ComicBase Tip of the Day:

What to do if You Have Trouble Checking For Updates

Here’s some steps you should take if you run into trouble when attempting to download the weekly updates. These messages apply if your system seems to get stuck or displays an error message that it can’t connect to the update server:

1. Make sure you’ve got internet connectivity, and that our server is up by steering over to http://comicbase.com. If your internet connection is up, but that page doesn’t load, we’re probably working on the system (but feel free to drop a note to to let us know you can’t get in if the problem persists after 15 minutes).
   
2. Be sure you’re running the latest version of your series of ComicBase. You can check for new updates to the program itself by looking in the Support section of the ComicBase web site.
3. Make sure that ComicBase is added as an exception to your firewall, as well as any internet security you may be running (especially Norton Internet Security). If necessary, temporarily turn off all security suites until you resolve this issue.
4. Whenever you install any program, it’s important to temporarily turn off or close all other programs, particularly Anti-Spyware/Anti-Virus software. If certain programs are active (most notoriously AdAware) when you install ComicBase, they’ll actually delete or deactivate various Windows system files which ComicBase uses to communicate with the update server.
   
   If you suspect this may have done you in, you can usually set things right by turning off all such software, uninstalling ComicBase, and reinstalling ComicBase. (This won’t affect your data). If you can then launch ComicBase and check for updates successfully, experiment by re-enabling your security software one program at a time until you find the culprit (or until you get them all turned on and can still get updates).
   
5. Don’t run multiple security suites on your machine. They frequently conflict with one another, or require special configuration in order to not stop legitimate traffic (like a certain popular comic database program checking for updates on its server). Although we don’t really have recommendations as to a favorite suite to use, AOL’s “Security Edition” is infamous for causing trouble with its multiple firewalls and anti-spyware programs.

Lastly, if you can connect to the update server, but aren’t being allowed to download the update, make sure your subscription hasn’t expired (check File > ComicBase Statistics for your expiration date). If you’re using an older version of ComicBase and the bundled-in one-year update subscription has expired, it’s time to upgrade to the latest version of ComicBase.