I've been getting "Invalid Update Control CTF File" errors for quite some time whenever I try to update my local copy of AVG Free, the virus protection I use on my Windows boxes. I finally dug around and found the solution to the problem.
Some of the downloaded files are corrupt. (I actually assumed that from the error I received. Is nice to know I was correct.) You have to go into your Windows Explorer and delete the *.ctf temp files in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avg8\update\download\ Don't delete the *.bin files as those are the ones that were compiled on previous updates. (It would be nice to see them all made into one file though.)
I hope this helps someone.
Update: I know I wrote this post for WinXP users but Doug notes in the comments below that Vista users can find AVG's saved files in the C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download subdirectory.
Some of the downloaded files are corrupt. (I actually assumed that from the error I received. Is nice to know I was correct.) You have to go into your Windows Explorer and delete the *.ctf temp files in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avg8\update\download\ Don't delete the *.bin files as those are the ones that were compiled on previous updates. (It would be nice to see them all made into one file though.)
I hope this helps someone.
Update: I know I wrote this post for WinXP users but Doug notes in the comments below that Vista users can find AVG's saved files in the C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download subdirectory.
That is EXACTLY what is done to have the error go away. You my friend are a genius!! Thanks for the posting, saved me and 100s of others I am sure!
Keifer | October 22, 2008 7:39 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks! This helped me.. I thought it could have been a virus or something preventing it from running. Updated now!
Matt | October 22, 2008 8:54 AM | Reply to this comment
Thank you very much for the information. Your information made it possible for me to repair a few "infected" computers quickly and correctly. Any idea of why this happens? Sincerely, Jeff
Jeff | October 22, 2008 10:52 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comments, folks. I still think we all received a corrupted file from AVG. The link I gave along with the few others I found show that this problem has been around for a bit and appears to be random. I think it was just a fluke.
Thanks for your advice, that hit the nail on the head.
Cheers
Terry | October 24, 2008 1:22 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem, folks. Glad to help.
Test for nested comments.
Thank You, I hadn't logged onto the internet in a while, i thought that was the problem, cause it could't run a scan. Turns out it ran a virus check anyway and there were three mp3 songs that were trojans and most likely the culprit. I probably got them from myspace. For those who can't find how to get to applications, just copy and paste the whole url into your explorer browser and it will go right to it.
Good luck and thanks who ever wrote this for the rest of us.
Jeanette | October 26, 2008 6:36 PM | Reply to this comment
Zillion thanks, man. This really helped me and my study group to solve the problem. Peace... junior student from IT college in Malaysia.
Netman | October 28, 2008 5:20 PM | Reply to this comment
thank you very much for this advice .
it is working again
regards ferry
ferry | October 31, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply to this comment
Thank you Dr. Mike,
Help greatly appreciated, AVG is up-to-date again!
Cheers,
David
david | November 1, 2008 9:31 PM | Reply to this comment
thank you very much. you saved me a lot of time
saf | November 2, 2008 7:58 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks. Could not find the .ctf files by normal windows search, but copied in the directory path and found the .ctf files. Deleting them enabled the download. Many thanks!
Colin
Colin Berthoud | November 2, 2008 1:22 PM | Reply to this comment
This worked great for me too, so thanks. The only thing I would like to add is that the files are located in another directory on Vista Home Prem :
C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download
Geezer | November 2, 2008 2:38 PM | Reply to this comment
Thank you for posting this! Weird to get corrupt updates from AVG.
faeriebell | November 3, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply to this comment
You my friend are a life saver. Thank you very much for helping me solve this problem. I have a fully paid for version of AVG 8 and this method also worked. Once again, thank you greatly :)
Simon | November 3, 2008 9:06 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks mate, was wondering if it was virus related so it's nice to see it wasn't that malicious
Josh | November 5, 2008 2:22 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I hadn't thought of a virus going after AVG directly like that. Have to admit that it would explain the corrupted *.ctf files. Good suggestion.
thanks very much for this
this has been driving me nuts
great stuff
kb | November 6, 2008 12:32 AM | Reply to this comment
hi there. im also having the same problem but when i get as far as C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\ '' i cant seem to find Application Data\Avg8\update\download\ . can anyone help??
michaelb | November 7, 2008 12:45 AM | Reply to this comment
[A copy of the email I sent in reply]
You don't get a subdirectoy labeled "Application Data" under "All Users"? What do you see?
thanks for the help
the files are actually in a hidden folder
the path was very helpful
thanks a lot
raghul | November 8, 2008 5:45 PM | Reply to this comment
That makes a lot of sense. One of the first things I do with a new Windows install is unhide everything. That's probably why I didn't notice that. I'll add a note to that effect (Once I remember how to unhide directories) to the Post.
