6.0 Restart Continual Recycling

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Downloaded 6.0 today after using 5.xxxxx for about 8-9 days, I had just started using Avast. After download it asked for restart, I hit restart, and computer (WinXP) just started recycling through Restart. Never completely booted-up, it would get to the Win XP log on window and after a few seconds it would shut-off and start booting-up again on and on and on…

I did a soft boot and uninstalled 6.0. Started-up fine.

Tried re-install of 6.0 and the problem started again. I re-installed 3 times w/ the same results. If I didn’t restart, I couldn’t reopen any browser Window once I closed the window I used to access the new download(got a double error message), and when I restarted after a complete shut-down the recycling started again

I re-installed 5.xxxx and all is good(I hope)

WHAT HAPPENED???

2

No comments? Anyone else have this problem? Looking at this forum there seem to be a lot issues w/ 6.0. Is this typical?

3

How did you install avast 6, update from avast 5 User Interface or clean install ?

Now you have been back and forth a few times it may be best to do a clean reinstall.

This assumes you are using free version:

  • Download the latest version of avast, 6.0.1000 http://files.avast.com/iavs5x/setup_av_free_eng.exe and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again (if you didn’t save your last download). Use that when you reinstall.

  • Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, aswClear5.exe find it here and save it to your HDD (it has uninstall tools for both 5.x and 6.0.x).

    1. Now uninstall your current installation of avast! (using add remove programs, if you can’t do that start from the next step), reboot.- 2. run the avast! Uninstall Utility from safe mode, first for 5.x if previously installed and then for 6.x, once complete reboot into normal mode.- 3. install the latest version, reboot.
4

Very interesting that aswClear5.exe from David’s link and aswClear6.exe at http://files.avast.com/files/eng/aswclear6.exe are binary twins now.

File: D:\Downloads\John\aswclear6.exe
Size: 317200 bytes
File Version: 6, 0, 0, 0
Modified: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 12:07:11 PM
MD5: B7EB4336F6E1D2089B0DBFA9E6AA420E
SHA1: 1502EC325ADF22D27DB59020AD0CAA39806DC613
CRC32: D103E500

File: D:\Downloads\John\aswclear5.exe
Size: 317200 bytes
File Version: 6, 0, 0, 0
Modified: Thursday, February 24, 2011, 8:27:49 PM
MD5: B7EB4336F6E1D2089B0DBFA9E6AA420E
SHA1: 1502EC325ADF22D27DB59020AD0CAA39806DC613
CRC32: D103E500

The filenames may cause some confusion.

5

Yes as Vlk said in another post they both have added functionality to include avast 6.

6

Especially when they are actually the same file. :wink:

7

No doubt, given time the name will change on the http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility link.

8

Hi! I am having the same problem, although I have been using avast 5, and before it 4, for years instead of days. I think it has to do with the fact that I am running Windows XP SP1 on this system. I can not upgrade this computer to SP2 or higher because I have some older software, games, that can not run using Windows Media Player 9 or higher. They require version 8. I did not check the web site, which states that it only supports Windows XP SP2 or higher, until after I had allowed Avast! 5 to upgrade and found that windows could not start. I am surprised that Avast! 5 did not notify me of this new system requirement or warn me that my system did not meet the minimum requirements for Avast! 6 before it performed the upgrade. I have been looking around for the last version of Avast! 5 so that I can download and reinstall it on this system, but have not found it as yet. Hopefully a link can, and will, be provided.

9

DavidR thanks for the help. I did the 6.0 upgrade from the 5.xx program.

10

You should just update to SP3 then dowload yourself windows media player classic.

11

You’re welcome.

It may be best to run through the clean install as outlined above.

12

I encountered the same problem when I tried to install Avast 6 on a fresh Win XP SP1 computer. So a word of caution to anyone with a PC that is still using XP with SP1 or older, don’t upgrade to Avast 6 as it will wreck havoc on your system. Stay with Avast 5 or update XP to SP2 first before installing Avast 6.

13

They should update to SP3 not 2

14

push comes to shove, if you really want older version 5.xx, try www.twocows.com
They have version 5.0.677 listed… Free downloads…

I’ve used them before for other old programs that I had to reacquire… site seems to be safe ;D

15

That’s for sure:
Support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 ends on July 13, 2010
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifean31

16

I had the same problem on a WinXP SP1 machine. Just went back to Avast 5.1.889 and it works fine again.

17

Same problem - do not work after all these years. Restarting continuous after boot. What can I do ? Press F8 for safe Windows boot and afterward ???

18

From the download page - System Requirements

[b]Operating Systems Supported[/b] Windows 7 Windows Vista (any Edition excl. Starter Edition) Windows XP [b](Service Pack 2 or higher)[/b]

BTW, XP SP1 has been unsupported by MS for ages and XP SP2 since July 13, 2010. You are not getting hotfixes for critical Windows vulnerabilities. You seriously can’t rely on an AV or security suite to make up for this fact.

19

I was not complaining :slight_smile: My reasoning was maybe it will work, maybe it will not :slight_smile:

It’s not my primary machine, so I’m not worried about critical Windows vulnerabilities.

20

Working on SP1 from 2004 with same soft (except Firefox and Avast) - never got problems. Avast was exellent free antivirus which worked fine on old OS.