aswsp.sys BSOD - can't boot!

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

I run Avast on a desktop under XP Home SP3.

Today I updated Avast, both definitions & engine, and programme. As far as I could tell, everythihng went well. I was asked to reboot, and tried to do so. After the XP splash-screen, I got the BSOD, blaming aswSP.sys.

I tried to boot into safe mode, but the system hung before booting. At this point, not at the time knowing what aswSP.sys was, and thinking it might be a system file, I tried repairing XP using my original installation disk.

Everything went fine to the point where I took out the disk and the system rebooted, at which point, after the splash-screen, I was back to the BSOD. There is one marginal difference, in that the computer can now SORT OF boot into safe mode, but simply says at that point that Windows installation cannot continue in Safe Mode, and reboots in “normal” mode right back to the BSOD.

At this point I borrowed another computer (the one from which I am writing this), and googled the problem. I also found a download of aswSP.sys (not clear what date or version), and copied that to a thumb-drive.

Using a Paragon bootable CD, I then copied the file to the Windows/System32 folder. No difference. I deleted it from that location, and also ernamed the only other aswSP file I could see, aswSP.exe, and renamed that. No difference.

I’ve had a look around the forum, and although there are other people who have the aswSP.sys BSOD problem, they don’t seem to have as sever a version of it as mine, in that theirs seem to be intermittent. Mine appears to be 100% permanent (on the basis of perhaps 15 attempted reboots).

So all in all I do not have anything like a functioning computer at the moment, or any clue what to do about it. Any advice, help or recommendations would be welcome. Thanks everyone.

2

Try the latest beta 6.0.1279 as that resolved a number of these problems, http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=83583.0, without having to resort to the limited patches.

A clean reinstall may be best.

3

had exactly the same probs a few months ago , I struggled to get my pc to into safe mode et all.If you can ever get get safe mode running(perseverance pays) , force uninstall avast immediately .That`s what I did.Kinda feel naked without avast but sometimes you gotta amputate a foot to save the leg .

4

It’s not exactly in System32/ But the folder named (Driver) within the folder System32

5

Thanks for your interest and help. The first of the above replies doesn’t, as far as I can see, help at all, because it seems to assume I can boot the PC, which I can’t. The second does hold out the ray of hope that maybe it will boot into safe mode one day. And thanks for the info in the third. I’ll try deleting the file(s) from the subdirectory and see if that makes any difference. I’ll report accordingly.

6

Your booting (in Safe Mode now) problem could be related to your steps:

I tried repairing XP using my original installation disk.

You had SP3 already, so, although less frequently seen, an old XP CD (pre SP3 for you) might mess your booting process. “Little” things have change during the years, and the booting areas (MBR and PBR) and booting files might have changed.

You need to try a repair of XP booting process with an updated CD. The same goes to the system files checkup.

If you manage to boot into Windows Safe Mode, uninstall Avast. You might want to use the Clear Uninstall Utility from Safe Mode http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility.

If you manage to boot into Safe Mode, but for some reason you can’t uninstall Avast, at least try disabling it. In Windows Services, look for Avast Antivirus and change the start method (from the current “auto”) so it won’t start. Then using msconfig, don’t allow avastUI.exe to start.

Only then you might try booting in Normal Mode, since Avast won’t start (nor it service, neither it UI) so to avoid the BSOD.

Then you can download the newest beta version (which should solve your BSOD).

7

I missed the bit where he tried to do a repair with xp.
Sometimes it can freeze up first time & needs another go at repairing.
Or he may need to move on to a more constructive repair.
IE Non- constructive or quick format.
The only problem I know of with some older computers running XP
Is after a clean install it only gives you service pack 1, & you might not be able to connect to the internet until you install service pack 2
If it goes well for you this is a good free recovery tool that might get some of your lost files back.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

8

Just to avoid confusions for anyone reading this, if you reformat your drive, install Windows anew and then expect to recover files with Recuva (or any other file-recovery tool for that matter), your probability of success in recovering files is VERY LOW. That’s not the way file-recovery tools usually work.

9

Fortunately, the computer in question has more than 1 HDD, so (with the Paragon bootable CD) I am able to copy some files from the OS-containing HDD to the other. That is in progress as I write. A reformat and clean reinstall of Windows is therefore a possibility which doesn’t actually strike terror, but it is still something I’m hoping to avoid. Thanks again to everyone who has taken time to think/write about this.