Very good catch. Thanks.
man u are a genius
sumit | November 9, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I wish my ex and her mother had felt the same way.
BRILLIANT. Thanks a million Mike!
harry shaw | November 10, 2008 2:47 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Thanks for the comment as well.
Thank you, this was very helpfull
sebastian | November 14, 2008 3:07 AM | Reply to this comment
Don't usually reply on random threads, but this helped me out. Thanks a lot.
jhayu | November 15, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply to this comment
That worked like a charm. Simple and easy to do, and the AVG installed immediately.
Bruce Shivley | November 15, 2008 7:57 PM | Reply to this comment
THANK YOU SO MUCH...IT WORKED!!!
Brian | November 16, 2008 3:07 PM | Reply to this comment
Well My wife has the same prob on her computer but I get to All users and Application data and thats where it stops.
I see AVG8, but nothing there to where it says Update/Download.
Any ideas where I should look.
Thanks,
Brian
Brian | November 16, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply to this comment
Well I found the prob with my wifes computer, there were folders that hidden and when I clicked on show hidden folers there was the infamous file I was looking for.
Thanks Mike for having this blog to find problems.
Brian | November 16, 2008 11:22 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks so very much, IT worked! Just like that! I dont usually add comment to random sites, but really wanted to thank you, Ive been trying for hours to work it out. Thanks again from little old NZ
Karyn
Karyn | November 17, 2008 3:39 AM | Reply to this comment
I just hit this today and following your step fixed it. Many thanks!!
Stan | November 19, 2008 12:30 AM | Reply to this comment
hiya
i cant get to the file
jim | November 21, 2008 6:07 PM | Reply to this comment
Jim, the problem probably is that the directory is hidden. As noted up above, you;re going to have to tell your OS to unhide files and directories. A quick google search should find you instructions on how to do so.
genius! thanks! it worked.
Marco | November 25, 2008 9:21 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks very much. It really works. you are a star!!!!!!!
Peter Mbangu | November 28, 2008 7:33 AM | Reply to this comment
I went to all the diretories but the problem is. Even if I access the folder as an Admin and changed the hidden/show folder settings I can't find the ctf files.
Its seems files are missing. >.>
Kent | November 28, 2008 10:32 AM | Reply to this comment
THANK YOU!!! i've been getting this darn message for about a week and it was driving me crazy. I'm a girl, and the instructions were so simple I was able to do it myself.
THANK YOU again!
Marisa | December 3, 2008 7:53 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
Thankyou, saved my life. Update complete
Rachel | December 7, 2008 8:04 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you got AVG working again.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
I reloded AVG 3 times trying to get rid of this problem
It was so easy to fix, now all works great!!!!!
Thank you
Anton | December 8, 2008 10:23 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
thank you sooooooo very much mike it took me a while to figure out what to do but i got it and it worked u r a genius. thanks once again!
farah | December 10, 2008 12:04 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. Glad to see that you got it working.
eventhough i delete ctf file there is still the invalid update control ctf file in my avg. what will i do now? pls help
ace sambile | December 10, 2008 4:59 AM | Reply to this comment
I have Windows XP.I have followed the path C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avg8\update\download\. Alright, so I get there, and there is nothing inside. Hmm, maybe they are hidden, so I go to Tools/folder options/view/ and the box "show hidden files and folders" is checked.
Then I do a Search for .ctf as well as *.ctf, and nothing. Any ideas on how I can get this "invalid update control ctf file" error to quit?
zach | December 10, 2008 9:15 PM | Reply to this comment
If you;re not seeing anything in that subdirectory, then the un-hidden setting has not taken. Please check on that. That directory should also be full with the other files from completed upgrades of the virii database.
WOW!!!! just WOW!!! thank you soooooooooo much for the tip!!! :DDDD
crystal | December 11, 2008 9:42 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
I too am getting the Corrupt CTF file error message. I have followed your directions, however I cant seem to find the .ctf files. The update folder is completely empty and I when I used the search function my computer found nothing. I have un-hidden all of my files, so that's no the problem. How can a file that doesn't exist be corrupt? And thank you in advance for any help you can offer.
Koerraeh | December 12, 2008 4:04 AM | Reply to this comment
You may have to restart AVG to get it to pick up on the changes. Best bet would be to reboot the computer if you haven't done so. AVG seems to have issues with being able to be turned off. At least I've had problems in the past when I has to disable it.
