this is the message i received from avast.

Hello,

reinstall avast! completely, please. It seems to be the easiest
solution of the problem. Even if you did it before, do it again this
way, using the uninstall utility, please:

  1. Uninstall the version of avast! that’s currently installed on your
    computer using our uninstall utility, that can be downloaded from this
    page:

http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avastclear.exe

  1. Use it in safe mode of Windows - in this mode you don’t need to
    disable the avast’s self-defense module. Here you can learn how to
    start Windows in safe mode:

http://www.pchell.com/support/safemode.shtml

  1. After using that tool, restart your computer.

  2. Ensure there’s no “alwil software” nor “avast software” folder in
    C\Program Files and if it is, delete it

  3. Download the latest version of avast! from this page:

Avast! Free AV: http://files.avast.com/iavs9x/avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe

  1. Install it with default values, i.e. do NOT change anything during
    the installation process, and everything should be OK again.