I just downloaded avast! a few days ago. Newest version, it’s completely installed. But it won’t activate. It tells me the key is invalid. I’ve looked it over, there is no space at the end, and I copy and paste it of course (I would be too lazy to type it anyway!). My clock is fine too, it’s been known to go off a few hours before but, currently at least, it’s on the correct time and date. It’s perfect, so I don’t know why it’s not working.
I’ve been searching for days now and tried every answer I’ve found but it’s still telling me it’s ‘invalid.’ Ideas?
What version of avast did you download (4.8.1296), Home or Pro Trial ?
Where did you download from, avast.com of via cnet/download.com, etc. ?
I wouldn’t even attempt to type in the full key, copy and paste is the best method and as you say you are not coping any trailing spaces so it isn’t the number but its interpretation as invalid.
You could re-register and choose the third option I’m already registered but need a new license key (or words to that effect). That should send you a new key by email, the other options I believe would check to see if you were an existing user and if your key was still in date it would send a duplicate of that key (not good if it is considered invalid).
Have you rebooted and tried to enter the key again or try a repair of avast. Add Remove programs, select ‘avast! Anti-Virus,’ click the Change/Remove button and scroll down to Repair, click next and follow. Not to hopeful that a repair would have the desired effect.
If the new key also fails I would suggest you try a clean reinstall.
There is no need to boot into safe mode if you can uninstall avast from normal mode.
The need to do it from safe mode is for the uninstall utility and if avast was still installed (failed to uninstall) you would have run that from safe mode.
So if you follow the instructions and step 1 works, you reboot and run the uninstall utility from normal mode, as they say RTFM ;D ;D In this case the instructions given.
I guess I wasn’t clear in my posts, the uninstall utility does not work in normal mode and I can not uninstall it from Add or Remove Programs as it doesn’t appear on the list. I DID read the instructions, in fact I’ve read them before on another site and I have tried it before.
Either way, I tried running the utility in Safe Mode and uninstalled it and it seems to be working now. Still don’t understand what went wrong but hey, at least it’s working.
OK, if you can’t uninstall normally as it isn’t in the add remove programs list, then you have a failed install, so that is probably why the key is found to be invalid as there are probably other issues also.
This can happen for a number of reasons, but commonly it could be because of another AV installed or remnants remaining on your system (or possibly another security based application with say HIPS).
The main thing is that it is now working.
Have (or did) you another AV installed in this system, if so what was it and how did you get rid of it ?
No need for that, if you read the full post a) this problem was most likely related to a failed installation and b) now it has had a clean reinstall everything is now working.