Are there any files in that subdirectory? That's also where the program stores updates to the virii database. If you're not seeing any files in there, the un-hidden my not have taken correctly. I know I've got about 100 files in that subdirectory besides the *.ctf ones.
brilliant. thank you.
deegs | December 14, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thaks for the comment.
Thanks Dr. Mike, it worked like a charm!
Melissa | December 15, 2008 4:09 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the info. This solved the problem :)
Amanda Berry | December 16, 2008 2:12 PM | Reply to this comment
Excellent Thank You Very Much!
Reggie | December 16, 2008 7:46 PM | Reply to this comment
Thank You, I would have never thought of looking at that location with a bad or corrupted file. Cleared out the CTF files, and AVG updated successfully.
Thanks Again.
Marshall | December 17, 2008 4:58 PM | Reply to this comment
Problem solved. Thanks a lot :-)
Verminox | December 17, 2008 5:37 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment.
thank u very much for the help.. i was gettin irritated when this msg use to come...
tejas | December 21, 2008 6:04 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Those error messages that don't give any suggestions on how to fix themselves can be a pain, can't they? Thanks for the comment and glad you got things working again.
excellent!thank you!!
lalit | December 21, 2008 5:01 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment. I'm glad things are working for you now.
Thanks for the help. It worked and back abe to update avg.
Really Useful
Paul Jones | December 22, 2008 10:59 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad it fixed your problems for you.
Thank you so much!!!
Randi | December 23, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you got it working again.
Hmmm, AVG should cut me a check or at least a free upgrade for all these hits. :)
when i do all the steps there is no files in the folder and it still wont update??
Jonah | December 23, 2008 9:13 PM | Reply to this comment
Well if there's no files in the folder, chances are you've not unhidden the files. At the very least, you should be seeing the files made from the previous updates of AVG.
YEs this is help my "Invalid Control CTF file" error. That used to came after pressing update on Free AVG 8
Deb | December 25, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply to this comment
I'm going to assume that you mean that this article helped you and the program is now updating again. I'm glad you got it working again.
hi, seems i am the only unlucky guy here... i have followed the words of wisdom but unfortunately when i get to AVG/update/ i get absolutely empty folders BackUp, Download, Prepare... empty! not ctf to delete, anyone else has this problem?
Eroll Hermann-Nayna | December 26, 2008 8:48 AM | Reply to this comment
Well if they're completely empty, sounds like you've not taken the step to unhide your hidden files. At the very least, you should be seeing the previous updates in that subdirectory.
dude u are a leg im 14 and i thought my computer was screwed
shane | December 27, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Of course you just admitted to listening to your elders. :)
thanks man ........problem solved
eng. Rami kamal | December 27, 2008 11:35 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment. :)
Ok, I thought I'd google the error and one of the top links on the 1'st page was urs.
so, i thought i'd get the solution to the problem thought i had a doubt whether id b able 2 figure it out or not.
but, i was surprised 2 c how simple it was. thanks man!
"cheers"
Piyush Upmanyu | December 29, 2008 6:39 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. *chuckle* Wish all computer errors were this easy to fix. :)
Thanks, you have made my day much easier...all the best regards from Indonesia
Sung | December 29, 2008 12:45 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Had to fix it myself on my own computer. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
Happened to me too, great to have such an easy remedy, many thanks.
Bobsing | December 29, 2008 5:35 PM | Reply to this comment
Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the answer dmike, but as a matter of fact, after further investigations I found out that I was infested with nasties which were blocking me from downloading and searching, they were actually high jacking me on the net and redirecting me to where they wanted me to be... That was freaky!!! I couldn't download any virus checker, I had to use my wife's PC, download a few spywares on a stick and run them on my computer and OMG! Couldn't believe the sh#@ that came out of it!! If this can help others: Start with Malwarebyte which you should run in safemode, then thrown in spybot search and destroy, and nail it with Window Defender!! You will be surprised!! Then you can download AVG and install and update it to your heart content!! Do not forget to restart after each session. I am delighted with the result, I hope you guys are too> all the best
Eroll
eroll | December 30, 2008 2:38 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the walkthru. When I first had this problem, I had thought that there was a virus on my laptop as well since there are those out there that target virii software.
Thank you genius! This really did the trick! Have a good new year, you and all you love!
Rares | December 31, 2008 4:43 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Thanks for the comment and I'm glad the fix worked for you.
I'm getting the same error, but when i go to the folders in avg8, theres nothing in them to delete. I've gone thru and made sure none of the folders or files are hidden. I dunno what the problem is and its starting to piss me off a little. It's just started to occur within the last few days. I
've tried everything, even multiple installations. And since the general fix doesnt seem to apply to my situation i'm out of ideas. Anyone else got any? Email me.
