I am making a new post because I have not found any thing that exactly matches my situation. After an hour or so of operation, an individual application will freeze. This has happened with several applications, most recently with windows explorer. Other applications continue to run normally. Attempting to terminate the frozen application with the Windows Task Manager results only with the Task Manager also being hung. The only way to clear the problem is with a forced BIOS power off.
This situation first occurred with the initial 5.0 release (396?), so I went back to 4.8 hoping the next release would clear the problem. The situation has not been corrected in release 5.0.418.
beurket, I have a similar situation with my desktop PC.
I have had to different types of clean installations of WinXP. The first installation was with SP2 slipstreamed to the installation CD and the second with SP3 slipstreamed to the installation CD.
When I did the first installation, I installed Avast Free 5.0.377.0 right after HW drivers → the problems started right away. I was able to install SP3 with maybe fifth attempt. Earlier installations hung while the SP files were extracted to the HDD. Explorer.exe froze every time. When I tried to dl the SP3 package with Firefox 3.6, FF also froze couple of times. After successful installation of SP3 the automatic updates could not be loaded/installed (because of explorer.exe freezing?!?). Then I started getting BSODs with error irql_not_less_or_equal. Tried to uninstall Avast but when the uninstaller asked to restart the PC, IE started up (woken by the uninstaller even when Firefox being the default browser!) and BSOD once again. Safemode made no difference! I thought the HDD could be the reason so It tested it but it was found to be OK. Then the HDD was wiped clean the second installation began…
This time after XP installation with SP3, only the HW drivers were installed before updating 65 XP fixes/updates. No problems so far. Then maybe 5 applications were installed, still everything running smooth. This time installed Avast Free 5.0.418.0 which was downloaded just prior the installation… restarted the PC and there we go again. BSOD with irql_not_less_or_equal error. Tried to uninstall with same results than earlier (“Restart now” window opens - IE! starts up - BSOD). Going for the third strike but maybe with another AV-client.
BSODs also occurred at system startup, normal mode or safemode!
Summary:
HW:
motherboard - New
memory modules - New
CPU - New
HDD - tested, no errors/problems
OS:
WinXP 32bit with SP2 and SP3
SW:
Avast Free 5.0.377.0 and Avast Free 5.0.418.0
no additional firewall application ;D (unable to install because of the problems)
I too am experiencing apparently random freezing problems with avast! Free 5.0.418 on my desktop pc.
For many years I used CA AV as my anti-virus program, and had no problems with it. When the time came to renew my licence I found the price had jumped from $29.99 to $49.95. This price hike plus feedback on the CA forum that the 2010 version was rubbish made me look elsewhere. As I already had the free version of avast!4 (the one with the blue ball) installed on my laptop (running Vista Ultimate) and had had no problems with it, I decided to install it on my desktop. First though I updated to avast!5 on my laptop, and all went well with the program and the laptop behaving normally.
Next, the desktop. I uninstalled CA AV and then downloaded avast!5. The download went very smoothly (I’m running XP Pro SP3 on the desktop), and all seemed OK except I didn’t seem to have any audible or popup messages e.g. “Virus Database has been updated”. I checked that the sound files had been downloaded and they were, and they worked when I played them. They just didn’t seem to work in avast! though.
However, avast! seemed to be doing its job OK until suddenly, after several hours of running, I couldn’t open any minimised program windows. When I tried to open the avast! user interface it too froze in an incomplete state. Even the ever-reliable CTL-ALT-DEL to open the Windows Task Manager didn’t work. Nothing for it but to do a warm re-boot.
After the re-boot everything worked fine again (still without avast! sounds) until I turned off the computer and retired for the night. The next morning I fired up the old girl again as usual and lo and behold! – out of nowhere came a lady’s voice “Virus Database has been updated!” Magic! Unfortunately after about 8 hours’ running the freezing problem resurfaced. Click as I might on various programs, nothing happened. The avast!5 UI froze. The only solution was a re-boot. Quite frustrating, as you can imagine.
