A 5 Free. Avast.setup. Where did it go?

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hi members.

I have installed A5 over A4.8. I have installed it clean, and I have also installed it without any other security app running, and eventhough I do not have any issues with the install, scans, or the first update (when booting first time), Avast 5 will not update the next update version if there is any due during the time the PC is on. Windows Security Shield comes up warning me that my A/V is outdated, so I tried to manually update A5. I can see the yellow bar to barely start the update process, and then stops and it says that Avast was updated. I click OK, but it reverts to the last version and the Avast main page says is not updated. I have tried to reboot, so that Avast updates automatically, but then Avast does not load (Icon with red circle and white X), and Avast holds the reboot process for the rest of the apps to complete. I have clicked Avast main page to “Start Program”, I have clicked “Fix It” and then Avast hangs, freezes, I don’t know, it does not do anything. I have waited 5 minutes and nothing happens. I have rebooted again with the same result so I end up uninstalling Avast 5 again.

I have AvastSvc.exe, AvastUI.exe, and Avast.setup as trusted apps in my Firewall and D+ (HIPS) in Comodo. I have allowed any popup that Comodo has alerted me about Avast, and still something is not right when a second update for Avast comes up.

Something is missing. You see, Comodo has a “Purge” button to get rid of any rule given to a program that is no longer found in the PC. When I click this “Purge” button, It removes the rule given to Avast.setup. If I reboot (Avast is working right. No update missing), and avast start loading in my PC, Comodo pops an alert to give permission to Avast.setup to execute and of course I allow it again. Then I look for it C:\ Program Files\Alwil Software\Setup\avast.setup but is not there.

Where did it go? Does the PC needs Avast.setup to do the automatic update or manually update Avast? Please give me some input.

I have not removed Avast.setup from Comodo yet, in this my fourth install, and I am waiting for the next update tonight and see what happens.

I have used and recommended Avast for at least 10 years. I have never had any problems with it (see, this is my first post) and I would like to use it for many years to come. This new A5 is a beauty. My RAM usage has come down at least 100 MB ( at least 4 Avast shields processes are gone from my task manager) and my boot times has been cut by 10 or 15 seconds. The scans and shields are an improve over 4.8 and my CPU barely notice them.

Thank you in advance.

Hernan.

I run W XP Pro Spk 3_86. Core 2 Duo 2.40 GHz. 2 GB RAM.
Avast free 5.0.377
Comodo C.I.S (Firewall and D+).
Spy Sweeper 6.1 (No A/V).
Win Patrol Plus.
MBAM (On scan demands).

2

iroc9555:

I experienced similar problems: Avast 5 Free + Comodo CIS (Firewall and D+) on Windows 7 -64 bit

The firewall was constantly issuing update pop-ups for avast.setup, and there was no way to make this permanent. If you search your computer, you can not find avast.setup - so how can you create firewall rules to ignore it?

When I wasn’t sitting at my desk to approve the D+ pop-ups, Avast would become unstable, and I would get errors that my AV Definitions were out of date! And then I was receiving “services” errors the next time would boot:

“No attempts to start the service have been made since the last boot”. The only away around this was to do a System restore from safe mode. Eventually, I uninstalled Avast 5 and CIS. Then after cleaning my registry, I installed PCTools firewall and Avast 5. I was still receiving the avast.setup pop-ups in PCTools firewall, but it seems to have settled down now. (i hope)

I would appreciate it if the developers at Avast would provide instructions to help users configure the product to work with 3rd party firewalls.

3

Generally with 3rd party firewalls (I use OA) you may need to exclude monitoring of Avast! 5. avast.setup is recreated and removed for each update, so it is not the same program the next time. Otherwise I get a block message of an unknown program, because it is not the SAME avast.setup as at the last update. Don’t know why Alwil does it this way, but excluding it in OA cured the problem.

4

yeah I’ve mentioned that during the beta testing, also running Def+ here and purging computer security policy (as well as Network policy btw) often leads to deleting avast.setup rules. No big deal for Def+in fact as it seems after the last CIS upgrade avast (Alwill) was put in the list of trusted publishers (my trusted software vendors), and I get no def+ alert anymore for avast.setup, just with the firewall.