S | December 31, 2008 6:34 PM | Reply to this comment
hellloo there has been comments about not finding the files to delet in the area you tol us to look ...help please
Samuel replied to comment from S | January 20, 2009 5:43 AM | Reply to this comment
Have you tried to unhide the files as mentioned up above? That's probably why you;re not seeing them. What are you seeing when you look at that subdirectory?
Thank - annoying error now gone. Great work! It's guys like you that make the internet a nicer place.
D-man | January 5, 2009 2:02 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment. Glad it worked for you.
What's funny about this is that I'm now seeing the error again. Have to fix it yet again on my computer. Would be nice to see the AVG folks nail this down.
thanks so much. this saved me from a lot of inconvenience.
john hontiveros | January 5, 2009 7:36 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment.
Remaming the files seems not to solve the problem, but deleting the 2 files hit the nail on the HEAD. I am proud to have you as my backbone. i have just added the site to my favorites. Thanks a million.
scone
Scone | January 6, 2009 9:20 AM | Reply to this comment
I saw the bit about renaming the files as well elsewhere but I would think that AVG would be monitoring those filenames as a security measure. I would think it would be easy for a virus to do the same to get around the protection.
Not a problem. Thanks for the comment as well as the bookmark.
Excellent, worked first time and easy. Saved me a long drive to fix the PC!
Chris | January 6, 2009 9:57 PM | Reply to this comment
The Vista path to the invalid files is:
C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download
Doug | January 7, 2009 2:07 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment as well as the information about Vista. Have to admit all of my boxes are still WinXP if not earlier than that. Heck, I still have a Win98 box to play games on. :)
Please help!! I can see now hidden folders but i can't see .ctf files,, wat should I do?! All I see is .bin files.. Please Help!!
krohnkites | January 8, 2009 5:53 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks so much , this posting really comes in time as I've been getting this error for few days already. My problem now fixed.
Amy | January 8, 2009 9:12 AM | Reply to this comment
Glad it's working for you now. Thanks for the comment.
Nice one buddy, also copied the path into a window and it popped up with the correct location. Many thanks.
Jules | January 8, 2009 1:37 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it fixed. Thanks for the comment.
HELP! I'm having this same problem, but for some reason the download folder is empty. no bin or ctf files. tried uninstalling and reinstalling a new one but still there are no files.
ABA | January 12, 2009 11:27 PM | Reply to this comment
If the folder is empty, you need to go back and unhide the hidden files and directories within winxp.
I have that same problem as ABA and krohnkites. I have checked that I´m seeing hidden files and I have even checked the \download directory from the command prompt and it is all empty. What´s even worse is that I cannot access the AVG 8.0 download from that computer, while it is easily accessible from my other computers. Virus???
Øivind replied to comment from Dr. Mike | January 14, 2009 12:51 PM | Reply to this comment
thanks alot mate very helpfull =]
ryan gardner | January 14, 2009 9:10 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
hai..thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!! you are super!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cipool | January 16, 2009 1:52 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem.
hey... thank sbuddy...i can update my AVg now...
zillion thnx
alber | January 18, 2009 7:26 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment.
i am having this problem too but can't find this C:\ProgramData\avg8\update\download subdirectory business :S
rhiannon m | January 18, 2009 11:44 PM | Reply to this comment
Well you left a fake email address so I guess you really don't want my help. That's why the comment policy asks for a real email address.
hey i cant find the file to delete helppp guess i am not with it but i go to documents settings and all users but i cant find the rest please help
Samuel | January 19, 2009 4:23 AM | Reply to this comment
Wanted to leave you my thanks!
Quomist | January 19, 2009 7:10 PM | Reply to this comment
Thank you for the help. I tried a suggest from another blog first and that didn't work. That one suggested downloading Malwarebytes and then running the prog. Tried that and it didn't help that problem. I have Vista and was frustrated when I couldn't get to the correct files because all I could find were instructions for XP. Then I found your little Update at the bottom. Worked perfectly! Thank you so much.
Tim | January 24, 2009 9:23 PM | Reply to this comment
Well then I'm very happy that Doug left the comment for you as I haven't installed Vista on any of my computers. They're too old. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
Thank you Dr. Mike fixed my problem prompto. Lifesaver.
Beef Man | January 25, 2009 4:28 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad you got it working and thanks for the comment.
Thanks a lot, Dr. Mike! You've been a great help, my laptop is very much protected because my AVG is now updated!!! God bless & More Power!