I haven’t tried the Vista laptop today but it seemed OK the other day. I will fire it up to check, though. Meanwhile, can anyone help with the freezing problem with XP Pro SP3? I’m using free ZoneAlarm v.6.5.737.000 as my firewall on the desktop (the later versions were incompatible with CA AV), and am behind a wireless modem/router. All help and suggestions gratefully received.
@YoKenny: Thanks v. much for the advice. I downloaded the CA removal tool and started to run it, then chickened out when it asked permission to remotely take over my computer (!). If I get desperate I’l try it again.
As for ZoneAlarm, I know it’s a bit long in the tooth but it has some good features. Any recommendations for a good (preferably free) replacement?
I have revisited Avast 5 after remembering previous problems for other programs because of obsolete msvc*.dll files in the Program Files folder. I have removed any such files either by uninstalling non essential programs or just deleting them and testing the effect. I ran almost all day Saturday 2/20 until a freeze occurred. I has happened more frequently recently.
The freeze is not total. The most serious effect is that no new programs can be started. Except for the frozen program, running programs continue to operate with no noticeable degradation. The Start menu displays properly, but selecting the program results only in a short display of the hour glass and then nothing. In most instances, so far, the frozen program is one for which thee was no window displayed (notification area programs or services.)
I can clear the situation only with a BIOS power off. When there is a window any attempt to close it, including with the Task Manager fails. Using the normal power off will hang when attempting to close the frozen program.
Following is a description of my system.
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 2002
Service Pack 3
Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1400MHz
1.40 GHz. 1.25 GB of RAM
My experience was exactly the same as yours, and I’m running XP SP3 also. On avastus’ recommendation (and after doing some research of my own), I completely uninstalled my old ZoneAlarm Free firewall and installed the Comodo firewall (free version – what can I say? I’m a cheapskate!). I’m pleased to say that the freezing problem seems to have gone away (fingers crossed and touching wood).
There definitely seems to be an incompatability problem between avast! 5 and some firewalls that wasn’t present in avast! 4. Just one more thing for the development team to look at, I guess.
Btw, I really like the Comodo firewall. It seems to do its job well and is quite communicative about what it’s doing and why it’s doing it. It’s still in ‘learning’ mode so I expect the messages will decrease with time. But I like to know what’s going on, anyway! ;D
Anyone else experiencing this? I thought It was me, but I’m experiencing freezing problems with windows explorer, for example when I try to open a folder, a picture, install a program, it always happens in windows explorer.
I uninstalled Avast and the problem is gone, i thougt it was because I was using outpost free firewall, today I have changed to pc tools and the freezing problem is still here.
Any comments about this? I have installed Avast againg and windows explorers freezes for about 5 seconds then everything works normal.
During the freezing problem Avast 5.0.418 does not spin in the clock.
I’ve used Avast 5 Free for years and always recommended it to others. So I finally about Avast 5 IS 4.18 and it is awful:
100% CPU usage (off and on, worse with time) when I am NOT scanning.
Sometimes Avast 5 IS shuts down all of its shields.
I only have one other anti-malware and that is Threatfire. Been using it for years as my one-two protection: Avast + Threatfire. Avast alone (anything alone) is not enough.
What is the source of this CPU usage problem? The firewall?
The circumstances: paid version of AIS on two PCs, one on wireless, one on wired (wireless card present but problems), broadband + Belkin N Wireless, XPSP3, autoupdate on. Both computers about 16 months old (Dell and HP). No serious problems it the past at all, and no problems with PC3 with 4.8 and on wireless.
Problems: Computer with wireless only, PC1, badly freezes after upgrading from 4.8 to AIS. Sometimes after 10-15 mins, sometimes right after login screen. There is nothing we can do about it but hard reset. No BSOD, no memory dumps, no system event entries, computer completely frozen - bad bad bad. Computer nr2 with wired connection works OK but wireless card refused to work. It detects available networks but will not connect to the router. However when I took it home for dust removal and fans replace I was able to connect to my home router with no problems whatsoever. Strange - works great at home but no way to connect to the router in the office. Is it something about network names, authentication or what?
