I realized quite early on in the big snafu last night, that the Avast! update (the third in one day, I might add) had begun popping up false positives. Unfortunately, by that time, I had consigned about 10 files to the chest. I also looked carefully to see where the files were from.

They were from Spyware Doctor, Spybot - Search and Destroy, and (of all things) goodsol (my old, tried, true, and very trusted Pretty Good Solitaire program). The files were either .dll files or .exe files.

I went, right away and looked at the SHIELDS, and as soon as I stopped PANICKING, I turned off the Standard Shield, and that at least stopped the popups from happening. Suddenly my hubby called me from his office downstairs, to tell me that he was having this problem…yup…I explained about false positives, and told him what to do, but instead, he just shut down his computer and went to bed. Tonight, after he got home from college (he’s being retrained after losing his 15-year job earlier this year), he started up, Avast! updated, and he only got one more message from Spyware Doctor, which now can’t start, of course. I will fix that for him tomorrow.

By that time (as he was talking to me on the phone), Spyware Doctor was frantically popping things up and telling me it couldn’t restart. I figured out how to restore things from the chest, and did them ALL. Spyware Doctor still wouldn’t start.

I tried getting on the forum, and finally did succeed (after a LONG, LONG wait), seeing quickly, then, that 100s of people were already telling you what was happening. So I just downloaded the newest version of Spyware Doctor, completely (manually, because it couldn’t do itself by then) uninstalled Spyware Doctor, and then installed the newest version and updated everything, and put it all back in order. I’ll do the same for Spybot - S&D, the next time I use it, and for my card-playing program, the next time I get ready to use IT. Tomorrow I’ll fix David’s Spyware Doctor app.

Then I played Wow for a couple of hours, then went to bed.

This morning, at 11:00, I got the green notice that I needed to download and update the new Avast! program, which I did, and then I turned the Standard Shield back on. I had seeming success…no more popus…good…obviously the problems were all fixed, and since I had a minimal amount of files affected, and have already taken steps to fix those apps, I figured, great!!! Everything should be back to normal.

UNFORTUNATELY, SUCH IS NOT THE CASE!!!

I’ve been reading through the tons of posts about all the problems others have been having, so I know that I’m not the first one to say this, but I’m hoping that my above documentation and what I’m saying now will help solve ANOTHER problem that is happening…AFTER THE BIG FIX THIS MORNING!!!

When I try to access the internet, now–no matter if I use IE8 (which is updated to the latest degree), or FireFox (which I usually use, which is also updated)–both of which worked just fine last night before all this stuff started–my computer just sits and sogs. As soon as I try to access either browser (with Avast! running), then I can’t access any OTHER windows, either. Everything just hangs up. Interestingly, Task Manager WILL pop up on call, but it shows no processes running excessively or anything like that!!! OK…what’s up? It will show the browser I called, in the list, but shows no actual processing activity. I can click on that line and tell it to “stop,” and it does, and then my computer is fine again (other windows open, etc.).

Now, if I just let the computer WAIT…AND WAIT…AND WAIT…AND WAIT…about 15 minutes (I timed it), finally, a browser window WILL come up. When it does, though, I can barely access anything, and it…keeps on…stop…ping…and…start…ing…and…I…can…only scroll…in…fits…and…starts…etc. Get the picture? Again, this is with Avast! running (all shields) and in either FireFox or IE8.

OK…so I turned off the Web Shield. It did not solve the problem. I tried turning off one shield at a time. Nothing helped…until I finally just turned off Avast!

I’ve gone through this scenario three times, just to make sure. Every time, nothing helps the internet/web browser process, EXCEPT TURNING OFF AVAST! Period.

It seems to me that Avast! seems to be trying too hard to scan something, and not allowing something else to click in, that the browsers need.

I’m hoping that my description will tell you at least a little bit about what that problem might be. I HAVE seen that I’m NOT the only one with this problem.

I do want you to know that I am NOT giving up on Avast! I’ve been running your Home (free) program and have installed it on many, many, many of the computers I’ve fixed for other people, for YEARS. Only once or twice have there ever been other small problems with false positives or incompatibilities with other programs (like SpySweeper, a few years back). Every time, your team has fixed the problem just as soon as humanly possible. I have always appreciated the fact, as well, that Avast! has been the BEST at catching the “baddies” of all the other programs I’ve tried at any time. In fact, once you get things TOTALLY fixed with this last issue, and after my Spyware Doctor subscription runs out in May, I intend to go for your professional program, using the family pack (for $79.95, I believe). I’m looking forward to having reliable protection for both viruses and spyware/adware, from one package.