5

Hi sded.

Thank you for answering. About 20 minutes a go, A5 did an update to v. 100126-1 successfully and I had the Avast\Setup folder open at the time, and I saw a file appeared and disappeared, too fast to read. I supposed it was Avast.setup. The important thing is that it did the update so I should not purge avast.setup using Comodo. However, since I fool around with programs, install and uninstall, and I do not want Comodo full of rules to nonexisting apps and there is no way to exclude a single rule app from the purge I should have in mind to reboot so Comodo will popup and alert for Avast.setup again.

Xost2.

Thank you for your input. If I am right with this maybe Comodo and Avast will work together while Avast and Comodo work things out.

Logos.

That is the thing is not doing it. After the purge of Avast.setup when Avast does the update again, Comodo should allow avast.setup again but it is not since My PC has not update avast. As I said above I leaved Avast.setup in Comodo and Avast just updated fine awhile ago. Anyway I am keeping my fingers crossed and it is just this what is happening and not something else, so I am hopping Avast keeps doing its updates without problems.

I will keep you inform and thanks to every body who answered my post.

6

To Xost2 and all CIS user.

Following HeffeD advice in Comodo Forums:

https://forums.comodo.com/defense-help/avast-5-and-cis-t50789.0.html

A5 is rebooting and doing Automatic updates without any alert popping up.

Reboot PC with CIS D+ in Clean PC Mode and allow all pop ups about Avast5.

One avast.setup for firewall.
One avast.setup for D+. Then avast.setup will install, modify or change:

Windows Socket Internet.
ParseAuto exec.
Control set001\Avast Test Service.
algo.dll
ArPot.dll
aswAR.dll
aswBoot.dll
aswcleanerDLL.dll
aswCmnBS.dll
aswCmnIS.dll
aswCmnOS.dll
aswEngin.dll
aswRawFs.dll
aswScan.dll
exts.dll
fwAux.dll

All these .dll come in a folder named after the update of the day (100128-1) in C:\Program files\Alwil Software\Avast5\defs\100128-1. Remember, this folder number is the current update version of the day, and it will change for the next update making CIS to pop up again for Avast.

Open your Pending Files in CIS > D+ > Common Task and check:

clclean.0001.dir.0000~df394b.temp, or one that looks like it if you got it.
avast.setup.
and all .dll files mentioned above.

Move them to My Own safe Files. This is just a precaution. Most of it for avast.setup. I believe that the .dll files are not really needed here, but just in case.

Then go to D+ > Advance > Computer Security Policy > Look for avast.setup. Double click it and click Access Rights > Protected Files\Folders. Here you will find:

Devise\Afd\EndPoint.
and all .dll mentioned above. Make a wildcard here.

C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast 5\defs*

That way for the next update when the folder for the version has a different date, CIS will allow it.

All this if you have CIS D+ in Safe Mode or Paranoid Mode, and remember if avast.setup is purged, you have to do it all again.

Hope this help somebody.

7

Hi,
I need help with the avast 5.0 update, windows defender says that avast it out of date and then I go to the avast interface at it says that the firewall is off, I click fix it and it does not do anything and it says that the firewall it not available, I tried to add to the firewall the avast file and nothing, it is not updating , it says also that it cannot connect to the server but I can browse the internet just fine, what is going on? I’m not computer savvy at all I just bought this program for protection and now I’m opening a can of worms…Can someone spell it out for me please? thank you…

8

Interestingly, with the PC Tools firewall, if I leave in the permission for avast.setup (even though PCT correctly recognizes that the file’s no longer there afterwards), it does not ask for permission again on the next update check. And this is despite the file being totally new each time (presumably with new checksum etc.).

One possibility, of course, might be that PCT has a pre-defined whitelist, as some other firewalls do, and that the setup file has been “honored” with inclusion. I’m not sure how that gets around the fact that the file’s changed each time, unless maybe whitelisted items don’t get their signatures/checksums/whatever re-examined, which sounds kinda sloppy for a security app.