run an on-demand scan of your entire system right after installing Cloud Antivirus you will experience this slowness because both the initial Background Scan and the on-demand scan are running simultaneously. Panda Cloud Antivirus runs a Background Scan after installation. During this Background Scan Cloud Antivirus does a review of the entire PC by scanning it and by filling up its goodware cache (checking known good files against the cloud) in order to optimize future scans. Simply allow Cloud Antivirus to finish its Background Scan before launching a full system scan. If you are experiencing problems after that, please export your Windows Event Log for Cloud Antivirus (My PC, Manage, Event Viewer, Nano, right-click & Save as) and send it to us at beta@pandasecurity.com.  

 

Are my files being sent to the cloud for scanning?

No. Absolutely no files and no personal information is sent to the cloud. Also only PE files (.EXE, .COM, etc.) are checked against the cloud. Non-PE files such as pictures, documents, etc are not scanned from the cloud.

 

What exactly is sent to the cloud?

For any PE file that is checked against the cloud, we create multiple cryptographic hashes. Amongst them is what we call a “reverse signature” of the file. This reverse signature is able to identify multiple similar files. The response from the cloud can be “malware”, “goodware” or “unknown”. Also we send “behavioral traits” of files to be scanned heuristically remotely by the cloud. These are basically properties and characteristics of each file. In summary, no content and no personal information is ever sent to the cloud.

 

Cloud Antivirus detected a Trojan and deleted it. How can I get it back?

Cloud Antivirus is pre-configured to automatically delete malicious files. However suspicious files and certain types of grayware (hacking tools, potentially unwanted programs, etc.) are not deleted automatically and sent to the Recycle Bin (quarantine). To access the Recycle Bin, click on the folded bottom right corner of the Cloud Antivirus program. From there you can unblock detected files and get access to them again. Keep in mind that, once unblocked, these will not be detected again by Cloud Antivirus. However if the file that was detected is a true malicious file such as a Trojan, it will be deleted automatically and there’s no way to get it back (after all, you’re installing Cloud Antivirus to get rid of malware, right?).

 

Why can’t I choose delete/block/ignore when it detects a Trojan?

As an antivirus program, the main thing that users ask for from us is that we detect and get rid of malicious files without bothering them. This is exactly what Cloud Antivirus does, keeping everything as simple and straightforward as possible. This is what we’re trying to do with the new protection model of Cloud Antivirus, to manage all these decisions for end users automatically. However we are getting some feedback from advanced users to have this functionality included. We’re thinking about how to approach this but one way would be to activate an “advanced mode” and while in that mode maintain an encrypted copy of every detected file in the Recycle Bin (at least for x amount of max time) that can be recovered if needed. Comments about this approach are welcomed.

 

Can I run Cloud Antivirus alongside my Norton360/AVG/Etc.?

No you can’t, just as you can’t (or shouldn’t) run two or more different antivirus programs at the same time. The Cloud Antivirus installer identifies a large number of AV programs and will stop the installation if it detects one running. However there are reports of some users that have been able to install Cloud Antivirus running at the same time as lesser known AV programs such as Spyware Doctor Antivirus. In these cases you might experience slowness or slugginesh of the Operating System. To resolve this issue simply uninstall one of the two AV programs.

 

Scan stuck at x%.

Issue 1: This is a bug of the interface transparency effect. It’s not really a bug with the scan itself; rather it’s a bug on the interface painting actions. It occurs when, during the scan, the screensaver kicks in or the user session is closed. After coming back to the scan window, the impression is that the scan is stuck. However if you click on the scan window and drag it you can see that the scan is finished or still progressing.
Issue 2: We have had some reports of stuck scans which are not due to the interface transparency effect. If you are experiencing this problem, please export your Windows Event Log for Cloud Antivirus (My PC, Manage, Event Viewer, Nano, right-click & Save as) and send it to us at beta@pandasecurity.com.

 

I have 2 monitors and Cloud Antivirus always appears right in the middle of both.

Yes this is a reported and known bug. We’ll fix it as soon as possible.

 

Since I installed Cloud Antivirus my system has *really* slowed down to a crawl.

See the FAQ above about running Cloud Antivirus in parallel with another AV program. If this is not the case and you still experience slowness of the Operating System in general, please contact beta@pandasecurity.com and send us the details of your configuration.

 

I’m having problems downloading the Cloud Antivirus installation program.

Delete all temporary file from your browser and try downloading again from www.cloudantivirus.com.

 

Known Issues

 

The following issues have been detected by our beta testers which should be taken into consideration.

Installation / Uninstallation Issues

• During an incomplete uninstall, after reboot, the uninstall process cannot be finished. SOLUTION: We’re creating an uninstaller, but in the meantime please send us the log that is shown in the warning message.
• Cannot install after an incomplete install. SOLUTION: We’re creating an uninstaller, but in the meantime please send us the log that is shown in the warning message.
• Error while re-installing as a file cache is in use. SOLUTION: click “Retry” and allow the installation process to finish. It will complete successfully in spite of the warning message.

 

Application Issues

• Report takes a long time to show over 10.000 detections. WORKAROUND: as the Panda Cloud Antivirus Log is saved in the Windows Event Viewer, delete the corresponding Event Viewer Log before launching an on-demand scan over many files to help improve the responsiveness of the report viewer.
• The Recycle Bin (quarantine) takes a long time to show when there are many items in it.
• In the Event Report the name of the detected malware is shown as “Not available”. This means that either Internet connectivity was lost during the synchronization with Collective Intelligence or the malware naming webservice is not responding correctly.

 

Detection & Disinfection Issues

• Boot scan not performing correctly.
• Infected PE files which are not file-infectors and which are downloaded via HTTP, the product prompts for reboot disinfection even though it’s not really necessary.
• In infected compressed or packed containers which hold multiple elements, where at least one is infected, the product prompts for reboot disinfection even though it’s not really necessary.
• In some cases after disinfecting a file-infector virus the product notifies as “not neutralized” even though it was disinfected correctly and vice versa (in the case where the virus is in memory or the user does not have write-access to the directory respectively).
• Does not intercept nested Office file formats.
• When launching and on-demand scan over a very large number of malware samples the scan may be stuck at 99% of completion. SOLUTION: Disable BackgroundScan (will post details soon on how to do this).

 

As always we appreciate and welcome testing feedback so please keep them coming at beta@pandasecurity.com or in the form of comments on this blog.