In the meantime, I do NOT want to have to have my Avast! turned OFF to surf the net!

So please help just as soon as you possibly can!

I am going to reinstall FireFox right now, to see if there’s any difference, but since the few files that Avast! “detected” last night had nothing to do with either browser, I really DON’T think that will make any difference. I’ll let you know if it does.

QUICK NOTE:

I tried one more thing. I had already determined that disabling one more shield, then one more shield, etc., while trying to scroll or move around in a browser window, didn’t help.

However, I realized that I had NOT just turned off the Standard Shield BEFORE trying to bring up a browser window.

Sure enough. All I have to do is disable the STANDARD SHIELD…FIRST…then either browser comes up just fine, and works fine from then on in.

SO…the problem, it would seem, is still entirely contained within the Standard Shield interface.

Hi…

Amen to what you’ve written below your avatar!

Your issue is most likely the result of updating the program rather than uninstalling and reinstalling the new copy from scratch. I had a problem occur with avast when I did the same thing a few years ago. Download the uninstall utility here and then reinstall a fresh copy of avast from here.

If you need to reregister your new copy, please go here. In addition, this page explains how to insert the product key.

Please let us know if this helps.

May God bless you and your husband

OK…I’m going to do as you suggested…download the newest version…completely uninstall…then reinstall. I’ll let you know if that fixes the internet problem. Thanks.

Blessings upon you, as well!

God Bless!

He does, thank you! Right back atcha.

Unfortunately, I have done the Safe Mode uninstall and the complete reinstall, and have updated to the latest AVS. This, however, did NOT fix my internet browser problem.

If the Standard Shield is activated, neither browser will open for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, nothing ELSE will open, either. Once a browser window DOES finally open, nothing works like it should, and it keeps stopping and starting, pausing then going, and sometimes just freezing up entirely.

Terminate the Standard Shield, and everything works just as it should.

So…there MUST still be a problem within the Standard Shield interface! All other shields are on and functioning normally…no problems whatsoever, that I have appeared to me, at least. It all seems to be within the Standard Shield.

Hi Sister in the Lord :

I saw someone post on these forums about using the computer’s “System
Restore” capabilities ; have you tried that ?

Oh, yes. I have “been there and done that” using several restore points, since this all started.

Stressing, now, though, that the internet browser problem is now existing after a total uninstall and then clean reinstall of Avast! A system restore wouldn’t do much good at this point, anyway. :

Hi Lindawing,did you uninstal and reinstal spybot search and destroy as you said you were going to.Also do you have spybots teatimer protection on.If so give it a shot without teatimer.

      Just suggestions that I hope may well help.If not someone will come up with one that does. ;)

Hi cod…

Thank you for your suggestion, it does sound like a possible conflict.

God bless

Hi Spiritsongs and ardvark,

Yes in these cases protection can become a hindrance to restoring to a previous stage. Tea-timer can be such a hindrance.
I left Spybot S&D earlier because better alternatives came in like MBAM and SAS, also like the restoration points of a program like SpywareBlaster called System Snapshot, so if you have a System Snapshot from before the avast-fp-incident that could help considerably towards restoring to normal functioning, it is worth to have SpywareBlaster for that,

polonus

Yes…I did uninstall and reinstall Spyware Doctor, which is now working just fine. (I did that first.)

I am not using TeaTimer…tried it once and didn’t like the way it worked. I figure it’s better than it used to be, but have never tried it again. So…Spybot S&D doesn’t figure into this equation at all.

However, I have just tried something else after reading the last several posts. I just disabled Spyware Doctor, and then restarted Avast’s Standard Shield, and guess what? Everything works fine!

That leaves me with the assumption, then, that there is somewhat of a problem between PC Tool’s Spyware Doctor and Avast’s Standard Shield!

I’m hoping this is something the Avast team can investigate. I have had a different problem with Spyware Doctor recently, and they have NOT been at all helpful in getting it worked out. In fact, the problem is with Simple machines forums like this one. Every time I go to one (and I go to quite a few of them every day), and if I post, I get a note from SD that it has blocked Adware/Spyware, but it doesn’t go through the regular channel of moving whatever it blocked to the global action list. This is because of–Spyware Doctor AND Simple Machines have already admitted–a false positive! However, they both have refused to do anything about it! So I changed my own forums over to a different type, and have still been suffering through the false positive alerts on SD, when I have to go to other forums (such as this one).

Unfortunately, I have paid through May of 2010, for my three-computer license for our household, and I can’t afford to change to the Avast! interface that now includes spyware, until May! Otherwise, I’d do that right away…thinking, though, that since your Pro version is 60 days free…hmmm…I might just be doing that, and saving aside the money to pay for your Family Pack in February.