10

If it goes well for you this is a good free recovery tool that might get some of your lost files back.

http://www.piriform.com/recuva

Just to avoid confusions for anyone reading this, if you reformat your drive, install Windows anew and then expect to recover files with Recuva (or any other file-recovery tool for that matter), your probability of success in recovering files is VERY LOW. That’s not the way file-recovery tools usually work.

Oh believe me I have retrieved hundreds of lost photos video & Documents using this off computers.
If someone can save say 30 photos out of 50 — I would say that was a result.
The only way to fully wipe a computers hard drive is to write zeros using special programs.
I have even retrieved data from supposedly over written Files that used DoD 5220-22.M to over write.
I’m not recommending this to anyone, just a suggestion. End of Report

11

I’ve been around computers long enough (45 years) not to declare total victory, but I’m glad to say that thanks to this forum, and sharky7sharky in particular, I’m back in business for the moment, and this is being written from the problem computer. The miracle ingredient was renaming the .sys file in windows/system32/drivers/. There had been one in the system32 directory itself, for whatever reason, but anyone, Avast is now uninstalled, and the PC works for the moment. I’m now not sure, of course, whether to try reinstalling it… But at leas if I do and it all goes wrong again, I shoud have a fair idea what to do next time. Wish me luck, and again, thanks.

12

If you decide to do a reinstall or not of Avast, download the removal tool & Avast save to desk top.
Go into safe mode use the uninstaller making sure you chose the right Avast version at top.
Once uninstalled do a search for any Avast left over, also there will be empty Avast folders in Regedit, you can delete them. Under Current User & Local Machine
Disconnect from internet & reinstall Avast.
I don’t know if you noticed there were more Avast files in Drivers.
But using the uninstaller should clean them up.
Glad you got up & running good luck.

http://www.avast.com/uninstall-utility.

13

Also make sure all other old Antivirus programs you may of had are fully uninstalled, they are the cause of many conflicts.

14

@Sharky, This is an OT, completely, but I think that this needs to be addressed. Recuva and other file-recovery tools work, as you mentioned, by (for example) reading the “real” bytes saved in the HDD, and trying to relate them in some way to the remnants of the filesystem that originally pointed to those bytes.

Even when formatting the volume “erases” (not “really”, but it is accurate enough in this context) the filesystem “links” to the real data (the actual bytes), it is still true that most of the data is there in the surface of the HDD.

After reformatting (with a “quick” format), now you would have to somehow “understand” the bytes left there in that surface, and “user-friendly” tools try to do this for the user. This is NOT a simple task.

But now we would get to the step that “ruins” the chances. Installing anew the OS actually writes (most of) those bytes on the HDD surface. So no algorithm nor manual method can be used to recover those files. If you get to recover some file after this, it is almost a coincidence (not entirely, but, again, accurate enough in this context).

I could go on with more details, but the big picture is clear enough. Recuva (and others) are useful for other situations, not for the one presented in this topic. And certainly, those other potential situations, doesn’t include a file-recovery after you reinstall Windows (and once again, accurate enough in this context).

I’m not saying they are useless, and I don’t doubt you have successfully used them in the past. My point here is to avoid from some reader of this topic to think that, intentionally, the partition can be reformatted, the OS reinstalled, and that Recuva will recover most of their data of that same partition. The chances of that, as I said, are almost zero for all practical situations. These steps, (if they are intentional) near the word “suggest” would be only acceptable with a big NOT. I would say, don’t even think about it. Of course, unless you are just trying to learn, not to actually recover your system.

@rshbkk, please forgive me for this OT.

15

If you think after doing a fresh install of windows will write over 30 50 150 250 gb you’re so wrong.
Recuva is useless like cleaner from the same company? I don’t think so.
I would have no problem recovering old data IE photos files video or any other data I care to save.

Who’s talking about using Recuver to recover the operating system?
Recuver does not restore anything in the operating system

You chose search for video photos documents, once scanned you check the files you want to save & it gets downloaded into a file on your desk top.
A five year old can run recuver
Recuva tells you exactly what is does on Piriform website, like said a 5 year old can read what recuva can do.

You sound like another trouble maker.

16

You want to do something useful complain to ijogi & tell them not to frighten people by saying because people have a slow computer it must be a Virus. What rubbish

http://www.iyogi.net/ & they have lots more.

17

@SHARKY, you have NOT really read my post. Whatever you think you read, clearly you have interpreted as something completely different. I just hope other users won’t make the same mistake. Let’s close this OT.