Ritzie | January 26, 2009 8:01 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment. I have AVG on my laptop as well.
Thank you so much! I couldn't find the "application data", until I read it could've been a hidden file, after which I searched for hidden items and I found it. Thanks! =)
Alexander | January 27, 2009 6:06 PM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem and thanks for the comment. I'll have to do a post someday on how to unhide files and directories.
just stumbled across this site. had the same problem, went to this site Link, went to ''AVG update issue - Invalid update control CTF file'', downloaded the utility, ran it. problem solved. this is a avg site so i felt better doing it this way. [Link fixed - drmike]
tom | February 1, 2009 5:59 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I fixed the link so folks could just click on it if they wanted to.
To be honest though, I took a look at the website in question and it does the exact same thing that our fix here does. It deletes the *.ctf files that are causing problems, in this case it's just a program that does so. Now, I don't know about the rest of the folks here but it's gotten to the point that I see that error a couple times a month. ITo solve it, I just pop open the directory and delete the files. If you use a program, you have to keep track of that program and where it is on your drive.
Kind of a hassle if you think about it.
What really needs to happen is that AVG needs to fix the issue so folks don't have to deal with it over and over again. That's the real fix to this issue.
Thank you!!!
Magan | February 4, 2009 2:51 AM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. I'm glad it helped.
-drmike
I'm not finding any .cfg files in the folder you mention. I have lots of .bin files. I have the folder set to make hidden files visible. Any other ideas?
Bob Runyan
Bob Runyan | February 5, 2009 2:12 PM | Reply to this comment
Thanks for the comment. Check to see if you have any files without file extensions. That's probably them. You can also use that program from the AVG site mentioned up above as well. In your case, that may work better than doing it manually.
Hope this helps,
-drmike
Great work man !!!!
Thanks a bunch...
Murtaza | February 6, 2009 6:37 AM | Reply to this comment
Not a problem. Glad this was a help to you. :)
I'm having the same problem as a few other people, I definitely have show hidden files and folders enabled but when I open the download folder it is completely empty.
Please help.
Harry | June 16, 2009 7:56 AM | Reply to this comment
Hi Harry
I have the same problem with AVG ver 9.0, i see you posted your note in June 2009. any suggestion did you manage to work it out. please email me.
thanks
regards
Eyecare
eyecare replied to comment from Harry | October 20, 2009 12:43 PM | Reply to this comment
This works for everyone, even if you don't have ctf files in your ~/update/download folder
Anyone who is still getting this problem open the AVG GUI and click tools, advanced settings, go to the update section and click manage followed by Delete temporary update files. I didn't have any ctf files in the directory specified so this is a more general solution, it seems to have deleted all the bin files from ~/update/download so that might work too as I think they are only temp files but I do not recommend that when the ever so slightly longer option is definitely safe.
Rob | June 16, 2009 8:48 AM | Reply to this comment
hello
seems like my case quite difficult to solve.
i had done the steps like you were mention above but still my avg can't update automatically.
i tried to update manually by downloading the update files through my friend's notebook and transfer it into my laptop.
but the avg still says "invalid update control CTF file".
plus,i was unable to go to any antivirus or antimalware sites.
i do uninstalled and reinstall the avg back and then try to update.but it doesn't get work.
really appreciate if you have any suggestions.
tq
edy | June 25, 2009 2:53 PM | Reply to this comment
Hi My problem is that i have downloaded and installed AVG ver 9.0 and not the old 8.0 version. The problem is same as above. It gives invalid control CTF error. Unfortunately i have followed your instructions however the download folder where the two .CTF files should be located is empty.
I have un-hidden the folders, files and all of them are showing, yet the download folder is empty no files in them. I am not sure what to do but they dont show at all. I am not sure because i have Ver 9.0 maybe that why there is a problem. please advise. Thanks
eyecare | October 19, 2009 6:02 AM | Reply to this comment
Hi there, as per some of the above comments, I have tried all the above options including showing hidden files. I've the searched for the specific file C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Avg8\update\download\ without success. When I search for this the result is a folder titled 'ads'. The folder is empty. As a precautionary measure I re click 'show all files' as instructed, but the result is the same unfortunately. I have even tried downloading and running a zip search script for the .ctf files without success as well. Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am running AVG 8. You also mentioned that the 'show all files' option may not be taking..i.e working. I suspect it is, because I am able to do random searches for other folders and files, which previously were not visible, but now are, so I am confident that the 'show all' has worked.. Thanks again.
petmiss | November 3, 2009 6:39 AM | Reply to this comment