At the moment we removed AIS (and clean all that rubbish in safe mode) on PC1, installed free Avast Antivirus 5 and computer works perfectly. It is clear that AIS caused the problems. PC2 (with AIS on) still refuses to work on wireless but works on cable now. Unfortunately we can use wired connection only temporary and need to get rid of cables soon. At the moment it looks like we will not be able to have operational computers with AIS and wireless.
We simply have no time and resources to spend to find out what is going on with AIS - it is buggy and it seems we wasted money for the licence - free product works well, the paid one makes computer useless. If you a normal computer user (an accountant) and not a techie steer clear from licence. You WILL have to get an engineer to bring your office back to operational condition. And obviously it WILL cost you the money.
Uninstall avast from Control Panel (if possible). If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after that. Anyway, it’s good to download, save and run the two versions (avast 4.8 and avast 5).
Run the avast! Uninstall Utility saved on 1. If, for any reason, you can’t run it, try booting in Safe Mode and doing it from there. Anyway, boot after you’ve run it.
Install avast! using the setup saved on 2. Boot.
Register your free copy or add the license key for Pro.
As we paid for AIS I decided to give it another chance before asking to get the money back.
At home, I ghosted my system partition to old IDE 20GB HDD. Unplugged other hard drives and rebooted. I find “clean installation advice” on many replies in the forum so I did as in your post because I do have Avast5 running. Uninstalled, safe mode, clean with avast cleaning utility, reboot and installed AIS in trial mode. Now what happen is really unusual - all my NIC adapters refused to work. I wanted to try wired and wireless, I had four network adapters in total (two wired, one wireless PCI card and one wireless on USB - everything working perfectly before AIS). All of them completely dead. No internet, no network, unable to login to the router. IP config shows no network adapters but all of them are visible (no X or ?) in Device Manager! Clicking on the icon of any NIC caused Dev. Manager to freeze. Clicking on the task bar icons shows nothing in the status. Pic 1 and 2 here: http://tinyurl.com/yldqj2p Pic 3 is what I get when clicked on Repair button. Got no idea what was that all about - do you?
Apart from being cut off from the network computer was OK. And something else - the fdd drive issue. Every time I click on My Computer icon or going up in directory tree the floppy drive is checked and it takes about two, three seconds before I can do anything. Every beeping time! And, yes I do have autostart disabled for ALL drives.
I the mean time I had to do something and booted from my main HDD where I have Avast antivirus running and rest of the config is exactly the same as on the tested HDD. No problems at all!
I was about to give up but having old hdd fitted I wanted to try a FRESH Windows install. Another reason was that my Windows is quite old, over three years now and plenty of software been there.
After half an hour I find my XPSP2 installation disk! Hurray! I installed fresh system, all hardware drives and nothing else, not even Firefox!
Now time for AIS - installed, rebooted and guess what? Are you ready?
EVERYTHING WORKS PERFECTLY! <<<<<<
I mean every beeping thing, every device, every NIC, everything! The only problem is the floppy drive seek issue (very annoying!).
What I am going to do now? Well, I am not going to reformat and reinstall Windows on all my computers. No way! Free Antivirus works well with my current configuration. I see no reason to have AIS at the moment in this form and shape. There are definitely incompatibility problems but I am not going to investigate where in particular things are not right. AIS is a new product and very immature. I believe that developers will make it usable for ‘every computer’ just like Avast Antivirus is.
At the moment I would NOT recommend AIS. Sorry guys.
PS. Have a look at my 4 and 5 pic in the gallery (see tiny link above). Pic 5 is where setup stuck for good 30 mins (not happy). Pic 4 is the state of my Device manager after AIS has been removed. Looks terrible isn’t it??