Interestingly, I should add that I just completed the identical fixes for my hubby’s computer. He’s running Vista, and I’m still running XP due to the limitations of my CPU. There is NO problem with running both SD and Avast on HIS computer. Everything works just as it should! Grrr.

I think what I’m going to do right now, is leave the other two computers alone (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?), and download and install your combined Pro version for this computer, and uninstall Spyware Doctor.

I’ll let you know how that goes.

With all this Blessing in the Avast forum i am suprised that this could happen to Avast…
Or maybe the effect of blessing is strongly overrated… ???

Hi Pondus…

Quite to the contrary, the “effect” of the Lord’s blessings in my life has been tremendous!

I am a much different person today since I have given my life to Him and what has taken place did not come from my own effort or willpower.

Best Regards…

Best Regards...

Hi Pondus…

No, I did that for you personally so you wouldn’t think I was purposely trying to create offense.

Best Regards…

I’ll take the blessings, thanks!

Forgot to add the rest of what I came in to say! ;D

I downloaded the Pro version yesterday after discovering the problem between Spyware Doctor and Avast! (on my XP machine, at least…the two Vista machines don’t seem to be having the compatibility issue at all).

I uninstalled the Home version and installed the Pro version (with the 60-day trial), after uninstalling Spyware Doctor completely. I am now getting VERY much better and smoother internet access than I’ve been getting in quite a while, for which I’m grateful.

I noticed that the only additional shield in the Pro version is the Script Blocker. The splash screen did come up when I went to a site last night, but then went away, and nothing untoward happened. I’m feeling a LITTLE bit nervous. I just changed the advanced option on that shield, to show me detailed information when it takes action. It’s showing no infections, and everything seems to be fine.

I’m just a little antsy, because Spyware Doctor had been finding minor adware “infections” ever few days–from the same sites I went to yesterday. I have a feeling most of them were simply false positives, anyway, but am just wondering.

I’m also used to doing a nightly spyware scan (2:00 AM), and Avast! doesn’t do anything like that. So I’m liking the FREEDOM, but I’m also nervous about the freedom. I’m trusting that Avast! is really doing its job. On the other hand, I think I’ll run Spybot S&D every few days, just to check, until I get used to this new routine that really isn’t a routine! ;D

I too cannot get IE or FF to work for more than a few minutes before they crash and burn - and they are painfully slow. Like your problems, mine started immediately after the Avast! fp issue. Mine circumstances are a bit different:

1. Crazy Avast false positive issue.
2. Quarantine a few things then realize its a FP.
3. Decide to carry on and disable Avast for a while. Doesn’t work. IE and FF dead, computer slowed to a crawl.
4. Uninstall firewall - Avast didn’t like it and I thought that maybe it messed it up even though I had un-quarantined the FP files from the firewall. (Online Armor from Tall Emu).
5. Still won’t work - and now I notice that my computer crashes if the monitor shuts down.
6. Uninstall Avast.
7. Still crashes - download Opera and graphics drivers.
8. Install new drivers - seems to stop crashes at monitor shut down (so far).
9. Install Opera and it works fine. But IE and FF still crash within 1 minute of trying to use them. FF is probably within 10 seconds.
10. Now, I am using Opera so at least I can surf the net - but I am unable to use any other browser, and I have no idea if things like Thunderbird will work. I am going to try to to the clean uninstall in safe mode that was suggested. I hope that works. Otherwise, I am out of options.

What I don’t understand is what the heck happened that let Avast kill my computer? I mean, I only quarantined 2 files - both from the firewall program. Both got unquarantined and then i uninstalled the program. What happened? I have only used Avast for about a year - I switched from AVG - but this makes me wonder why I would install it again.

@ intron and lindawing

Have you tried looking in your Services to see what is started, starts automatically, is disabled etc…?
Right-click My Computer, choose Manage, select Services
Or Run - services.msc - and Enter

Screenshot below of my Services - shows Windows firewall is still on - so I can stop service and disable it.

All of these entries in Services can be checked off against a relevant sheet found on the Black Viper web site (choose under Popular Content) - Black Viper - http://www.blackviper.com/

one sheet for XP. 32bit and one for 64bit, one for Vista service pk 2, Windows 7, and so on, check them off, here is sheet for XP 32bit http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm

And also another page on that site, relevant to what your system, this time outlines best tweaks particular to your system. You choose your system (again, under Popular Content) and this time click Custom Services Registry File Tool and see Windows Super Tweaks page http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/supertweaks.htm