Troubleshooting Sophos
Some users may have trouble installing the latest version of Sophos on their Windows operating system. Problems may occur during the installation or updating process. The following is a list of common problems, questions, and solutions:
- The Sophos installer files fail to extract properly
- I already have another anti-virus application installed on my computer. Will installing Sophos cause any problems?
- Sophos returns the error "25011: Sophos AutoUpdate could not read updating settings from [source]. Click OK to continue installation."
- Sophos returns the error "Error 3057. There was an unexpected error while attempting to create, repair or delete a user account. Contact your support personnel."
- Sophos appears to install successfully but returns the error "You do not have sufficient privileges to run the Sophos Anti-Virus main application. You are not a member of one of the Sophos groups..."
- I am having problems uninstalling Sophos from my computer
- Sophos returns the error "Error 3057. There was an unexpected error while attempting to create, repair or delete a user account. Contact your support personnel."
The Sophos installer files fail to extract properly
Before the actual installation process begins, Sophos will attempt to extract and copy all of the installation files into your C:\Windows\Temp folder. Some anti-spyware programs may prevent you from extracting these files properly. Please temporarily disable any anti-spyware programs on your computer.
I already have another anti-virus application installed on my computer. Will installing Sophos cause any problems?
Before installing Sophos, make sure that you have already uninstalled all other anti-virus programs (such as Norton Anti-Virus, McAfee Virus Scan, etc.) from your computer. If you do not do so, Sophos may fail to install or not run properly. Please see the following Sophos Knowledge Base Article for more information.
Sophos returns the error "25011: Sophos AutoUpdate could not read updating settings from [source]. Click OK to continue installation."
If Sophos returns the above error message during installation or returns an error that refers to "sauconf.xml" the Sophos AutoUpdater is not pointing to the appropriate autoupdate servers. The BOL version of Sophos should be pointing to the following primary and secondary update servers:
http://sophos-1.bol.ucla.edu:8500/ESXP (port 8000 for those upgrading from version 5)
http://sophos-2.bol.ucla.edu:8500/ESXP (port 8000 for those upgrading from version 5)
If these URLs are not correct, or if the username and password entries are missing, you will not be able to update your virus definitions or (for new installations) install the Sophos Anti-Virus component. You will need to download and replace the corrupted config files.
- Download the following zip file: https://www.bol.ucla.edu/pub/bol/sophos/win/Sophos_Removal_Tools/SAV6_cfg.zip
- Extract the contents of the zip file and place it in the appropriate folder:
-
C:\ProgramData\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Config (Windows Vista)
NOTE: ProgramData is a hidden folder. There are two easy ways of getting to this location:
- Click the location bar at the top where it says Computer > Local Disk (C:), append programdata to C:\, and press Enter.
- Open the Run dialog (Start > Run or Windows key + R), type %programdata% (include the percent symbols) and press Enter.
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C:\Program Files\Sophos\AutoUpdate\Config (Windows XP)
- Force update Sophos by right-clicking the Sophos icon in the system tray (next to the clock) and select Update now.
Sophos returns the error "Error 3057. There was an unexpected error while attempting to create, repair or delete a user account. Contact your support personnel."
A solution to this problem has been provided to us by Sophos. This solution has been shown to work on most computers, but it requires that you access and modify your Windows Registry. The registry is a database that Windows uses to house most of the critical information about programs installed on the computer, including the Windows operating system. For further assistance please e-mail or call the BOL Help Desk.
Sophos returns the error "You do not have sufficient privileges to run the Sophos Anti-Virus main application. You are not a member of one of the Sophos groups. In order to be able to launch this application, you must be a member of SophosAdministrator, SophosPowerUser or SophosUser group. Please contact the Administrator."
A solution to this problem has been provided to us by Sophos. This solution has been shown to work on most computers, but it requires that you access and modify your Windows Registry. The registry is a database that Windows uses to house most of the critical information about programs installed on the computer, including the Windows operating system. For further assistance please e-mail or call the BOL Help Desk.
I am having problems uninstalling Sophos from my computer
If you have problems uninstalling Sophos through the normal methods (Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs) Sophos has provided us with a utility that will help you completely remove Sophos from your computer. The utility can be downloaded at:
https://www.bol.ucla.edu/pub/bol/sophos/win/Sophos_Removal_Tools/REMSAV6.zip