Autoupdate downloading fails to complete

Question

Recently the download process for autoupdate frequently gets "stuck" -- the down arrow in the shield continues forever and the display window (Show AutoUpdate Window) displays "Downloading". This has happened both on my iMac and on my wife's Mac Mini. The problem can be solved by re-starting the machine - the next update succeeds.

iMac OS X 10.7.5

Mac Mini OS X 10.3.3

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serra · Accepted Answer

Hey TJM39, 
 Has this happened multiple times for both of your machines, or just the once? 
 If it happens again, one thing you could try would be to clear Autoupdate cache and force a new download. Steps to do that are listed below. 
 Also, you say the Mac Mini is running OSX 10.3... frankly I'm surprised we are still continuing to send updates to that one. We currently require a minimum of 10.6, and will be phasing out support for that later this fall, so you may want to consider updating the Mac mini to a more current version of OSX. 
 How to Clear Autoupdate cache and force a new download 
 
 Open Terminal from Spotlight: 
 Paste in the following command and press enter: 
 sudo rm -rf /Library/Caches/com.sophos.sau/ ; /usr/bin/SophosUpdate 
 You will be prompted for your account password. Type the same one you use to unlock System Preferences panels etc. - the password will not appear on screen. Press enter once you have entered the password. The command will clear all of the already downloaded files in the Sophos AutoUpdate cache and force a new download.

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